7 Florida United Methodist Review Online

Letter to the Editor

Clergymen are also affected

Rev. Lawrence J. Loveday
Community United Methodist Church, Ft. Pierce, FL

In the July 9, 1999 edition of the “Florida United Methodist Review” there were articles dealing with the “UF Study: Female Ministers Face Pettiness, Patriarchy, Pressures” and “Clergywomen Respond to UF Study.” I am writing this editorial because to not reply gives the impression that only clergywomen are affected by the stressful situations of being transferred, staying sane amidst the pressures of the ministry, the expectation of always being on call, not receiving the compensation of other classmates, and the other concerns mentioned in the articles.

I am writing from my limited local church pastoral background of 33 years in the ordained ministry as a member of the Florida Annual Conference. The issues raised in the articles are valid, but to portray them as something being unique to clergywomen is a misrepresentation. These concerns and issues affect all clergypersons — male and female.

“Moving an average of once every four years:” The United Methodist Church is an itinerant system, and when you become a United Methodist minister you buy into the system that you will be moved occasionally. It can be stressful, but moving applies to all clergypersons.

“Staying sane amidst the pettiness, the patriarchy (and dare I say the matriarchy), and the pressures of the ministry:” This is closely tied to the “expectations that the pastor is on call 24 hours a day and is owned by the church.” Clergypersons, members of local churches and other organizations are frail, imperfect humans, and thus the pettiness and control issues are part of the problem. That doesn’t mean we have to like it, but that is reality.

Yes, it does seem odd, but “having to work Sundays often interfered with family life.” There have been times when my family and I have envied those families that could enjoy weekend family activities without having to work or be in church every Sunday

I can appreciate the comment about being behind (male) classmates in compensation because that is where I have been all of my ministry. I, too, have suffered through the appointment making process because oft times there seems to be no rhyme or reason about how the appointments are made. Again, that doesn’t mean we have to like it, but this reality affects both male and female clergy alike.

The comments concerning “many church-related duties are performed by ministers’ wives” and “until or unless the church-related duties traditionally performed by clergy wives are assigned to paid church workers…” caused me to immediately think of single clergymen or wives of clergymen who have careers and are not always present to perform these “ministers’ wives” activities.

In speaking from experience, my wife was a teacher in another town, and for 11 years we were only together on the weekends. She lived in one town — which was from 68 to 168 miles away from the churches I served — so she visited me on the weekends. The churches I served thus did not have a “traditional minister’s wife,” but they survived. I concur with the clergywomen in not expecting the minister’s spouse or family to do any more than any other church member for “church-related duties.” It has been our experience that when the congregation is given a chance to be involved, they respond to the need.

Also, one of the humanizing effects of having clergywomen in the Florida Conference has been that now the careers of spouses are often considered more closely or reasonably in the appointment making process.

Without trying to cover up or dismiss the concerns raised by clergywomen, hopefully all clergy who entered the United Methodist ministry did so with the realization that our itinerant system does mean moving. Ministry can and does mean many things, and as clergy are frail and imperfect human beings, so also are the congregations and those in authority over us.

The concerns and issues raised by the 1995 UF study may have been geared to United Methodist clergywomen, but all clergy — male and female — have to deal with the stressful issues that were raised. We are all in ministry together.