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Lessons From the Refresh Counseling Program (A survey of participants in the program)
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“If it wasn’t for this program, I very much doubt I would still be in ministry today.”
These sobering words come from a Free Will Baptist pastor and describe the help he received from the Refresh Counseling program. He is not alone. His words are echoed again and again by other pastors who felt they had nowhere else to turn before turning to Refresh Counseling.
After all, it’s not easy for a pastor to ask for help. Pastors are the shepherds, the helpers, the counselors themselves. Everyone looks to them when things go wrong. But where do pastors turn when their own marriage is in trouble, when they find themselves ensnared in addiction, or when their emotional load simply becomes too much to bear alone?
One pastor observed, “It has been a great encouragement just finding out that I am not in this battle alone. Pastoring can sometimes feel like you are in a cave all alone and nobody else cares. It was a comfort just to hear God’s still small voice say there are others in this same battle.”
The Refresh Counseling program began in 2022, when surveys and research made it clear many pastors were struggling, and a large number were leaving or contemplating leaving the ministry, leading to a shortage of pastors in our churches. To counteract this troubling trend, Refresh Counseling offered help to Free Will Baptist pastors and their family members at no cost.
How can you help? Consider three suggestions:
- Support your own pastor. Pray faithfully for him. Be aware of the load he carries. Avoid placing unrealistic expectations on him or his family, and support him financially.
- Become a regular supporter of Refresh Counseling. As an individual, consider giving to the Refresh Counsling Program on a monthly basis to help underwrite this crucial ministry. As a church, add a line in the church budget, so this program will be available when your own pastor needs it.
- “Adopt” a pastor through a one-time gift. Counseling for a pastor, from beginning to end, costs approximately a thousand dollars. Whether an individual, Sunday school class, church, or association, consider covering the cost for the next pastor who needs counseling?
If we work together, we can continue to meet this critical need for our pastors.
“If you’re wondering whether it matters — let me tell you, it does. It saved pieces of me I thought were already too far gone. I’ll never be the same, and I’m so deeply, eternally grateful.”