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It is the intention of this essay to probe into the probable sources of congregational ambivalence toward the Rabbi. Looking back upon a decade of service in the Reform Rabbinate, I have been struck by the extent to which the phenomenon of ambivalence has been evident in the relationships and attitudes of the congregation toward the Rabbi. These reflections are based upon my personal experiences, and should not be construed as the result of an extensive survey. Yet, the congregations which I have known are average congregations, and I am, I presume, an average Rabbi. I wish, too, to state that conversations with some of my Conservative colleagues have tended to support the findings herein stated: that is, my experiences have also been theirs. In addition, since I am a Rabbi, I speak of the Rabbinate and Jewish congregations; yet I have no reason for not believing that what I have to say is equally true of a vast area of the Christian ministry.
It is not impossible that the particular years of my ministry have had much to do with congregational affects; nor is it impossible that geographical factors are to be reckoned with as active determinants. As these paragraphs proceed, I shall try to give each factor its proper place in what seems to me to be the scheme of things.
I wish here to express my thanks to Dr. R. H. Hutchings, Editor of the Psychiatric Quarterly, and Dr. N. J. T. Bigelow, Associate Editor, for their valuable suggestions. I am also indebted to Drs. Philip Lehrman and G. L. Cantzlaar, whose reading of the manuscript was particularly helpful.
The ambivalence of a congregation is demonstrated in the veneration and respect in which the minister is held, and per contra, the resentment and hostility which are directed against him. These feelings may exist simultaneously, although unconsciously, in most