COVINGTON — Pastors are not “supermen,” but individuals who struggle with anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges that often lead to ministerial burnout and occasionally suicide.
“I found out this job’s hard for everybody,” Cliff Marion told a room full of pastors and other church ministers gathered for the first-ever Pastors Mental Health Forum. “I know that’s the way the people in this room are feeling and that ultimately takes its toll. That’s why we want to address it. We each need friends. We need each other.”
Marion, pastor of First Baptist Church, Covington, initiated the forum in collaboration with Big Hatchie Baptist Association and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. About 50 pastors and other church ministers gathered at FBC Feb. 12. [Read more…]