My wife pointed out an article in the News-Argus to me about a pastor leaving the ministry. The September 6, 2004 story told of a pastor of a Church in North Carolina and a well-known author. He admitted to plagiarizing his sermons to cover up his depression for the last two years.

The irony of the whole story is the title of a book authored by someone whom I consider a church health colleague. You might have seen one of his books in Christian bookstores. .Dr. Wagner served as vice president for Promise Keepers. His books include Your Pastor’s Heart, Strategies for a Successful Marriage, Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper, The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs, The Heart of a Godly Man, The Church You Always Wanted and one other. The title of his book that caught my attention is, Escape From Church, Inc.

Dr. Wagner came to Calvary Church to further lead them within the framework of the Church, Inc. ethos. Somewhere along the was, he grew beyond a C.E.O. view of pastoral ministry to a more biblical view. This transition fueled the writing of his last two books, Escape From Church, Inc. and The Church You Always Wanted.

While Wagner evidently escaped the ethos of Church, Inc., this did not appear true of the congregation’s core leadership. Their denial of his request to quit two years ago is the real tragedy of this story. He was already fighting a loosing battle with depression. Thus, it would have been much better for him ate age 49 and the church two years ago to of honored his request to resign.

The ethos of Church, Inc. is one of congregational growth in numbers, attendance, programs, and finances at any price. It stands on the illusion that if you fully give yourself to the work of church growth, then God will take care of your marriage, your family, and your health. It is supported by comments like ‘we expect our ministerial staff to make such sacrifices here. If you are not up to it then probably you do not belong here and we will replace you with someone who can.” The person who heard these words is not longer an associate pastor in that prestigious United Methodist Church in another state.

Thank God there are churches who core leadership are not trapped by the ethos of Church, Inc. They are not all Willow Creek or Brooklyn Tabernacle where Dr. Wagner may have been ministered to much better.

Nor are these churches always big in any other way than big in heart. When my sister-in-law found out she had cancer, her new congregations rallied around her and her family. They supported her financially as if she was their full time pastor while contributing to those who filled in for her. Near the end of that year it became clear that she would never pastor a church again. Knowing that her husband was busy tending to his wife, and was not all that healthy himself led them to take matters into their own hands. They told my in-laws to not worry about cleaning up the parsonage or packing up items in the house. The church members decided they would do all of this and move the belongings themselves to where my sis-in-law moved too.

Nor do such congregations respond only to the physical tragedies like cancer but don’t touch the mental health tragedies like depression with their ministry staff and or families. When the spouse of the church’s pastor went through multiple hospitalizations due to her depression problems, they tried to get the whole family some help from the denominational leadership. They recognized the need for the family to have a whole year off. Since the leadership over that area operated from the Church, Inc. mode, and claimed nothing was available. Thus, the family did not get what they needed. So, they gave the pastor three months off during his last year there. Ironically, the church this family moved to sparkled in many ways except for their Church, Inc. ethos. Furthermore, unlike the time before, on this occasion the denominational leadership saw how much this pastoral family needed a break and saw to them getting one without financial worries.

In Christ,

J. Marshall Crowe

Editor

The rest of Dr. Wagner's journey has now emerged.

Coming Out of the Dark: Two Pastors’ Journey Out of Depression.

Longevity and success in ministry does not guarantee that pastors will not suffer from clinical depression. Two successful pastors share their journey and how, with the help of family and medical professionals, they came out of the dark and survived.

Coming Out Of The Dark: Two Pastors’ Wives Share In Their Husbands’ Journey Out Of Depression 

A pastor does not experience clinical depression alone; it also affects his family. Two ministry wives share their thoughts and experiences as they walked alongside their husbands and their battles with depression.

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