They soldier on

Re the Ministry in Crisis article in April.
As a former barber for 18 years, being more of a listener than a talker, my clientele included several clergy who chose to confide in me. Further, as a social worker for 25 years, I had a professional relationship with the staff of many denominations.
Most clergy were aware of how many of them guarded their own turf and did not want to step on someone else’s toes. I personally witnessed one minister, seething with anger, explode when he lost a member to a rival church. Ditto, a lay leader. Another stressor was the admission to me by a prominent minister that he wished he could spend much more time dealing with spiritual matters rather than secular duties, much as described in the article as CEO responsibilities. A middle-aged priest concurred when he told me of being so happy in his new parish because the building was paid for and the administration solvent, the first time for him. Money matters play a big role in religious institutions and are as stressful and sensitive to the clergy as to an individual in financial distress.
A further major block to maintaining the church’s reputation is the frequent references in the media to sexual and financial indiscretions among the clergy. It tarnishes the clergy’s innocent majority and erodes the faith of the followers.
But the religious leaders soldier on and spread the good news of the Gospel.