I recently hit a milestone, graduating from my new/young clergy cohort group. Though I was only in the group for 3.5 years, the group has spent 16 years trying to sustain clergy in their first years of ministry. It was formed in response to the great rate of burnout within the first five years of ministry service.

According to EXPastors.com, "71 percent of pastors say they've experienced burnout" and as many as "50 percent feel unable to meet the demands of the job." In my short experience in congregational/parish ministry, I can affirm these statistics.

Many of my colleagues have left the congregational ministry for something else. Some due to clarity of call and following purpose, some due to salary and financial concerns, some due to church decline and need to stay in a geographic area. As I live into my call of administrative ministry, one of the frustrations I continually encounter is that topics covered in seminary were not adequate for leadership of a faith community.

Pulpit and Pew's research shows that out of a median of 46 hours worked, pastors spend 15 percent of the week administering the congregation's work and attending meetings. One can deduce that if you spend this amount of time on something you don't feel adequately prepared to do, then frustration could certainly lend to those burnout statistics.

"Pastors are not equipped to do everything well," Thom S. Rainer writes.

So how can we support our new clergy, especially in the areas of church administration?

1. Point out land mines. Part of being "green" in ministry is not perceiving where possible land mines of leadership might be in your community. The greatest gift you can give a new pastor is a mentor who can help point out the congregation's culture and sensitive topics. For example, a church recently had a tense negotiation with a musician, and the new clergy wants to celebrate the music program in the first weeks of ministry. A wise advisor can help the clergy leader successfully navigate an appropriate recognition of the musicians without illuminating the tensions of the past.

2. Allow them to learn. No one enters a professional field knowing everything, and ministry is no different. Allow your new pastor to ask questions about procedure and policy. Make asking clarifying questions a known and accepted culture in meetings. If there is an atmosphere of learning and collaboration, the pastor will be more likely to ask when he/she doesn't know instead of suffering in silence, or worse, making up an answer.

3. Set clear expectations. In addition to the job description (you have one, right?), outlining the priorities for the first year is a gift to any new leader trying to figure out his/her way in the world. Be as specific as possible without micromanaging.

Hopefully with some intentional awareness of the unique needs of new clergy, we can foster an environment in which pastors can continue to learn while serving a congregation and avoid burnout and frustration.