Furthermore, they belong to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the failure both to see and experience this which lies behind some of the most distressing situations which I have had to deal with in Christian workers' lives and families. No pastor Many ministers refuse to have a pastor, and many cannot find one when needed. The essential cause of this is that since entering theological college, ministers' supports are largely clerical. Their sustenance has been the company of other clergy, with fraternals, retreats and conferences.
Ministers meet and discuss their work, with banal generalities about recent encouragements.
I myself have spoken to ministers' fraternals and seen how little real sharing goes on. All you can share is vague generalities, and exaggerate the spiritual growth of the work. Clergy do not care well for other clergy, doctors care very badly for other doctors and lawyers give terrible advice to fellow lawyers because they identify too closely with the other person. In medicine, we are well aware of this, if a little ashamed of ourselves. When I see a doctor as one of my patients, I have to remind myself that while in my clinic, he is just someone who has problems.