Clergy Wellness

"Do New Year resolutions ... make us better people, better Christians, better pastors?" Sue Magrath asks this question as the new year approaches and offers an alternative, more contemplative, approach.

"Clergy are often caught carrying the cross of United Methodist decline in ways that are both unfair and debilitating. This is not a recipe for success..." Patrick Scriven offers some reflections which may be helpful to local church leaders looking to support their pastoral leaders as they weather turbulent days together.

By Rev. Earl D. Lane | Pateros Community United Methodist Church Question: What do Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Russell Wilson (quarterback, Seattle Seahawks),...

"I’m not going to say everything went perfectly. I’m not going to say it was easy. But about two years ago I asked my District Superintendent for help with my anxiety disorder, and I’m glad I did." Rev. Austin Adkinson, pastor at Haller Lake UMC in Seattle, shares his story of asking for and receiving help as a means of encouraging clergy colleagues in need to do the same.

"We spoke for over an hour and in that time she asked me what spiritual direction meant to me.  That’s when I said these words: “spiritual direction is a spiritual practice.”" In a post for the Clergy Wellness Corner, the Rev. Lara Bolger shares her experiences with spiritual direction and encourages colleagues to consider it as a spiritual practice of their own.

By Patrick Scriven | Director of Communications, Young People’s Ministries Being a clergy spouse is a complicated gift. In my experience, it has many positives...

In her latest post to the Clergy Wellness blog, Sue Magrath encourages pastors to consider the concept of Sacred Play. In a role so often burdened with unrealistic internal and external expectations, play could provide an avenue toward discovering balance, maintaining perspective, and sustaining energy.

Dear Clergy of the PNW and their Partners/Spouses, You may have heard that the PNW Conference is widening its focus on clergy wellness to include...

By the Rev. DJ del Rosario In the summer of 2016, I engaged in my first sabbatical as a United Methodist clergy person. In reflecting on...

Rev. Lisa Talbott continues an important three-part series on burnout for the PNW Clergy Wellness blog. In this part, Lisa shares how burnout manifested, naming the "stall indicators" she encountered.