Clergy Wellness

In her post for the Clergy Wellness Corner, Rev. Lara Bolger talks about the importance of finding support for the hard work of ministry. Especially "during this tumultuous time in the life of our denomination," she argues that clergy "can really hold each other up."

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...

"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.

In a post for the clergy wellness blog, Rev. Laura Baumgartner writes about dual relationships, something that can be hard to avoid and require careful navigation. She identifies transparency, good boundaries, and prayer as tools to avoid harm and to allow God to work through these relationships.

"I have served for more than a decade in this Conference, and my experience is that local churches accept CR/CC appointments with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation," writes Rev. Denise Roberts. Her post on Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural appointments focuses on the special attention needed to healthy relationships to maintain clergy wellness.

"Some people strive for a “work-life balance.” I’m not sure it exists... Accepting that as a reality is a big help." Rev. Debbie Sperry offers some wisdom earned the hard way in the latest post on the Clergy Wellness blog.

By Sue Magrath, MC Many clergy have shared issues on this page that require a great deal of courage and vulnerability, revealing struggles with depression,...

In the first installment of the Clergy Wellness Corner of the new year, pastoral counselor and #UMC deacon Denise McGuiness shares a meditative practice called Lovingkindness. She writes that "this practice has been a life changer for me, especially in the current state of the world that is full of divisiveness and hate."

In a post for the Clergy Wellness Corner, Rev. Debbie Sperry shares how incremental increases in her activity through walking led to a discovery. She noticed that when she gets out for a walk she is a better, kinder and more patient person as the practice allows her to "disentangle" her thoughts and process stress.

Rev. David Tinney | Senior Pastor, Vancouver First UMC I really think photography ought to be added to the list of spiritual disciplines. As we...