Most professions have successful impaired practitioner programs for behavioral health*. Most church bodies don’t.  Our task is to adapt those programs to church bodies. We want to help all denominations use the best practices in restoring clergy behavioral health.  

“Behavioral health” encompasses all kinds of addictions and mental health disorders.  

Pastor Stan was a good pastor, teacher and youth leader. Yet he found himself in repeated conflicts with many of the congregation’s leaders. Mediation could not resolve these clergy-congregation conflicts because it was the frightening rage in his outbursts that drove people away.  The congregation was so crippled by these losses that eventually, it closed. 

Pastor Vicki’s alcohol problem caused the Elders of her church to get coaching in how to talk with her. They directed her to treatment where she was successful. She was open with the congregation about her issue.  She and the congregation served Christ together for another 7 years.   

In short, CRIC’s goal is more Vickies; fewer Stans.  

Clergy have behavioral health issues like alcohol, drugs, and serious mental health problems just like other people. These problems often interfere with their ministries. CRIC’s purpose is to adapt successful impaired practitioners’ programs from other professions to restore the ministries and health of these impaired clergy.   

The Problem: The Schaeffer Institute data involving 8,150 participants indicate clergy are at greater risk for behavioral health disorders than other people. Nearly 7 of 10 report not having a close friend, 9 of 10 report working 50-70 hours a week, 5 of 10 find their role to be overwhelming.  A 2021 survey of 1000 clergy by Lifeway Research showed that 17% had a diagnosed mental illness.  

These studies illustrate how clergy are at higher risk for behavioral health disorders that damage their spiritual health, their ministries and their congregations. Many of these clergy could be restored to ministry, but church officials often don’t see these problems.  

“But aren’t THESE problems pretty rare among OUR clergy?” Many a church governing official may have some version of this thought because clergy behavioral health disorders are often disguised.  The disguises a governing official might see include…  

• … clergy misconduct like sexual boundary violations, theft or verbal abuse
• … discouraged clergy who are marking time waiting for retirement or a different job
• … clergy who give up on congregational ministry
• … conflicts between clergy and congregation  

Behavioral health disorders are often the invisible issue behind these problems.  Moreover, governing officials often lack the comprehensive programming to restore the clergy to ministry. 

The Solution: Other professions have successful programs for impaired practitioners that also protect public safety. Substantial data reveals the success of these programs. One example: In a study by Smiley and Reneau of 7,737 nurses, success rates as high as 90% were reported for those being monitored for 5 years.  

CRIC is adapting these programs to various forms of church governance. A proper program for the individual may last several years with monitoring and support following intensive therapy and counseling. It also includes appropriate communications between church officials and therapists.

Additional programming for churches includes 

• … a system of support to all those affected including family and congregation.
• … professional education for judicatory staff and all clergy.
• … integration with the governing bodies like the misconduct policy and Employee Assistance Program

We are currently adapting programming from other professions.  From 2025-27, we will work with 6-10 church governing bodies to pilot the programming. Ultimately, The Center will target all denominations throughout the USA and Canada to incorporate these best practices. 

The People: The Center has a working board of nine gifted professionals from different denominations and different parts of the country. Most serve churches but bring a variety of experiences in pastoral ministry, church governance, therapy, business, finance, systems analysis, and education. Several enjoy many years of stable recovery.  The Center also has a consulting group of several dozen clergy and lay-people who offer their experience and expertise in various ways. They serve this cause since they know the devastation behavioral health problems bring to churches. They also know how deeply recovery enriches ministry.  

The Plan: The Center is funded for 2024 to build the model program including policies, processes and training.  This comprehensive program will accomplish 4 major tasks.  

1. Enable church officials to provide a system of long-term therapy, support and accountability for the individual. 
2. Offer a system of support to all those affected including family and congregation.
3. Provide professional education for judicatory staff and all clergy.
4. Integrate with existing processes of the judicatory such as the misconduct policy. 

Results: The product of this pilot process will be a proven system for restoring behaviorally impaired clergy to health and professional effectiveness. It will mean fewer clergy lost to ministry, fewer congregations permanently damaged, more clergy families restored to wholeness.  There will be fewer Pastor Stans hurting churches and more Pastor Vickies serving healthy ones.

Why Now? Today’s Christian Church in North America is under more stress than ever before. Most clergy do not reach retirement age as clergy. Many are damaged by behavioral health issues which hurt them and their congregations spiritually. Decreasing numbers of people enter the ministry.  We need to take better care of one another.