All Resources

This Lent we’re focusing on shame—that sneaky barrier to healthy ministry—and how the practice of "distanced self-talk" can help soothe it. Our self-compassion meditation with Jesus can help you get started.

Using interview data from UMC clergy, we identified the most common sources of stress for clergy. In this guide, you’ll read about these notable challenges, along with some suggestions for making a positive difference in their well-being.

Study findings across 18 years of research with United Methodist clergy in North Carolina identified factors related to mental distress and stress symptom outcomes, as well as positive mental health and ministry satisfaction outcomes.

Inspired by the book from Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, this resource gives evidence-based tips for practicing sacred self-care in seminary in five different categories: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and relational well-being.

This guide is intended to help P/SPRCs engage in practices which support their pastor feeling loved and cared for. The ideas in this guide can be explored in more detail as a committee through the resource Keeping the Faith.

A comprehensive resource for clergy and faith leaders that defines Christian flourishing, guides clergy to assess their current well-being, distills four identified behaviors of flourishing into actionable steps, and creates room for reflection.

Amid clergy burnout and civil unrest, a group of seventeen Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) clergy were asked questions regarding their call stories, ordination experiences, and careers in the North Carolina United Methodist Church.

Addressing tough topics is essential for healthy churches & pastors. This guide offers tools to help P/SPRC committees and their pastors come together for difficult conversations and offers skills needed to live together in healthy community.

Seminarians who try to maintain health behaviors often report being unable to live up to their aspirations, especially in the face of barriers posted by their degree program. Our Action & Coping Planing Worksheet is designed to help.

This Stress Management study (Selah) identified three stress reduction practices that 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.

The Daily Examen is a method of prayerful reflection on the day's events to see where God has been present and discern God’s current direction for you. It is a simple but powerful prayer that can be practiced by anyone, including congregations.

Resilience writing is a 20-minute expressive writing exercise conducted over multiple days that can help clergy process the stressful emotions and thoughts of ministry. It has outcomes as good as therapy and is free and more convenient.

Loving Kindness Meditation is an effective tool for building compassion during times of stress. In this resource, we share stories from clergy who have used this meditation practice to care for their own health, while caring for others.

Cyclic sighing is a breathing practice that can be done anytime and anywhere. There is no cost and zero side effects. What's more, this practice was found in a rigorous trial to reduce anxiety symptoms, lower heart rate, and improve positive mood.

This report examines mental health care among UMC clergy, shines a light on the current gaps, and offers encouragement for those who are looking to get professional mental health counseling.

Proactively reduce clergy stress by creating a set of referral sources to share with congregants in their time of need. This self-guided training includes videos, worksheets, and guides designed in collaboration with Partners in Health and Wholeness.

Combining videos, workbook content, guided discussion and complementary readings, this six-session series for United Methodist staff-parish relations committees offers guidance on how to create a covenant to guide their work as a ministry.

Evidence-based practices designed to increase your resilience, protect against burnout, and free up energy to do God's work with a renewed sense of creativity and insight.