Meet Eugene Downing | Pastor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eugene Downing and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eugene, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?

On this side of the pandemic, clergy around the country are in an unusually challenging place vocationally. According to the research study conducted by the Barna Group, 42% of Christian Pastors have considered resignation, retirement or change of vocation in the last two years. While “the great resignation” has not helped the challenge of work/life balance, the rigor of post-pandemic ministry is a great factor in widespread clergy burnout. Clergy burnout has resulted from challenges of reconciling the methods with which the church once functioned alongside the context in which we now minister in the world. The learning curve of ministry post-pandemic, in post-Christendom is immense and without sufficient support, adequate rest, along with opportunities for renewal, many of us will find ourselves in an unhealthy work/life balance scenario. Additionally, isolation and depersonalization; tackling challenges in ministry at the expense of nurturing the self, are two factors that weigh heavy on pastors.

Though all this is true, hobbies, day trips, gathering with friends, avoiding isolation, household projects and physical exercise are accessible options for building a healthier work/life balance. In addition, where possible, add periodic, therapeutic counseling to that list. The ability to assess our balance with an objective professional who can also help us identify healthy and unhealthy patterns in constructive ways is invaluable to self-care. Our ability to develop ritual practices, like the Sabbath of the Jewish faith and meditative practices of the Buddhist faith are sorely needed in what is one of the most demanding times in ministry. Moreover, our ability to push against isolation as clergy is critical; cultivating healthy friendships and life-giving hobbies build the sense of self which offers clergy something in which to find fulfillment when ministry becomes overwhelming. These ideas along with setting clear boundaries for ourselves, in any profession, are part of developing and sustaining healthy work/life balance.

I think about balance from the perspective of celebrating things in my life that give me a sense of joy, accomplishment and fulfillment which are clearly separate and apart from my vocation. So whatever hobbies or interests which are health for them, they should be celebrated to the full along with restorative rhythms of rest. Activist and theologian Abraham Heschel suggests, “genuine rest calls us to rest as though all your work were done—. We must rest with the same degree of fervor and focus as we work, it’s in this approach, along with these above we can begin to identify healthy work/life balance.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I’ve been pastoring a church since I was 29 years old which gives me a unique perspective among my colleagues. Specifically, I began pastoring among a generation of pastors who rarely took time for themselves, even talking about such things was uncommon. That generation was filled with clergy who worked well into their 70’s and never heard the term work/life balance. In fact, I was actually present for cardiac events of pastors of two different generations, both overcame the events and then changed their work rhythms.

The challenge I experienced professionally was learning to build a new model of vocational approach and rhythm. There was nothing easy about attempting to build a model different from the one I learned as related to my holistic health and well being. So, at the middle of my own journey in ministry, I think I’m unique in being given the work ethic of my mentors while cultivating a vocational rhythm I believe will prove healthier for myself and my own generation. I’m learning to identify my dignity on the face of my work, rather than the quantifiable measurement of my work.

For that reason, I’m excited about participating in a sabbatical, deriving from the word sabbath, connected to the verb shavat, to cease, desist, rest”. A sabbatical for a pastor is defined as a time period when the pastor is freed from normal duties to focus on the inner work of renewal, re-creation and learning. Sabbatical is an opportunity to rejuvenate, take a fresh look at one’s ministry, and gain new understanding of dynamics at work in one’s life. This is something I’m most excited about at this moment in my career, for myself and hopefully for the ability to share with others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I find rejuvenation in mountain hikes nearby small bodies of water, like those in and around Frisco, Colorado. There’s a certain sense of clarity and sacredness in the air in the outdoors, combined with a sense of community among those enjoying the same. There’s a renewing aspect that cannot be found in the same way in the city limits which I think every person should experience regardless of whether they live in urban areas, rural or in between.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been reading a number of books which have helped me in the development of work/life balance. Cole Arthur Riley; This Here Flesh, Howard Thurman; The Inward Journey, Brene Brown; Atlas of the Heart, Abraham Heschel; Sabbath, Gary Harbaugh; Pastor as Person, Parker Palmer; Let Your Life Speak. I’ve enjoyed learning from these powerful thinkers and story tellers.

Website: newhopechurchdenver.org

Instagram: @dreugenedowning

Linkedin: dr eugene downing

Twitter: @dreugenedowning

Facebook: @dreugenedowning

Youtube: newhopedenver

Image Credits
Samia Minnicks @samiaminnicksphotography