Burnout is a professional hazard among men and women of the cloth. Pastors, priests and rabbis, so adept at nurturing others, often fail miserably when it comes to caring for themselves.
A Duke University literature review study found that many clergy wrestle with occupational stress, hypertension, obesity, exhaustion and feelings of isolation. While most said they found their work satisfying, they also described long, irregular hours and work-related stress that sometimes spilled over to their marital life.
Some congregations, such as Pendleton’s First Christian Church, are working to head off burnout. Worshipers soon will wish their Pastor Marc Mullins a firm farewell as he leaves on a 14-week sabbatical funded by the Eli Lilly Foundation.
Mullins admits to exhilaration as the sabbatical approaches. After 32 years in the ministry, he knows the exhaustion of tending the needs of an active church virtually 24/7. The sabbatical, at a cost of $48,000, will allow him to relax as he explores his Irish roots and broadens himself as a musician and songwriter.
Carrying a travel guitar with a folding neck, Mullins will board a plane bound for Ireland where he will jam with Irish musicians and get his fill of Celtic music. Mullins, a songwriter and singer, plans to write music as he is inspired.
Also on the agenda is visiting home towns of his ancestors and staying in bed-and-breakfast establishments along the way. One Irish B&B owner, a professional chef, will give Mullins lessons on candy and pastry making.
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