Shepherding Towards A Healthy Ministry

Description

Pastoral ministry is one of the most sacred — and demanding — callings. Week after week, pastors step into the deepest moments of people’s lives: celebrating weddings, grieving at funerals, counseling in crisis, and walking with those who feel like they are at the end of their rope. Yet often, pastors themselves carry invisible burdens from their own stories — wounds that can quietly impact their leadership, family, and faith.

This groundbreaking resource explores the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), pastoral mental health, and ministry resilience. Drawing from recent research showing pastors experience higher rates of ACEs than the general population, this book offers both a sobering reality and a hopeful vision: with Christ’s healing and healthy support systems, adversity can become a source of empathy, strength, and wholeness in ministry.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• What ACEs are and why they matter for pastors and church leaders.

• How to recognize signs of burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma.

• Practical steps pastors can take to improve their own mental health and develop resilience.

• How senior pastors can lead their teams with care, creating a culture of wellness and accountability.

• Ways elders, deacons, and hiring committees can support — and hire — healthy pastors.

• A vision for trauma-informed churches that model wholeness for both leaders and congregations.

Filled with biblical wisdom, theological reflection, and research-based insights, Shepherding Towards a Healthy Ministry equips pastors, church boards, and hiring agencies to better care for their shepherds.