Clergy Wellness

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...

"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.

For the final installment of a 3-part series on burnout, Rev. Lisa Talbott offers four key strategies that have helped her to recover from a ministry "stall." While acknowledging that recovery can be a slow process, she argues that "burnout doe not get the last word."

In a post for the Clergy Wellness column, Rev. Katie Stickney shares how a recent bout of back pain revealed a new truth. While self-care offers all sorts of logistical challenges, the "biggest barriers" are often harder to see and tied into our beliefs about ourselves and our value.

"Why is chronic pain my superpower?" writes Rev. Jenny Smith, lead pastor at Marysville United Methodist Church. Smith explains that living with chronic pain has forced her to take seriously things like Sabbath and helpful boundaries. It has also given her empathy for many others who struggle in similar ways.

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.

"Far from viewing our bodies as sacred, we either view our bodies with disgust, or at best, indifference," writes Sue Magrath for the Clergy Wellness Corner. She continues on to share suggestions busy clergy (and others) can incorporate as we seek to "befriend" bodies we sometimes treat with indifference or even disgust.

With churches unable to gather for Sunday together physically, many pastors are walking an unfamiliar path. For the Clergy Wellness blog, Sue Magrath uncovers new meaning and direction in a familiar metaphor.

"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.

The Formation committee of the PNW Board of Ordained Ministry is excited to announce a series of optional web-based clergy wellness workshops. The first workshop, 'Achieving a Healthy Body in an Unhealthy World' with Rev. Brad Beeman, will launch in January.