Clergy Wellness

"I’m not ashamed of my illness. But I am still grappling with what it means to work within a church culture that exacerbates the very illnesses we are called to help heal." The Rev. Meredith Dodd shares from her experience with mental illness, the support that has worked, and a challenge for us all to recognize what we can do to transform the Church to better express God's love and concern.

"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.

The Rev. Katy Shedlock has taken on bike commuting along with a new appointment to start a church in Spokane, Washington. Describing it as a "surprising means of grace," biking to work has helped her to feel grounded and see her community in new ways.

The Rev. Shane Moore shares how an encounter with panic attacks, and subsequent conversations with members of his church, led him to offer a 4-week sermon series on the topic of mental health. He wonders how we could "change the conversation" around the topic if more churches engaged mental health directly.

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.

"I know that I am not alone in my difficulty with saying no. There are a lot of clergy who suffer from the same ailment." Sue Magrath reflects on the needed discipline of saying "no" and makes a case for exploring the hidden, unnamed, motivations of our "Yeses."

"Grief is a funny thing…it twists and turns and jerks you around in ways you might not anticipate and, yet, not at all at the times you do anticipate." Just a few months into a new appointment, in a conference new to her, the Rev. Debbie Sperry had her mother pass away from cancer. Sperry shares how her grief and ministry have interacted in this vulnerable, well-written post.

An impromptu jog in the spring with his children, eager to try out new bicycles, left Scott Klepach of Yakima: Wesley UMC with a new appreciation for proper running gear. It also caused him to reflect on the benefits of shared experiences and the relationships formed in them. As a student pastor, connections with other students, often facilitated by technology, have already made a positive impact.

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...

By the Rev. Harriet Wilkin Thank you to all those who were the Martha’s of the Clergy Orders! On Wednesday afternoon, Rev. David Nieda presented a...