Mobile Baptist writes fictional account of pressures pastors face

Numb. Yes, Coleman decided, that was  … the way he felt as he drove to the office. He wasn’t happy. He didn’t really feel sad. He just felt as if he had nothing on the inside; it was an emptiness he’d never known before.” 
   
It’s this feeling that author Robert B. Hanks captures through Coleman Matthews’ character in the book, “No Higher Calling.” 
   
It’s a feeling Hanks said many pastors face.
   
Hanks, a member of Spring Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, said he hopes “lay people who read this book will gain a greater appreciation of just how difficult serving as pastor of a church can be.” 
   
Church members tend to have unrealistic expectations of their leaders, said Hanks, who holds a doctorate in counseling and works with the counseling center at the University of South Alabama. 
   
And he should know. As a church leader, deacon, Bible teacher and as a counselor for more than 30 years, Hanks has had a front-row seat to what he calls a common emotional battle.
   
“If this book helps lower those (unrealistic expectations) in an appropriate way, then I feel that at least part of my purpose for writing has been accomplished,” he said.
   
Hanks said he believes many Southern Baptist leaders face the same obstacles as Matthews’ character. And, he noted, the feedback he has received on the novel seems to reflect that his theory is right on target.
   
In “No Higher Calling,” Matthews serves as pastor of a predominantly white congregation in Mobile. 
   
As the book opens, he realizes he is facing depression and struggling with not wanting to just “go through the motions.” 
   
At the same time, he is dealing with plans to employ the church’s first-ever black minister as youth pastor — and the repercussions of those plans. 
   
Opposed by an administrator on his staff, as well as many in the congregation, he searches for the strength to stand up for his belief in integration for predominately white churches in the South. 
   
As the book plays out, it vividly portrays this conflict and the challenging aspects of the life and calling of a Christian leader in today’s world.
   
One of Hanks’ main purposes was to give Matthews real human characteristics. 
   
For example, initially Matthews sought counsel from a person — someone he could see and touch — before crying out to God. 
   
But doing this finally led him to seek God’s counsel, and he does so with thanksgiving.
   
“Coleman had one of those special moments of awareness when he felt God was acting for his good through the therapist,” Hanks said, noting times when he saw God working for the good in his own life through those around him.
   
On the subject of burn out, depression and the numbness that come from striving through the everyday details of a Christian leader’s life, Hanks said, “I am afraid many ministers have burned out and/or left the ministry because they have consistently put the needs and desires of others ahead of their own. It is all about balance, and this is not easy for any of us who work with people in a helping profession.” 
   
Hanks said he believes it is important for ministers to keep people around them whom they trust enough to share their feelings. 
   
He also said it is important for a pastor to take care of himself spiritually, emotionally and physically because failure to do so could have a negative impact on his home life and ministry.
   
“It’s mentally healthy to regularly take stock of those blessings in life for which we can genuinely be grateful,” such as support, said Hanks, whose wife, Raye, and two children encourage him in his endeavors. 
   
He is currently working on a second book.