Church Worker Care Team Resources
Church Worker Care Teams (CWCTs) provide support and encouragement to church workers who serve their congregations. The CWCT webpage is a digital complement to our Church Worker Care Team Manual, designed to help care teams and their workers assess needs and locate helpful resources.
Resources for Each Kind of Well-being
Worker wellness has many components. Below, you’ll find suggested resources for every area of the Wellness Wheel (along with one additional category, “Congregational Well-being”).
For additional resources, see The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Church Worker Wellness page and the Kansas District’s Church Worker Wellness page.
“Church Workers in Mission” | Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
Called Church Workers: Do We Know How to Nurture? | Issues in Christian Education (2008)
Sabbatical Guidelines | LCMS Kansas District
Financial Wellness Webinars | Concordia Plan Services
Education Loan Repayment Resources | Kansas District
Kansas District Grants, Hearts for Pastors, Ministry Focus
Rostered Church Worker Loans | Lutheran Federal Credit Union
Veterans of the Cross and Soldiers of the Cross | LCMS
Writings on Relational Well-being | Deaconess Heidi Goehmann
Ministry Team Wellness Workshops | Grace Place Wellness
Resources on Reconciliation | Ambassadors of Reconciliation
Physical Wellness Resources | Concordia Plan Services
“Vacation” (Church Worker Wellness Series) | KFUO Radio
Mental Health Resources | Concordia Plan Services
Kansas Christian Counselors List | LCMS Kansas District
Helpful Questions to Ask When Seeking a Counselor | LCMS Minnesota South District
“I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression” | Rev. Todd Peperkorn
Dealing with Pornography | Doxology
“Four Faces of a Mentor” | Lutheran Church Workers (LCMS Pacific Southwest District)
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Ministry Clarity | LCEF
Re:Vitality (church revitalization) | LCMS
Compensation Decision Support Tool | Concordia Plan Services
Videos on stress and worry | Lutheran Hour Ministries
Surveys and Resolutions
"What We Heard"
LCMS Survey of Workers
January 2019
"Wellness for New Creations"
LCMS Survey of Workers
June 2019
31 Core Needs
2016 Survey of Kansas District Workers
Resolutions on Wellness
LCMS and Kansas District
Wellness Support Groups
The organizations below specialize in providing care to church workers in need of rest, refreshment, and/or healing.
GRACE PLACE WELLNESS
Grace Place Wellness is a preventative wellness ministry that seeks to positively impact the ministry of Christian congregations by encouraging workers in the church to lead the rich and full lives that Jesus intends for all of His children. Grace Place is a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS.
Wellness Bibliography from Grace Place
DOXOLOGY
Doxology provides training in advanced pastoral skills while offering ongoing spiritual care opportunities for pastors. Participants will be refreshed and equipped as a result of their participation in a program of soul care grounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
SHEPHERD’S CANYON
Shepherd’s Canyon Retreat is committed to the emotional and spiritual healing of clergy and other church workers who have exhausted their best and seek healing.
CHURCHES THAT HEAL
Churches That Heal is a digital resource designed to equip pastors and churches to handle issues of mental health in their communities through a biblical and psychologically sound plan of healing.
RUN HARD. REST WELL.
Run Hard, Rest Well consists of a team of experts who educate and advocate on the vital importance of rest. They equip people to embrace a pace and passion for work and rest that is transformative and sustainable.
CPS Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 1-800-327-4962 Suicide Hotline: 988
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is expanding. Dial “988” on any telephone in the state of Kansas and you will be connected with crisis mental health support. The Lifeline accepts calls from anyone who needs support for a suicidal, mental health and/or substance use crisis.