The Clergy Wellness Commission

Mission Statement

Who we Are

The Clergy Wellness Commission is a Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of California, composed of both clergy and laity.

Our Mission Is...

1. to promote the health and wellness of clergy and their families,
2. to educate and encourage the growth of healthy congregations and
3. to provide guidelines for both clergy and congregations alike to enable parishes to develop and maintain a healthy, open, generous workplace where the Holy Spirit is active and alive.

Our Premise

The guiding premise of the Clergy Wellness Commission is this: Healthy clergy make for healthy congregations and healthy congregations help create healthy clergy.

Our Functions

In pursuing our Mission, we are committed to

• Educating clergy, families and congregations about the nature of the stresses clergy face in ministry which can lead to burn-out and dysfunctional behavior;
• Encouraging clergy and congregations to practice "Mutual Ministry" or "Total Ministry" - not where clergy are the only ministers "doing it all" but where clergy and laity have a shared ministry, in the church and in the world.
• Providing Diocesan guidelines and clear expectations to vestries in regards to: maximum hours full time clergy are expected to work and what Diocesan standards are in terms of: benefits, sick leave, vacation time, sabbatical time, continuing education, transportation reimbursements and support for parental/family medical leave.
• Encouraging clergy and vestries to be mutually accountable to each other with the use of:
  1. Work Agreements describing salary, full benefits, pension, self-employment tax support, sick leave, vacation time, sabbatical time, continuing education, and support for parental/family medical leave; and
  2. Health Agreements made by clergy and negotiated with their vestry outlining ways in which clergy intend to maintain their spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well being and ways vestries can support them in this.
• Encouraging and educating clergy and vestries how to conduct "Mutual Ministry Reviews" (at least annually), which evaluates the strengths, growth areas, dreams and goals of BOTH clergy and vestries.
• Encouraging vestries to design appropriate job descriptions for all positions (lay and ordained) in church staffs and to provide samples.
• Providing an outline of a Mentoring Program for new clergy in the Diocese.
• Educating and clarify to congregations the roles and stresses rectors, vicars, assistants, deacons, interim, retired, women, gay and ethnic clergy face.
• Providing a bibliography, and a list of resources for clergy and congregations in the Bay area and the wider church (through the Internet) about wellness and developing healthy congregations.

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