This week I found myself unexpectedly moved by the resignation of Sheffield councillor Andy Davies.
Three months ago, Davies won one of the most closely watched council seats in the city. This week, citing his mental health, he stepped down.
What struck me was neither the politics nor the timing. It was the honesty.
He spoke of being prepared for the workload but unprepared for the weight of expectation. I read those words with a distinct sense of recognition. They describe a challenge familiar to many people drawn to roles of service and responsibility. The burden is often not the work itself. It is the feeling of obligation towards everyone who has placed their trust in you.
We often speak about vocation as the courage to say “Yes”.
But a healthy vocation requires more than the ability to say yes. It also requires the wisdom to recognise limits, and occasionally the courage to say, “I can’t carry this safely any longer.”
That is not failure. Sometimes it is an act of responsibility.
As St Luke’s seeks new trustees, I recently wrote to a prospective candidate that any new commitment should feel both worthwhile and energising alongside the many other demands on their time. The principle applies far beyond trusteeship. Part of healthy vocation is discerning not only whether something is important, but whether it can be carried well, sustainably and with joy. A calling that continually depletes us without renewal may require more honest reflection than our culture often permits.
No one should have to reach such a point alone. Healthy institutions do not merely celebrate commitment. They create the conditions in which people can speak honestly about their limits before crisis arrives. They cultivate the self-awareness, support and permission needed to step back when necessary.
That is part of the culture St Luke’s exists to encourage. Our work is not simply about helping people recover when things have gone wrong, important though that is. It is also about helping to create a Church in which people are supported to recognise their limits earlier, speak honestly about them, and find permission to respond before exhaustion, burnout or crisis become the only things capable of forcing a change.
Honesty about human limits is not a failure of vocation, but an expression of faithful and sustainable ministry.
Many clergy, like councillors, find themselves carrying not only their duties but other people’s hopes, anxieties and expectations. The danger comes when identity, responsibility and obligation become so intertwined that stepping back feels impossible.
I do not know Andy Davies and I have no special insight into the circumstances behind his decision. As a fellow resident of Sheffield, I recognise the disruption his resignation will cause and the disappointment many will feel.
Yet I also find myself grateful for the example of someone willing to speak honestly about their limits. Indeed, I find him inspirational. In a culture that often equates courage with enduring ever more pressure, perhaps there is another kind of courage: the courage to tell the truth, seek help and step aside when continuing would do more harm than good.
For that, I think he deserves our thanks.
If helping to build a Church culture that values honesty, wellbeing and sustainable vocation sounds worthwhile and energising to you, then perhaps you might consider joining us. St Luke’s is currently seeking new trustees, and we would be delighted to hear from those who share this vision and feel called to help make it a reality.