Healthy Pastors

Who is healthy enough to grow healthy churches?  The one who practices self-care.

"Self care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.  Any time we can listen to true self and give it the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch." – Parker Palmer  (quoted in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero, Integrity Publishers, Nashville, 2006)

Take a Break: sabbath experiences

Take a Break describes a series of sabbath experiences practiced by a growing number of EFCA pastors.  A comprehensive document provides pastors and churches with examples of sabbatical opportunities.  Isn’t it time to Take a Break?

"For us, pastoral care is about guiding pastors and their spouses into a deeper, love relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We…host Sabbath Rest Retreats to strengthen pastors and to produce healthier congregations." – Rev. Jim Anderson, North Central District Pastoral Care Director, (author of For God’s Sake Rest, Discoverying the Pleasure of His Rest, Pleasant Word, 2007)

Get Connected: essential relationships

Get Connected outlines the essential relationships maintained by a healthy pastor.  Find out if you are adequately connected or at risk of being too alone.

Keep Growing: life-long learning

Pursuing Excellence enables pastors to pursue personal growth and become a life long learner.  Want to know more?  It could make a significant difference in your life for a long time to come.

Address It Now: preventative care

The longer a pastor waits to deal with a problem, the harder it is to take the first step.  Whatever the "it" is in your life that could take you down, the time to address it is now.  If the "it" is too big, consider taking advantage of the Recovery Church Ministry offered to any EFCA pastor who feels the need for a break from ministry.

For more information contact John Herman at pastoralcare@efca.org.

Featured Resource

This book was written because I believe it takes healthy pastors to lead healthy churches.  It’s up to each of us who serves in ministry to decide whether we’ll permit the Great Physician to have a look - and then listen to what He has to say." – Tom Garasha, EFCA West Director of Pastoral Care, (author of EKG, probing the heart of a pastor, 2008)