Healthy Pastors for Healthy Churches
Newly Released Resource: "I’m Growing!"
JUST RELEASED: EFCA Pastoral Care Ministries introduced "I’m Growing!" at the 2010 Leadership. Download your copy today. What could be more exciting than to begin doing things that have likely been on your heart for a long time!
We recommend four healthy practices designed to assure sustainability in ministry…
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. You need
- Time with the Lord
- Time with True Friends
- Time with your Team
Keep Growing: life-long learning
A commitment to Keep Growing helps a person avoid stagnation in life and ministry. Some pastors intuitively know how to be life long leaners. Most of us need the benefit of guideliness or the help of a good friend. One option is "I’m Growing!". It helps you make a plan that fits you. It could make a significant difference in your life for a long time to come.
Take a Break: sabbath experiences
Take a Break describes a series of sabbath experiences practiced by a growing number of EFCA pastors. Want to see sabbatical examples? Be aware, fatigue can put you at risk.
"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)
Address It Now: preventative care
Address it Now because 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.
