Time magazine recently published a cover story about the stress epidemic in our country. It gave evidence that stress is a major contributor to the six leading causes of death: coronary disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidental injuries, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. The three best-selling drugs are Tagamet, a medication for ulcers; Inderol, a medication for hypertension; and Valium, a tranquilizer. Two-thirds of all office visits to family doctors are prompted by stress-related symptoms.

If you are a pastor or other person involved in Christian ministry, this information comes as no surprise. Most of your counseling appointments are sought by stress-saturated people. As one pastor put it, "Stress passes through my study like a never-ending parade."

Although the theme of this issue is church politics, the secondary, unarticulated subject matter is stress. The major topics-church politics, staff conflicts, dealing with deacons, also remarriage and death-all qualify for Hans Selye's ...