Soul Care Groups for Ministry Leaders
Join a life-giving group with other leaders where you can be fully known, fully loved, and encouraged in your ministry.
Many Ministers feel...
overwhelmed. Many others feel deeply discouraged to the point that in a 2017 survey 43% reported that they were seriously considering dropping out of ministry. We now know that 70% drop out after 10 years and that 90% do not finish well.
Maybe you can relate.
Soul Care Covenant Groups are designed...
to provide a safe and confidential setting for leaders to candidly process the hard hits and the heart hits that inevitably come their way.
A covenant group is a healthy community in which each member is seeking something for the others and committed to helping one another serve well and finish well. Sadly, spiritual leaders usually talk about community the most, but typically experience it the least!
HOW IT WORKS
The model we follow is typically 4-3-2-1: four leaders, meeting over three years, twice a year in retreat, and once a month by Zoom or phone calls with an experienced facilitator.
This model allows honest, transparent and even vulnerable sharing as relationships deepen through the consistent devotion of a disciplined community. The group is not out to “fix others” or even to hold others accountable; rather, the commitment to be close establishes an atmosphere where all of this consistently occurs.
You will meet with three other leaders, one of which is your group facilitator. The small number allows for honest, open sharing as your relationships deepen.
A covenant group is a relational agreement based upon trust. No leader will ever be stronger or more secure than the small circle of other leaders who surround and support him. We were made for life-enriching relationships. Community is at the heart of true Christianity, and true community can’t be rushed.
You will stay in your group for three years. Transformation is not an event; it’s a journey. It only happens on purpose, over time and in community.
Soul work is not only slow work but shared work. Just as no one can speed their way into a soul satisfying relationship with God, neither can anyone speed their way into a soul enriching relationship with others.
You will gather for two in-person retreats each year. Seeing each other face-to-face is one of the keys to deepening relationships. Being in the same room with each other allows for even greater opportunities to be open, vulnerable, and authentic.
You will gather with your group virtually in one video meeting a month. Meeting with this much regularity allows you to receive ongoing support, encouragement, and allows you to give updates on your life and ministry.
HOW TO REGISTER
NOTE ON FEES
This fee covers semi-annual retreats, monthly Zoom calls, and consulting as needed. (Partial scholarships may be available for leaders of smaller churches).
Participants are responsible for any travel costs, restaurant meals, and lodging.
Make any fees submitted payable to: “Covenant Connections for Pastors, Inc.” (Employer Identification number 84-4085300)
ENDORSEMENTS
"Ministry can be 'the best of times and the worst of times.' During one of those 'worst of times' I got connected with a Fraternity Group of pastors who encouraged, challenged, and inspired me. Over three years we bonded together as brothers and experienced a whole new level of soul care. I may not have made it through that challenging season of ministry had it not been for my Fraternity Group. I can’t recommend these groups highly enough!”
RICK GROVER
Lead Pastor
East 91st Street Christian Church
“The Covenant Group experience was exceptionally life giving for my spiritual, emotional, and relational health. There’s just simply nothing else like it. It’s not shop talk, it’s soul talk! It’s perhaps the one place where you’re not the most influential leader in the room, and that’s a good thing! It’s only then I can come face-to-face with my greatest fears and greatest joys. All the while, being embraced by the Caretaker of my soul and understood by guys who know what it’s like to carry the weight of spiritual leadership.”
JAY SCOTT
Lead Minister
Worthington Christian Church
“You need someone to care for your soul-life! In a three-year covenant group, you will laugh, cry, sigh, roll your eyes, and take a deep-dive into caring for your soul. Where and Who cares for your soul, or encourages you to care for your soul? A covenant group can do that! I said to our facilitator recently, ‘This is an authentic group. Some groups let you look into the windows of their life, some the front door. But, a Covenant Group lets you look in the garage.’ You know, the real stuff that causes you the real pain and keeps you from realizing you are a beloved child of the Most High God. These men are my ‘heart-friends’ and will influence me for the rest of my life!'“
RICK SHONKWILER
Director of Operations
Covenant Connections
READY TO JOIN?
Every Leader…
is either coming out of a season of special challenge, in the middle of a season of special challenge or heading into a season of special challenge! In a post Christian culture, facing complexities and moral ambiguities as never seen in our lifetime, leadership is more challenging than ever.
Join a soul care group and make sure you aren’t facing those challenges alone!