Clergy

Clergy is a commonly used term to describe spiritual leaders within a faith community who serve a local assembly of adherents such as a congregation, synagogue, or mosque, or provide spiritual care in a specialized setting such as a hospice, university campus, or military unit. As leaders in their faith communities, clergy have a historic and enduring presence during times of dying, death, and bereavement. Although the role of clergy varies between and within religious organizations, there is continuity in the important role that the clergy provide in assisting the dying, interpreting religious laws governing death, performing burial rites, and consoling the grieving.

The Greek word from which clergy is derived has roots in the Judeo-Christian theological idea that it is the lot or the inheritance of the clergy to serve God in ritual worship on behalf of the community. Most theistic traditions understand the clergy to have a divine calling that destined them for this work and ordain individuals in some ritualized ceremony for this function of leadership within the faith community and representation of it to the outside. Other terms for clergy are faithgroup specific, such as priest (Anglican, Buddhist, Orthodox, Roman); minister, pastor, or elder(Protestant); rabbi (Jewish); imam or mullah(Islam); medicine man (Native American); and the like. Faith traditions also dictate whether the clergy role is open to both men and women or is restricted to one gender, as in the Roman Catholic practice of restricting ordination to males.

Professional Preparation

Most clergy undergo a rigorous course of undergraduate and graduate studies in preparation for clergy leadership roles. The Association for Theological Schools is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to set academic standards for the more than 250 accredited graduate Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L. (1995). Trauma and transformation: Growing in the aftermath of suffering. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. [Page 200]schools that offer postbaccalaureate theological programs. The standard Master of Divinity (M. Div.) degree required by most faith groups for clergy ordination involves a minimum of 3 years of full-time academic work to meet the educational and personal spiritual formation criteria. Many seminaries include clinical pastoral education as a degree requirement; this education involves students working directly with people in spiritual need, such as hospitalized patients, while being observed in their ability to understand and relate effectively. This direct supervision assists in the development of spiritual assessment and interpersonal skills that are crucial in clergy pastoral work, such as ministry to the dying or bereaved.

Respected Leaders

Despite recent exposure of clergy sexual abuse, clergy are still recognized as esteemed leaders in their communities. A 2007 career survey in U.S. News & World Report included clergy as a respected profession, noting that religion provides an anchor in the lives of millions of Americans for which the clergy are regarded as indispensable religious leaders.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year 2006 reports there are over 404,000 active clergy in the United States. However, the actual number of clergy is likely much higher since the Department of Labor reports only salaried professionals, whereas clergy may serve in a on stipendiary arrangement, providing clergy services without remuneration or in exchange for other benefits such as clerical housing. Moreover, many nontraditional and new age religious communities may also fall outside of government reporting systems. The 1996 edition of the Encyclopedia of American Religions contains over 2,600 entries on religious bodies, suggesting the continued prevalence in U.S. society of numerous religious institutions along with their clergy leadership.

...