Description
With the clear understanding that clergy leaders need and deserve support as they shepherd the mission of their congregations, this book by Thad Austin and Katie Comeau acknowledges that clergy care providers play a critical role. These pastoral care providers offer counseling, spiritual direction, coaching, education, and other benefits to create a strong foundation for clergy to perform their role well for congregations.
In this book, authors Austin and Comeau speak to the results of a research study illustrating that clergy care providers often lack the proper training, experience, qualifications, and semantic alignment to support clergy as effectively as possible. Caring for Clergy paints a clear picture of the gap between practitioner and client. The book invites us all to receive this new awareness and join in the conversation to create a more supportive environment for clergy.
Features
- Methodology
- Survey
- Bibliography
- List of abbreviations
Practical Applications
- Take steps to redirect your congregation's culture of "clergy self-care" toward one of "clergy care" to help support the spiritual, physical, and mental health of your clergy and, thereby, of your congregation and its mission.
- Lead a team of leaders in discussions about how your congregation can better support the clergy by asking questions about what structures are currently in place, who supports clergy when they are supporting others, and what expectations are being placed on the clergy member that could be undermining their health. Who can a pastor turn to when a problem is beyond the congregation's ability to help?
- Create a clergy care team or map of available care providers who can be readily and reliably available in providing spiritual direction, mental health counseling, leadership coaching, and other areas important to your clergy team to prevent pastoral burnout before it becomes critical.
