Pastors Find Their Work With Workers
By Chris L. Jenkins Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, September 10, 2000; Page A01
Sliding out of his red pickup, the Rev. Gerald Rodgers glances at his watch and heads for a small warehouse owned by the company employing him, Herr Foods. As he strides through the parking lot, he bumps into Gary Patton, a company driver whose father died recently.
Time for the minister to go to work.
"Hey, Gary, good seeing you again. How are things at home?"
The two clasp hands.
"It hasn't been an easy stretch, but I think everybody's doing okay," Patton says.
For several minutes, the sweating delivery truck driver and the Wesleyan pastor chat about the death in the family, and then Rodgers hops back into his Chevy S-10 to head for another of Herr's Springfield warehouses and, possibly, more spiritual healing.
"Having somebody who actually seeks you out is a really good way to let you know that your bosses are thinking about some of your needs," Patton says. "I can't say I always talk to Gerald when he comes, but it's good to know he's here if I need him."
Rodgers is one of an expanding number of clergy hired by companies looking for different ways to support employees in times of crisis at home and work. In the past, businesses used hot lines, in-house psychologists and other methods to help workers cope, but chaplains have become popular for an obvious reason: They can place everyday problems in the context of faith and God.
"I think that businesses are finding that chaplains can potentially improve their bottom dollar when they see that a happier work force can be a more productive work force," said George Schurman, treasurer and a past chairman of the American Association for Ministry in the Workplace Inc., a nationwide chaplains group. "Not only can [chaplains] address emotional concerns, but they are trained and specialize in talking about spiritual concerns as well."
In particular, worries about workplace violence have motivated many of the employers that use chaplains, said Gil Stricklin, president of Marketplace Ministries, a Dallas company that has provided more than 800 Christian chaplains to businesses in 26 states. Although family problems remain the focus of the chaplains' work, Stricklin said there has been an increase in requests from businesses that want to prevent job-related outbreaks of violence.
"Employers are starting to . . . see what they can do about helping their workers cope with things before they reach a boiling point," said Stricklin, who founded Marketplace Ministries in 1984. "Employers are also realizing that they have to address these issues if they want a healthy workplace environment for all of their workers."
Ed Herr, vice president of Herr Foods