Spiritual Well-Being Resources

What happens to spirituality when trust in the system is compromised and a church experiences immense change and conflict? For some UMC clergy, faith is challenged, too. Over the past 10 years, clergy have expressed a notable decline in their spiritual well-being, especially when asked if they feel at peace and have sense of harmony.

Clergy often serve as a safe space for their community and congregation, but they rarely have a safe space of their own to share their spiritual and personal struggles. For years, we have heard clergy share that it’s difficult to find a trusted confidant within the church when they are concerned about future appointments and career placement.

Given the historic events of the past few years—the pandemic and disaffiliation, just to name two—clergy need support and space to process their grief with a pastor or confidant of their own. They need to feel supported in requesting renewal leave, protecting their sabbath, and caring for their own spiritual needs.

Rebuilding trust in local and conference leaders and processes as well as within their ministry context is essential to repairing spiritual well-being. Improved clergy spiritual well-being can also positively impact clergy vocational satisfaction and other dimensions of well-being—leading to a more vital UMC.

Resources

• The Upper Room: Spiritual Wellness Resources—The Upper Room is a global ministry dedicated to supporting the spiritual life of Christians seeking to know and experience God more fully. They offer a range of spiritual resources for clergy.
  
  
• Selah—Evidence-Based Practices for Clergy Well-Being—The Duke Clergy Health Initiative researches and identifies evidence-based practices to improve clergy health and wellbeing. The Selah research trial aimed to identify stress reduction practices that would allow pastors to fully live into the work that God is calling them to do with creativity, insight, and energy – even during the most stressful times.
  
  
• Spiritual Directors International—Spiritual Directors International is an educational nonprofit, serving over 6,000 members in 42 countries around the world, committed to supporting and growing access to spiritual companionship and the deep listening, open questions and compassion our healing modality offers.
  
  
• Video: Exploring Clergy Spiritual Well-Being—Wespath’s Rachel Miller interviews Kim LaRue, director of Adult Ministries at Powell United Methodist Church, about current factors influencing clergy spiritual well-being and steps that individual clergy and the church can take to cultivate greater spiritual vitality.
  
  

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