Tag: Clergy self-care
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How do you “frame” your weekly day off from ministry?
How do you “frame” your weekly day off from ministry? By Rebecca McLean, Wellbeing and Development Officer, Parishes and Other Mission Agencies Commission I recently spoke to a clergyperson in our Diocese who is the parish priest of a thriving church and who is known for being incredibly capable, organised, calm and focused. So it…
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Professional supervision isn’t expensive, it’s priceless!
Professional supervision isn’t expensive, it’s priceless! By The Rev’d David Browne: Two years ago, I was feeling a big lost. A bit meh…and tired. Sometimes big things in life get me down in a moment. However, more often I find that many little cumulating disappointments can weigh me down over a long period of time…
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I get locked down, but I get up again
I get locked down, but I get up again By Bishop Jeremy Greaves With all of the bad news that tends to dominate our feeds, the Tokyo Olympics seem a distant memory. For a couple of weeks, however, they brought plenty of moments of joy to so many people in lockdown or experiencing restrictions because…
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How Clergy Thrive: Insights from Living Ministry
By The Rev’d Dr Imelda O’Loughlin: The notion that clergy need to look after themselves alone is at risk of becoming the dominant narrative if we don’t pause and reflect on the systemic nature of a problem that is the responsibility of all in our Church. A healthy Church requires healthy clergy and calls us…
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From ‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ to Bishop to counselling undergrad
By Bishop Daniel Abot: In 2005 while working for Anglicare, I was given a return ticket to South Sudan (where I am originally from) and Kenya (where I was priested and served as a youth leader in a refugee camp). The trip was for four weeks. While there, I was a witness to the signing…
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Flourish: one way we care for our people
By Stephen Harrison: The Anglican Church Southern Queensland (ACSQ) offers clergy, staff, chaplains and pastoral carers and formation students, along with eligible members of their households*, free access to Flourish, a wellbeing programme provided by external consultant, LifeWorks. Flourish offers a range of services, including up to six one-hour confidential counselling services per year, with…
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Advent and clergy wellbeing
By The Rev’d Dr Daniel Rouhead: “KEVIN!!!” A family arrives in Paris for their Christmas holiday only for the parents to discover one of their children has been left behind in New York. Their stress levels are immediately off the scale. This is the plot of Home Alone, but a familiar feeling for many parents…
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Reaching for the rescue ring
By The Rev’d Canon Dr Marian Free: In the distant past when I was at theological college, I remember being told that most clergy are introverts – one of God’s little jokes. This means that our feelings can be buried deep and difficult for us to articulate, let alone understand or untangle. When we experience…
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Myth busting clergy mental health
By The Rev’d Canon Sarah Plowman: Being a clergy person often puts you in the ‘public eye’ – or at least living much of your life in the midst and in front of your congregation and faith community. This can add additional stress to what is already an intense ministry life. The desire to appear…
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Are you an altruistic perfectionist?
By Bishop Jeremy Greaves: Tidying the bookshelves in my home study recently, I came across some of the journals I kept as a teenager. Amongst the typically adolescent angst-ridden pages about girlfriends and torturous poetry about relationships and school and family, there are pages exploring some much darker themes as I wrestled with all sorts…