Clergy Well-being & Self-Care
You are invited to a Zoom gathering, co-hosted by ABC of Wisconsin and CENTRAL Wisconsin.
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 @ 12:00 PM Central Time
As our society cautiously enters a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Zoom meeting will be an opportunity for those providing Pastoral leadership and care in this unprecedented situation to:
- pause
- take inventory of their own spiritual, emotional, and intellectual well-being
- and gain tools to help them process through their own experiences before fulling immersing into a new set of decisions and ministry shifts
Dr. Kristina Ricketts Gutiérrez of Midwest Ministry Development will have a presentation on clergy mental health and self-care during a crisis, to be followed by the opportunity for small group discussion and reflection. Mental health advocate, Rev. Walter Lanier, Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Milwaukee, will also be participating in the conversation and sharing his observations. We will also share some resources for ongoing clergy care.
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Prior to the gathering, click HERE to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Dr. Kristina Ricketts Gutiérrez brings a rich array of ministry, counseling, and teaching experiences to her teaching and ministry. She has ministered in churches, led ministry organizations, taught in seminaries and other professional settings in the mainland U.S., Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Chile, and Nicaragua, and served as a counselor to individuals and families. Since 2007, she has been a pastoral counselor at the Columbus office of Midwest Ministry Development Service and has counseled and taught hundreds of pastors and others in ministry since that time. Her professional memberships and certifications include ordination by the American Baptist Churches, U.S.A., endorsement as a pastoral counselor and chaplain by the American Baptist Churches, U.S.A., professional affiliate with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and membership in the Chaplains’ Association of Ohio.
Much of the material for this presentation is derived from the work that went into Health, Holiness & Wholeness for Ministry Leaders, a volume co-authored with John R. Matthews and (CENTRAL Wisconsin faculty) Dr. Ross Peterson. The book was published by Judson Press on May 15, 2020.
Walter J. Lanier is the Director of Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). He is also pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Milwaukee. Progressive is very active in the Milwaukee community and is particularly recognized for its work in the areas of mental health, anti-violence, and HIV/AIDS prevention. In 2012, he formed “MIRACLE” (Mental Illness – Raising Awareness with Church and Community Leaders Everywhere) which is a collaboration of faith-based leaders, community leaders and people with lived experience.
Progressive Baptist Church, along with MIRACLE, Inc. is a 2019 New Wineskins grant recipient for BLESSS–(Building Love Equipping shepherds around shame, stigma, suicide, and self-care). BLESSS aims to meet the challenges of clergy mental health and suicide by dispatching a faith-based, pastor-centric curriculum and developing a community of practice during the process.