Once upon a time, pastors, priests and rabbis were held in high esteem by congregation and community alike.
They were the shepherds who led the flock on all things spiritual and moral. Most who followed them heeded what they had to say.
But much has changed.
Weakened by forces without -- anti-establishment attitudes of the 1960s, individualistic views of spirituality in the '80s and the culture wars of the '90s -- and by forces within -- moral failures of ministers and declining membership rolls -- clergy are facing enormous challenges.
So, how are they reacting? The Pastors Institute, an interdenominational organization in Indiana, conducted a survey of clergy who leave the Christian ministry.
"The biggest response I get is that pastors feel like they're running a small nonprofit organization; they're managers, not shepherds," said the institute's founder, Michael Ross, in Religion & Community.
Instead of shepherds, clergy increasingly are forced to be corporate executives who are required to "make the business grow," he said.
Jackson Caroll of Duke University Divinity School reported on a survey of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastors that found that 30 percent were happy and satisfied with their work, 30 percent had mixed feelings, 20 percent were moderately distressed and approaching burnout, and the remaining 20 percent were severely depressed and in advanced stages of burnout.
That's a lot of ministers with borderline-or-worse feelings about their profession.
To be sure, other professionals -- physicians and lawyers, to name two -- also have significant numbers of dissatisfied and distressed within their ranks.
But clergy face their own unique set of challenges, including the fact that they have become generalists in a world of specialists.
In the interest of full disclosure: I was a parish pastor for 12 years. I experienced the joy of serving others and the disillusionment of church politics.
Ministry has its rewards and discouragements. Keeping the two in balance, I learned, can be tricky.
Those of us who believe that organized religion (a community of believers who meet for worship and service) remains central to one's spiritual well-being recognize the importance of a minister's role.
He or she proclaims faith, leads worship, provides comfort in the face of tragedy, and offers spiritual direction in a stressful, frightening world. For those services alone, we should be grateful.
But truth be told, change is desperately needed in countless congregations. The loss of membership in established churches continues at the same time public confidence in religious leaders declines.
If you're a part of a community of faith, you have a role to play to effect positive change.