| Clergy spouses need more support, survey says by Linda BloomUnited Methodist News Service  Clergy spouses do not get enough support from the church, a new study sponsored by the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women has found.
Many spouses are unaware of the resources available to them in times of crisis, but even those who are aware often do not ask the denomination for assistance because of fear of the effect on the (clergy members) career, according to the survey results. Mackie H. Norris, a health professional with Norris and Associates, conducted the survey for the commission. Norris also has been involved in a training event for spouses of newly appointed district superintendents and directors of connectional ministry, and has collected information about spouses of district superintendents for the denominations Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tenn. Responses for the commissions survey on clergy spouses and families came from 183 spouses around the United States, of which 15 percent were male. During her presentation at the Feb. 27-29 commission meeting in Pittsburgh, Norris said she was struck by the amount of pain that seemed tied to the survey responses. Most wives, she explained, said they did not feel comfortable seeking support from the annual conference where their husbands worked and were worried that any sign of weakness in the family would hurt their spouses ministerial careers. About 25 percent of respondents said they had no one to turn to for pastoral support except their spouse. That concerned Norris, a pastors wife for more than 40 years, because the spouse could be part of the problem. Clergy spouses are most concerned about their spouses schedules and housing, and some feel isolated and under scrutiny. Many respondents commented that they perceived others had an expectation of perfection in themselves and their children, the survey report said. Participating in a loving, caring community was considered a joy or perk by many clergy spouses, along with other perks such as job security and the pension plan. Issues identified by survey respondents as perils included frequent moves, loss of friends, demands on time and unrealistic expectations. Living in a parsonage was considered both a perk and a peril. The male respondents did not have all the same concerns, according to the survey. For men, the chief issue was the time demand on their spouse and the subsequent potential for burnout. One recommendation by clergy spouses on the survey was for annual conference or jurisdictional gatherings to discuss issues of concern to clergy spouses and families. The Commission on the Status and Role of Women will use the survey results to support its new resolution to the United Methodist General Conference, the denominations chief legislative body, which meets April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh. The resolution, Clergy Spouses and Families Life in the Fishbowl, offers recommendations to sustain the emotional, spiritual, physical and economic health of our clergy families. Commission members also will make recommendations for a follow-up study to be conducted with other denominational agencies to get a wider sampling of clergy families. | 
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