Welcome to the Southeastern District Church Worker Wellness webpage!
The SED is committed to empowering wellness among our dedicated church workers and their families. At SED, we understand that a healthy and thriving church community starts with the well-being of those who serve it. That’s why we have created a comprehensive approach to support our church workers in every aspect of their lives: heart, soul, mind, and body.
Our focus goes beyond mere physical health. We believe in fostering self-care and wellness that aligns with the values and beliefs of our church workers. By promoting self-directed, lasting changes, we aim to enhance their overall well-being, allowing them to show up at their best in all areas of life and ministry.
But we don’t stop there. We recognize the importance of collaboration and support from congregations. We are here to partner with your church in helping you develop a wellness team focused on caring for the overall well-being of your own church workers. Together, we can create an environment that nurtures health and wellness, ensuring that your ministry team thrives.
To achieve this we provide a wealth of resources and coaching to assist our church workers in their self-care journey. We believe that self-care is not selfish; it is a vital component of our ability to love and serve others effectively. By prioritizing their own well-being, church workers are empowered in Christ to make a lasting impact in their daily callings.
Join us as we embark on this transformative wellness journey. Together, let’s cultivate a community that embodies the power of self-care and resilience, empowering our church workers to lead fulfilling lives and fulfill their divine calling.
SED Wellness Resources
Founded by Rev. Dr. Travis Guse, Executive Director of Wellness and Coaching of the Southeastern District of the LCMS, the Wednesday Wellness Blog offers inspirational and practical advice on physical, mental, and spiritual health. With frequent contributions from a community of writers, the Blog aims to provide tools and insights for readers to make a significant kingdom impact with their lives.
Counseling Resources
The Evernorth Confide Behavioral Health Navigator helps Concordia Health plan members and members of their households get started down a path of mental wellness. Features include eight free sessions per topic per year, immediate access to clinical help, access to support groups and self-guide programs, crisis intervention, and referrals for work-life stressors.
Connect with a fellow believer online within their network of licensed, professional therapists. After filling out a preliminary questionnaire, tailored to your Christian faith, you will be connected with a therapist who not only shares your Christian beliefs but also understands the specific issues that matter to you. The questionnaire answers will also give the therapist a good starting point in getting to know you.
Offering Adult, Adolescent, and Child Therapy via Video or in-person appointments at one of their locations across 9 states including Delaware, Maryland, DC and Virginia. Founded in 1996, Safe Harbor established a space where clients could enhance their mental health and personal relationships by bringing hope and healing wherever brokenness exists.
Grace Point Institute for Relational Health functions as an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ the institute serves as an outpost of Christian care and compassion by applying the grace of God to the point of human need. Services offered include individual, couple, family, and pastoral counseling. Therapists are trained and equipped to handle a variety of issues and pastoral counselors are trained in both mental health and theology.
Wellness Coaching
Health and Wellness coaches partner with clients seeking self-directed, lasting changes, aligned to their values, which promote health and wellness. Using a client-centered process, coaches help empower their clients to develop and achieve self-determined goals in areas such as spiritual, social, community, career, and financial well-being.
Sabbatical Planning
Sponsored by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), the Grace Place offers resources so that a ministry sabbatical will bless both the ministry leader and the Congregation. Sabbatical coaches are available to assist ministry leaders and churches in the formation of guidelines, plans and funding issues. Also available is a free downloadable Sabbatical Guide.
Listen for more info about Sabbaticals on this Podcast with Rev. Tim Fangmeier and LCEF
Retreat and Rest
Doxology provides programs, seminars and resources for clergy to reflect on their own spiritual and emotional health and assists them to review and enhance their professional competencies and skills as servants of Christ. A Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, Doxology is comprised of pastors, counselors and laity who are committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially as God gives it through the Holy Ministry.
Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, Eden Above the Sea provides rest, relaxation renewal and romance for rostered LCMS church workers and their spouses at no cost (except food and gas). A private cottage for two is located in the golf village of Waikoloa, just 5 miles from the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world.
A retreat center in Wickenburg, AZ, Shepherd’s Canyon offers help, hope, and healing to pastors and other Christian ministry workers (and spouses) experiencing stress, burnout, depression, compassion fatigue, and conflicts by providing week-long counseling retreats. Scholarships for meals and lodging are available.
Camp Linn Haven provides a wholesome, safe Christian vacation setting for persons of all ages and abilities. The camp offers opportunities to combine the camping experience with worship and devotional activities and encourages fellowship through the recreational activities offered there. Lodging consists of cabins, a retreat center, and RV and tent camping. Linn Haven is located on NC Highway 181, 10 miles south of Linville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Financial Wellness
The Broom Tree Fellows Loan Forgiveness Program assists ministry workers with education-related debt. The program is especially interested in religious leaders who exhibit the highest levels of faith, commitment, and service to God. Broom Tree hopes that by lightening the load of their education-related debt, ministry workers can flourish in their ministry.
More to come…
Soldiers of the Cross provides emergency financial support and pastoral care for Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod church workers. Care comes in the form of short or long-term support and identity and privacy of those helped are protected. To refer a rostered church worker who faces financial challenges or apply for assistance, the worker must speak to the district president to explain the reason for needing assistance.
https://www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/mercy/serving-church-workers/soldiers-of-the-cross
Additional Tools and Resources for Your Wellness
One of the top priorities of the LCMS is to promote and nurture the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of pastors and professional church workers. A 44-page document published by the LC-MS that encompasses the synodical stance on the theology of congregational, emotional, financial, intellectual, physical, relational, spiritual, and vocational wellbeing.
An assessment and personal worksheet designed for you to reflect upon your current wellness practices and create a vision and plan for greater personal wellness. Focuses on self-care in the following areas: spiritual, relational, financial, emotional, vocational, physical and intellectual.
\https://kslcms.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Self-Care-Assessment.pdf
Written by Rev. Todd Peperkorn, who shares his personal experience of depression and how he trusted in God’s grace. He further explores the biblical and theological perspectives on depression and mental illness. His webpage also provides resources for mental health ministry and suicide prevention.
Project Connect Booklet Ministry
While the majority of these faith-based booklets (and downloadable MP3 audio files) focus on equipping congregation members to share their faith, there are several that focus on wellness such as life skills and emotional strategies.
From Concordia Plans, this tool is designed to help you determine how to compensate your workers. By answering a few simple questions, the tool can provide salary benchmarks to help determine a worker’s fair compensation.
https://www.concordiaplans.org/employers/resources/compensation-decision-support-tool
The Wheel of Life Assessment is a tool used to evaluate and measure various areas of an individual’s life. It provides a visual representation of different aspects of well-being and helps identify areas that may require attention or improvement. This assessment is widely used by therapists, coaches, and mental health practitioners to support their clients in achieving balance and fulfillment.
https://quenza.com/blog/knowledge-base/wheel-of-life-assessment-questions/
By Bruce M. Hartung. Presents the challenges church workers face daily, along with positive and encouraging strategies on how to support your pastor and other church workers. Each chapter deals with crucial topics such as job stress, finances, marriage, housing, and other common experiences in the lives of church workers.
https://www.cph.org/holding-up-the-prophets-hand-supporting-church-workers
Helps learners address their stress while supporting others who struggle with similar issues. This 4-session course (for individual study or use in a family setting) offers video, scriptural references and author insights for managing stress. Written by Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs and author media producer Jessica Bordeleau.
https://www.concordiaplans.org/employers/resources/compensation-decision-support-tool