Bishop tells clergy to 'take it easy' at Christmas

The Bishop of Lichfield has spoken of his concerns for his clergy and appealed for them to take it easy at Christmas.

In an interview for the Church Times newspaper on Friday, the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill said clergy were at the same risk of stress as other professions.

He said: "We all of us live in a stressful world, and our profession is no different from others, in that we have been asked to take on more responsibility.

"We [clerics] are entirely responsible for how we choose to work, and what we spend most time on. That means we sometimes neglect ourselves and neglect the kind of provision that is there.

"What all clergy are urged to do is to have safeguards, principally to make the deanery chapter a place of mutual support for prayer and Bible-study, and for us to have a spiritual director or guide, and possibly a work consultant to give us an eye on how we do or don't organise ourselves."

He said clergy should plan ahead at Christmas and look forward to a good holiday afterwards. But he admitted it could be difficult to persuade clergy to take it easy, adding: "Lazy clergy are a rarity. They are conscientious.

"We tend to feel responsible, when, in the end, we perhaps have to share the responsibility with God."

The Bishop of Lichfield recently began offering health checks for all clergy in the diocese. Earlier this year he spoke of his fears for clergy burnout in an answer to a question at the Lichfield Diocesan Synod.