Clergy Wellness

By Denise McGuiness, PhD, M.Div | Pastoral Psychologist, Deacon We all know that life is stressful. In fact, without a certain amount of stress, life would...

For her latest wellness post, Sue Magrath intended to encourage clergy to "attend to their own spiritual Advent journey" but a call to serve as an interim lay person over the season is causing her to reevaluate and redevelop advice that is realistic.

The Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown offers her insights on the unique challenges faced by queer clergy in The United Methodist Church when it comes to wellness. She speaks to the value of sacred community and love in providing necessary support.

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.

By Meredith Dodd  I have no idea how to pray. I’m not alone. Scripture reminds us that when it comes to prayer, none of us really...

By the Rev. Brad Beeman | Pastor, Bellevue: Aldersgate UMC I’ll never forget the day I got a personal call from my doctor asking me...

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...

"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.

While there is no one right way to navigate clergy wellness, times like these do require intentionality according to the Rev. Laura Baumgartner. Laura shares how the practice of Yoga has helped her to listen deeply to the messages her body is sending her.

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,...