Clergy and other religious leaders face challenges and stresses that are uniquely theirs. How does one sit with the couple who has repeated miscarriages and not have questions of your own, let alone struggle to answer theirs? What about the times when our own understanding of God does not meet the rigours of the situation in which we find ourselves?
Beyond those questions, religious leaders live with many, and sometimes conflicting, expectations and demands. If they have a family they need to balance those needs and those of their organization anad community.
What is more, most people in these positions don’t have very many places to acknowledge their questions, feelings and stresses or to find resources.
Bruce Cairnie has more than 25 years in Christian ministry (The Presbyterian Church in Canada) and 8 years in multifaith spiritual care and chaplaincy. He understands the role of the religious leader, works appreciatively with people of all faiths and welcomes his colleagues into conversation.
“Rising Up” is a group experience designed specifically for leaders from the religious community. If you are interested in participating in an upcoming “Rising Up” group, please contact Bruce for further information.