Ministry brings many stresses and pressures, external and internal. It carries particular vulnerabilities. We have to work intentionally to ensure that the working life of Ministers, lay and ordained, does not become a playground for bullies and fantasists, with religion functioning as a kind of insanity licence. This result cannot be achieved by accodent.
Sometimes people who haven’t quite made a strong linkage between faith and justice ask why it is necessary to bring external HR good practice among the saints — wouldn’t it be more Christian just to trust everybody to be good all the time?
I’d love to do that, but all of us, including (especially, perhaps) bishops have a higher duty of care towards each other. There is plenty in the Gospel to imply we should love our neighbour, including the neighbour with whom we work, as ourselves. By love all shall know you are my disciples, says the Lord. I wouldn’t expect people who took this as their basis for living to behave worse, or less justly, towards each other than would be allowed, say, at Marks and Spencers. I would, indeed, hope they were prepared to put themseves out to behave better...
