Clergy Family Chaplaincy in the Diocese of Maine
The Diocese of Maine is committed to supporting the wellness of clergy families by providing both a chaplain and web resources. The diocesan Committee for Family of Clergy Wellness has been involved for many years to support many families. Those efforts have been expanded by hiring the Rev. Nancy Duncan in November 2004 as a chaplain to clergy families in Maine.
Ask Nancy Nancy responds to questions about relationships between parish, clergy, and clergy family.
The Rev. Nancy Duncan appointed as chaplain to families of clergyRecognizing the needs of clergy families the Rev. Nancy Duncan was appointed in November 2004 to the position of Chaplain to Families of Clergy. Nancy brings to this position a rich background in family therapy; she was also recently ordained to the Lincoln Association of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ. Nancy sees this position as an answer to what she has discerned as her calling. “My plan has been to combine some form of part-time pastorate with a reduced level of work in the mental health field. On a personal level, one thing that excites me about the diocese's chaplaincy proposal is the opportunity to utilize and integrate my case management and family therapy experience with ordained ministry.”
The part-time chaplaincy position provides members of our clergy's families a professional, compassionate touchstone that provides confidential support when a family may be in crisis. “Based on my experience both in the church and as a family therapist, it is easy to see where otherwise common venues for support and nurture could either be missing or problematic,” says Nancy. “In rocky times, the options can quickly become very difficult to navigate. Where does one turn with a troubled child (or a fraying marriage) if many of the staff at the sole local agency are church members? How does one sort through the limited options when all providers are an hour, or more, away from a rural church? To whom do clergy family members turn as they struggle with the grief surrounding the death of a child, sibling, parent, or close friend? Who shepherds the pastor's family on their faith journey?”
These questions have also been the questions of the Committee for Family of Clergy Wellness, which has been meeting several times yearly to develop a support plan for families of clergy. This appointment begins a new chapter in the development of a support network, one of the few programs in the nation.
Nancy's experience includes working with clergy within her field of mental-health counseling, “where the focus on maintaining a positive public image to the congregation compounded the challenges of personal family crisis.” Nancy has “been privileged to walk with people throughout some of the difficult moments in their life and help them to draw on what gives them hope-to tap into their strengths and faith and move forward.”
One of Nancy's major responsibilities will be to act as a referral source that may go beyond just referring to a therapist, but may also connect with “people, resources, programs, and activities within the community thatwould help families grow and thrive.”
Nancy Duncan can be contacted at e-mail at famchpln@midcoast.com.
Clergy family wellness links
Visit the FOCUS website (Families of Clergy United in Support) www.episcopalchurch.org/focus
Story about FOCUS in the January 2005 edition of Episcopal Life
