Help us set the table.
“They broke bread…and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”—Acts 2:46
Help us nourish weary ministry workers as they pause to pursue mental, spiritual, and relational health.
A large proportion of the ministry leaders who care for us are over-worked, under-supported, serving from a place of depletion, and experiencing varying degrees of burnout.
In the course of our marriage we have worked to support pastors and missionaries, whether in Joel’s counseling sessions or in our home. Now we have an opportunity to serve eight ministry leaders or couples at Marble Retreat, an interdenominational Christian counseling center that provides a doorway to healing for those who are tired and hurting.
The Problem
40% of pastors have considered leaving their churches in the past three months.
90% of pastors report working between 55 and 75 hours per week.
3 out of 4 pastors feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the stress caused by ministry demands.
Only 1 in 4 pastors reports receiving support from close friends or mentors.
80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave within the first five years.
The consequences of pastor burnout can be severe, including physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion, deteriorating mental health, relational issues within families, reduced effectiveness in ministry, and potential loss of faith. In some cases, it may lead to pastors leaving the ministry altogether.
The Response
Located in the tiny mountain town of Marble, Colorado, Marble Retreat was born out of the conviction that clergy and others in Christian service have extreme job demands which can frequently result in symptoms of depression, anxiety, frustration, discouragement and burnout. Worse still and because of their position, they find it difficult to seek help. Since 1974, Marble Retreat has provided a safe place for transformation and life-giving hope to over 5000 participants from around the world. Marble Retreat’s 8-day program schedule consists of an effective combination of individual/couples and group counseling, led by Christian counselors in a confidential setting of recreation and rest. When Christian leaders participate in group therapy with one another, they are better able to let go of their habit of tending to the people around them, to allow themselves to be vulnerable without fear of how it might impact their jobs, and both to normalize each others’ struggles and to challenge each other in ways that others couldn’t. And for some, a couple’s retreat in Colorado holds less stigma than a regular trip to a therapist’s office.
Our Opportunity
Over the last four years, we have been praying about whether God is calling our family into full-time ministry to people in ministry. We have the opportunity to serve as a host couple at Marble Retreat for the month of June, providing meals and table fellowship for the retreatants, and creating a warm and safe environment for them as they participate in the work of restoration and transformation. This is also a next step in discerning whether God has a future role for us at Marble Retreat.
Join Us
Our desire is to go where God leads us, and only where God leads us. Therefore, our greatest need is for prayer; it is our first defense and our best hope. Please join us in praying:
for discernment of God’s purpose for our family
for the guests at the June retreats
for provision to allow us to be there if this is his will.
For more specific ways to pray, click here.
In order to go to Marble Retreat, we will need to raise $16,000 in support in a very short amount of time to cover the travel expenses, lodging for our family, and loss of income. That feels like a huge number. We take comfort in knowing that this is not doable in our own strength; it will take an act of God to open this door. We will need to finalize lodging by May 13th.
If you would like to partner with us financially, thank you. Please click below.
Contact Us
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
“It is so incumbent on us to have non-dual relationships of spiritual friendship, trust, love, accountability, truth, confession and encouragement so that we can carry the wounds, the pain and the trauma that comes from pastoring and discharge the pain out of our body in a healthy way.”
—John Mark Comer, pastor, writer, speaker