Vitality in Multiple Interests and Passions

Recently, I've noticed an increasing amount of concern about burnout among pastors, at least in the magazine articles, blog posts, and other random items that come across my desk or through my email inbox.  Recent evidence suggests that roughly half of those who enter the ministry leave within the first seven years, which has alarmed many.  More than this, though, among those who remain in the ministry well past seven years there is a general feeling that being a minister is tougher today than it was a generation ago because of increasingly unrealistic expectations for clergy and ever increasing financial challenges.

While I'm not convinced that all of the conventional wisdom is correct, I do appreciate the increased attention to the issue of clergy burnout because it relates directly to clergy vitality.  I am interested in considering what types of activities, education, and approaches that are evident in the lives of pastors with vibrant ministries -- which is the opposite of burnout.

I came across an article written by Rev. Cynthia Lindner, an ordained Disciples minister who now serves as the Director of Ministry Studies at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago -- a position she began while I was still completing my degree there.  She has done some research into this issue,  probably because it directly impacts how divinity schools and seminaries should be training and preparing ministers.  In her interviews with several successful and well-regarded pastors, she found a single common thread in their experiences, which she terms "multiple-mindedness."

If this seems like an overly academic term, it probably is.  (This, I must confess, is an all-too-frequent habit among University of Chicago types -- the pursuit of precise wording can cloud the issue for many people.)  In general, Cynthia found that the successful ministers she interviewed were interested and engaged by a variety of things in their lives, and this seemed to allow them to be more flexible and adaptive through the ebbs and flows of ministry.

As I was reading it, I agreed, and also believed that this is true of most successful and satisfied people, whatever career they choose.  People with singular focus are frequently frustrated in their lives, particularly when challenges arise, regardless of their education, career choice, or income level.    Cynthia hints that the church may have a role in encouraging and valuing such "multiplicity" in our communities, by encouraging non-ministers to find roles in the church that tap into different parts of their personalities than their jobs or family responsibilities.

What do you think?  What makes for a vibrant, meaningful, fulfilling life -- not simply for ministers, but for anyone?  Is there great value in multiple passions and interests, or is this a way of shortchanging the importance of focus and persistence?  And if there is something here, how should it influence the life of a congregation?