Title: An evaluation of the recovery program at the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey, Pennsylvania
Author: Jeremy S. Haskell
Date: 2004
School: Wheaton College Graduate School
City, State of School: Wheaton, Illinois
Program of Study: Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Main thesis of the paper: This paper discusses burnout among clergy and the recovery process developed by the Evangelical Free Church of America Ministerial Association, and utilized by their church in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for clergy and families removed from ministry.

Aspects of the pastoral role contributing to burnout

• Pastors and priests hold very public positions in their congregations and parishes. They are often held to an inhuman standard of being everything to everyone (Hall, 1997).8
• Pastors and priests can often be made to feel as if they are a possession of the members within their congregation, subject to critiques and suggestions as to how they might better meet the need of the individual making the complaint.9
• “Clergy are often put on a pedestal and idolized, further preventing them from much-needed social support or care giving (Blackmon & Hart, 1990).10
• Clergy also experience unique stress due to congregational intrusiveness and ambiguous boundaries relating to their family. “Family members are often placed on a pedestal as an example to the rest of the congregation of what a spouse, child and adolescent should be like. Clergy families are often caught in a position where it is difficult to determine the difference between the family’s expectations of one another and the congregation’s expectations of them as a family (Frame, 1998; Morris & Blanton, 1994).”11

Four factors that tend to promote prevention of burnout:

• Self-awareness—“Those who seek to provide care must be aware of their own personal strengths, values, weaknesses and blind spots as they seek to help others identify their own.”12
• Balance—“Maintaining balance involves setting limits and boundaries around oneself emotionally, spiritually, psychologically and even physically if needed (Lamb, 1999). It also includes working in an environment in which expectations are clearly communicated and set (Azar, 2000; Lee, 1995; Sherman, 1996)…Clergy can not do this alone; they need assistance from their congregants to help them with the establishment of boundaries.”13
• Social Connectedness—“They need to experience the social support that comes through intimate and authentic relationships among equals. Clergy need to be able to be open about their struggles and be challenged, encouraged, receive support and be held accountable (Grenz & Bell, 2001; Muse & Chase, 1993; Pargament, Tarakeshwar, & Ellison, 2001).”14
• Continued Education—“These opportunities serve to broaden their horizons, develop extended social networks, stimulate and energize them for the work they do and allow them to step out beyond their local ministries.”15

 The Recovery Program at EFCA

•  “The process of referring a family within the Free Church denomination to a recovery church begins at the moment it becomes known that a family must be removed from their current ministry.”16  If willing, the family is assigned to one of the over 30 Recovery Churches that best fits their needs.
• “A two-year commitment ought to be the minimum amount of time required of each participating guest family, with the possibility that their time could be extended as needed.”17
• It is believed that, “to be most effective, the ministry must occur within a church”18 The church needs to function and be experienced as a healing community.
• “Neither the congregation nor the pastoral staff are aware of the identity of the Recovery guests. There is an awareness that Recovery couples attend the church, but parishioners do not know the identity of the couples or the problems leading to the referral.”19
• “As the Recovery participants grow…they are encouraged to take on appropriate ministerial responsibilities within the church…It is often the case that a Recovery couple has come from a ministry in which they were overloaded, priorities were unbalanced, and the family was under a great deal of stress. The Recovery team helps the Recovery couple balance their ministry with the needs of their family.”20
• The program has an administrator and a Recovery Team to orchestrate and provide direct care. “At the EFCH, there are over 40 care givers within the church who have been trained in lay counseling and are available in ministering to Recovery couples.”21

The Recovery Team includes:

• Hospitality Care Givers to “1) Arrange housing for the Recovery family; 2) Build a friendship with the Recovery family; and 3) Assist the Recovery family with the relocation process. There are two couples at EFCH who fulfill this role.”22
• Vocational Care Givers to help participants “find employment as soon as possible by researching short-term employment opportunities, helping to match guest skills and interests with available jobs, and arranging interviews for the guest if necessary…In some situations, professional counselors have been utilized to help assess and identify vocational skills.”23
• Financial Care Givers who help the participants “manage their income and assets by assessing their current financial situation, assisting in establishing a budget, determining a rental rate for the hospitality house (based on ability to pay), and providing accountability.”24
• Pastoral Care Givers who helps guests “by identifying, understanding and assessing spiritual issues affecting the guest and their family, dealing with forgiveness of those who have wronged the guest as well as those whom the guest has wronged, and assisting the guest in restoring a healthy relationship with God.”25
• Psychological Care Giver who helps “build a healthy relationship between husband and wife, and monitors the well-being of the guest’s children.”26

 Key Facts:

• Historical overview of the church’s care giving role
• 11 Recovery participants (including spouses) and 9 Recovery Team volunteers fulfilling a variety of roles agreed to be complete surveys regarding their experience with multiple facets of the Recovery Program at Hershey, Pennsylvania. A large sample of verbatim responses is provided. Comments include positive and negative feedback, as well as suggestions for future improvement and program development.

References:

8 Haskell, 13.

9 Haskell, 13.

10 Haskell, 13.

11 Haskell, 14.

12 Haskell, 98.

13 Haskell, 99.

14 Haskell, 101.

15 Haskell, 102.

16 Haskell, 19.

17 Haskell, 18.

18 Haskell, 18.

19 Haskell, 23.

20 Haskell, 23-24.

21 Haskell, 23.

22 Haskell, 21.

23 Haskell, 21.

24 Haskell, 22.

25 Haskell, 22.

26 Haskell, 22.