church leaders dying on their feet

Maybe over dramatic but ... this article articulated a lot about the way I felt at the end of my parish ministry before I went into chaplaincy. The whole way that church life has gone means that you have a whole load of people who have ceratin sense of calling and they are acepted for training and ordination on the basis of that calling. Then they find that the things they felt called to may only be a small part of the package of what they actually do and in this country you add to that the stress of having to manage decline, because for many the situation and their gifts are not conducive to growth no matter how hard they try and how 'church-growth correct' their strategies.

As for me the way I feel at the moment I would rather be self-suporting that prop up some of the system as I have been experiencing. The thing is, I may have to follow through on that; and that's scary.