Ministry seeks to encourage Pastors after alarming Barna report
In response to a recent and alarming report by the Barna Research that more than 50% of mainline pastors are considering quitting the ministry, Edify Leaders has added the option of online pastoral care and ministry coaching services at no cost to ministers or their churches.
"The Barna report is truly alarming," says Ray Sanders, founder of the Oklahoma City based ministry that provides care and encouragement to ministers. "For more than a decade Edify Leaders has walked alongside pastors helping them process and navigate the challenges they face in life and work. We are fully aware of how ministry can take its toll, but we have never seen it this bad. We believe COVID-19 has brought things to a breaking point."
Over the years, Edify Leaders has developed a proven private and inspiring ministry coaching approach that is seeing incredible results as our pastors are refreshed, recharged, and renewed in their call to ministry. Edify Leaders has served more than 100 pastors from more than 16 denominations and has more than 100 years of combined ministry experience.
"We stand with pastors. We meet with ministers in private as we serve as a
sounding board and confidante. They talk and we listen. Pastors aren't superheroes. They face
challenges and opportunities like everyone else," Sanders explained. "When we reviewed
the report from Barna, we knew we had to do more. That is why we made the decision to offer private online interaction as an added option to our in-person meetings. We do all we can to make our meetings personal, convenient, and confidential. We go to where our ministers are and now, with the advantage of services like Zoom, we can literally meet with them anywhere in the world."
Barna Research recently found that a growing portion of Protestant pastors said they are considering stepping away from full-time ministry. Joe Jensen, Barna's vice president of church engagement, told the Christian Post, "This particular stat, this is the highest we've ever seen it.
2021 is the highest we've seen it, which is why as a company, quite frankly, we are alarmed and we are concerned about the overall well-being of pastors. We're concerned with how this is impacting the overall health of the Church. I really believe that at the heart of every healthy church is a healthy pastor. So, this is, almost four out of 10 pastors in America seriously considering quitting full-time ministry in the last year ... cause for concern."
"As our name implies, our purpose is to encourage ministry leaders to not grow weary but keep up the good work! We urgently encourage ministers to reach out to us at info@EdifyLeaders.org. There is no cost for our services due to the generosity of donors who believe in the work of ministers," Sanders shared. "If concerned people want to learn more or to help, we encourage them to please visit our website at EdifyLeaders.org/joinus."