Research On Religion » mental health

Proeschold-Bell and Adams on Clergy Mental Health

tonygill — Sun, 22 May 2016 08:00:53 +0000

Who ministers to the clergy when a pastor needs emotional and spiritual support? While the ministers are often seen as individuals who offer counseling to parishioners, we often forget that members of the cloth are people who also need psychological support. To address this issue, we invite two researchers who have been investigating factors related to both positive and negative mental health outcomes for members of the United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. Dr. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell (associate research professor of global health at Duke University) is the lead investigator of the Clergy Health Initiative and Dr. Chris Adams (associate professor of psychology at Azusa Pacific Seminary) is a co-researcher on that project and someone who has extensive experience counseling missionaries and seminarians. We begin our back-to-back interviews with Dr. Proeschold-Bell who emphasizes how important it is not only to pay attention to negative mental health outcomes, but also the predictors of positive mental health. Rae Jean discusses the difference between emotions and moods, the particular stressors that clergy find themselves susceptible to, and how having a supportive congregation and network of personal relationships can determine levels of depression or burn-out amongst the clergy. We then talk with Dr. Adams about what he took away from the research and how he has applied it to his role as a counselor to members of the clergy. Chris discusses a number of specific cases where a supportive congregation can make a big difference in the psychological health of a pastor. Recorded: May 11, 2016.

Dr. Chris Adam’s bio at Azusa Pacific University (link undergoing redesign).

Duke Divinity School’s Clergy Health Initiative.

Clergy Health Initiative Summary Report (2014).

“Study Finds Unique Positive Mental Health Factors for Clergy,” DGHI news release.

“The Glory of God Is a Human Being Fully Alive: Predictors of Positive versus Negative Mental Health Among Clergy,” be Proeschold-Bell et al., in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (possible paywall or requires institutional affiliation).

Gregory Popcak on Religion, Psychology, and the Seven Longings.

Rob Moll on Religion and the Brain.

Bradley Wright on SoulPulse.

Justin Barrett on the Naturalness of Religious Belief.

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches

tonygill — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 08:00:28 +0000

What happens when a Catholic journalist walks into a Mormon church service just a few weeks before a presidential election involving a highly-visible Latter Day Saints’ candidate? Jeremy Lott, author and editor of RealClearReligion.org (among other sites), joins us in-person at the Match Coffee & Wine Bar in Duvall, WA to recount his interesting investigatory trip to a Mormon ward back in September of 2012. Being a “stranger in a Mormon land” (the title of an article he penned for The American Specator), he is able to observe things that the typical insider might otherwise miss.

Despite appearing unannounced, and carrying a reporter’s notebook, Jeremy was greeted warmly by the local worshippers. The first thing he noted, though, was the lack of religious imagery in the main worship area although the hallways were decorated with murals of Jesus. He categorizes the people he meets as “earnest amateurs” — i.e., people who are not specifically trained in seminaries but who serve in unpaid and part-time leadership positions, and who have a deeper knowledge of their own faith than the typical Protestant or Catholic in the pews. We cover the nature of the sermon, which that week focussed on spending more time with family and less time with Facebook, and also included a presentation of how to react to media presentations of Mormonism. This latter topic was understandable given the intense scrutiny their faith was receiving due to Mitt Romney’s presence in the presidential campaign. Jeremy also noted that the service was less liturgical than other Christian services, yet they had a typical amount of singing.

Following the first service, which lasted about an hour, Jeremy then continues his investigative journey by attending one of several Sunday School classes held at the congregation. He chose what best could be called the “Mormonism for Beginners” class that was populated by fifteen other participants. Jeremy makes an interesting observation based upon his experience in this class; Mormonism is a fascinating mix of the Catholic critique of Protestantism and the Protestant critique of Catholicism. He also discusses the encounter he had with the instructor after class relating to the Nicene Creed. When prompted to reflect upon this whole journalistic foray into a different religion, Jeremy’s big take-away from this excursion was rather interesting; he noted that he better understood what it was like to be a Jew in a Christian environment. You will have to listen for his reason for this observation about halfway through the interview.

At the halfway mark, we turn to another story that has been making headlines in the news and that Jeremy has been following closely — the new papacy of Francis I. Jeremy starts out by defending Tony’s use of Francis the First. Whereas your adorable host took a beat down on Facebook for using the Roman numeral after Francis’s name — with people claiming the first pope to use a new name never uses the numerical moniker — Jeremy notes that this all changed with John Paul I. So, some of you are historically correct, but things be a changin’ at the Vatican. And this is where we pick up our discussion with Jeremy providing an overview of the new pontiff’s first six months. He comments on his leadership style, his public image, and how he has dealt with a few recent scandals that have come to light. This includes an interesting observation relating to cats in the papal apartments and the washing of women’s feet. We also hear Jeremy’s reflections from his Catholic community on how the new pope is perceived.

The final portion of our interview covers a few other things happening in the religious world, including an increasing focus on mental health issues in the Southern Baptist community and the rise of religious “nones.” But what Tony really wants to know is what the world’s ugliest church is. RealClearReligion.org recently featured two articles on religious structures that … well … just might prove to be a bit brutally ugly (see links below). Despite the audio format of our podcast, we bring you vivid descriptions of these holy horrors and provide you with the opportunity to view them yourself at RealClearReligion and RoR’s Facebook Fan Page. Listeners are encouraged to post your favorites (or “least favorites”) when it comes to spiritual architectural disasters. Recorded: July 26, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

RealClearReligion — a great place for all your religious news! (You can also link to RealClearScience and RealClearBooks here too.)

“Stranger in a Mormon Land,” by Jeremy Lott in The American Spectator.

Ugly Churches and Even More Ugly Churches on RealClearReligion.org. Submit your pictures on RoR’s Facebook Fan Page.

William F. Buckley (Christian Encouter Series), by Jeremy A. Lott.

In Defense of Hypocrisy: Picking Sides in the War on Virtue, by Jeremy A. Lott.

The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency, by Jeremy A. Lott.

I’ll Never Forget It: Memoirs of a Political Accident from East Baltimore, by Marvin Mandel, Jeremy Lott, and Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

Match Coffee & Wine Bar in Duvall, WA.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion.

Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Athiests, Health Care, and German Circumcision.

Jeremy Lott on America’s Shifting Religious Election Coalition.

Michael McBride on the Economics of Religious Leadership.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and the Mormon Church.

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis I.

Thom S. Rainer on Bapist Conventions and Church Health.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions & Church Health

tonygill — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 08:00:43 +0000

Prolific author and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, Dr. Thom S. Rainer, joins us today to talk about a various number of issues affecting Southern Baptists and American religion writ large. We start with the recent convention of the Southern Baptist Convention that was held in Houston in June, 2013. Not knowing much about the history of these gatherings, Tony asks Dr. Rainer how far back these conferences date, how often they are convened, and what purpose they serve in guiding the denomination. Thom explains the history of them, the organizational structure of the Southern Baptist denomination, and how individuals are selected to attend the yearly confab. We also review the recent history of the “Conservative Resurgence” (circal 1979-92), also known as “The Battle for the Bible,” that moved the SBC in different directions. Unlike many other conferences that bring out the goofiest in behavior of attendees, Thom points out that there were no funny hats or water balloons at this recent meeting.

We then turn to the particular issues that were raised during the June 2013 gathering, from the trivial to the important, and to some issues that didn’t make many headlines. The trivial issues include some nitpicking over types of products and services offered by the various vendors at this convention. Thom also points out an interesting event that occurred at the conference, namely the presence of the Wetboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesting outside the convention doors. He was encouraged by the presence of these protesters outside their meeting as it demonstrated to the public that WBC is not in any way affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. We then move on to some of the bigger concerns that were raised in Houston, including how individual congregations should handle their charters with the Boy Scouts of America (given the new policy on openly gay scouts) and the issue of mental health. While the former issue garnered more headlines, Thom notes that discussions about mental health — prompted by the recent suicide of Rick Warren’s son — had more profound implications for the direction of the SBC.

Following our discussion on the SBC Convention, we shift gears to discuss what constitutes a healthy church, starting with an examination of some of the major trends that have affected America’s religious landscape in the past few decades. To Tony’s surprise, the first trend that Thom raises is the increasing consolidation of church attendance in megachurches as compared to medium-sized congregations. This is coupled with an increasing tendency to create “multi-campus” or “multi-site” churches. The issue of “religious nones” also comes up and Thom makes the observation that many of the “nones” are coming from what he calls CEO Christians — i.e., religious attendees that only showed up on Christmas and Easter Only. He also observes that attendance among the “millennials” (individuals born after 1980) has also slid, but those among that age group who remain active in the church tend to be extraordinarily committed. Tony challenges Thom regarding the declining faith of youth by noting that nearly every generation has wrung their hands about the moral decline of youth; Thom responds and we both agree that there are various ebbs and flows in the history of Christianity.

The last quarter of our interview focuses on what makes a church grow and what makes a congregation stagnate, starting with the latter. Thom notes that it is fairly easy to identify what causes churches to stagnate, namely a sense of comfortableness and self-centeredness that inculcates a culture opposed to constant change. Tony asks Thom how he advises churches who are in this stagnation mode, and he notes that the first thing is to assess the clergy and members’ willingness to change. Interestingly, he notes that about 90% of congregations that have this problem do not want to make any significant changes to change the direction of stagnation. Nonetheless, there are 10% who do make changes and “breakout,” to which Thom provides a few examples of congregations that make changes without firing the pastor (as the most common way a church deals with stagnation is to toss the minister at the podium). This discussion includes thoughts on what it takes to motivate “tired” clergy and includes a personal story that proved very important in Thom’s own life. Finally, we finish with a few seemingly “trivial” details about what makes for a successful church, but which can have a major impact on attendance and the vitality of a congregation. Such things include the proper size for the sanctuary so that the services feel well-attended but not over-crowded, the number of parking spaces available, how to encourage an appropriate level of giving, and the width of chairs! Recorded: June 18, 2013.

LifeWay Christian Resources.

I Am a Church Member, by Thom S. Rainer.

The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, by Thom S. Rainer.

Transformational Church, by Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer.

Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap, by Thom S. Rainer.

Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.

Please consult Thom Rainer’s personal blog above to access other fine books he has authored.

Reflection on the Houston Southern Baptist Convention, Day 1 and Day 2.

Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Alexander Ross on Religion & Happiness

tonygill — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:00:39 +0000

Prof. G. Alexander Ross of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences discusses the decline in female happiness over the past four decades and how it is related to declining religious partipation. We begin with a general discussion of happiness and focus on the secular factors that promote it. Our discusson then turns to the general decline in female happiness (relative to males), with Prof. Ross noting that while women report a higher level of happiness than men, on average, there has nonetheless been a more steep decline in female happiness since the early 1970s when compared to men. Prof. Ross notes that recent declines among church attendance, particularly among women, and explains how this relates to levels of happiness. We conclude with a discussion of the role of religion in psychological counseling and talk about what the Institute for the Psychological Sciences — a Catholic graduate training school — has been doing over the past decade since it was founded. Recorded: March 7, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Ross’s webpage at the Institute for Psychological Sciences.

“The Impact of Church Attendance on the Decline in Female Happiness in the United States,” by G. Alexander Ross. This is the article from the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion mentioned in the podcast. The site requires registration but it is free. Many of our podcasts draw from this excellent research journal.

The Institute for the Psychological Sciences.

RELATED PODCASTS

Byron Johnson on Religion & Delinquency.