Ananias Project
Helping Clergy and other religious leaders develop the skills to survive and thrive for a lifetime of ministry.
Pastors & Ministry Leaders:
Are you feeling burned out?
Are you tired, depressed, or anxious?
Is your ministry having a negative effect on your family?
Is your ministry having a negative impact on your health?
Is your ministry having a negative impact on your spiritual life?
Have you wondered if you’re having a lasting impact?
Have you wondered if it’s all worth it?
Have you questioned your calling?
In January 2021, 29% of clergy surveyed had considered leaving full-time ministry in the past year. By March 2022, this number had soared to 42% (1). Being a pastor is a high calling. Being a pastor in 2022 is a tough calling. The increasing political divide in our country has seeped into our churches. The massive shifts in the way ministry is done in the post-COVID church has placed demands on pastors and other religious leaders to quickly learn new skills like no previous generation. The past two years have been overwhelming for everyone, and the demands placed on clergy are particularly challenging.
What Leaders Are Saying
Your ministry colleagues have benefited greatly from LeaderCare in a variety of ways. These are just a few of the stories of how pastors, ministry staff, and parachurch leaders have benefited from the LeaderCare process.
LeaderCare is a joint ministry of the Pilot Mountain Baptist Association and Dr. Wade Arnold’s Ananias Project.
Ministry Leaders are Feeling the Pain of Ministry
This chart depicts the reasons that pastors are considering leaving ministry: job-related stress, loneliness, politics, negative effects of ministry on family, lack of optimism for the future, conflicting visions, church decline, lack of job satisfaction, lack of respect by church members, and feeling ill-equipped to meet demands of ministry.
Even among those clergy who have not considered leaving full-time ministry, the stresses of ministry can be a serious concern. The chart below gives the percentages of the top-five negative impacts of ministry on clergy.
Ministers will have the opportunity to:
*Engage in spiritual practices that open them to the movement of the Holy Spirit in and around them.
*Develop a plan for taking care of their physical health including physical exercise and nutrition.
*Develop a plan for setting appropriate interpersonal boundaries and develop strategies for building life-giving relationships.
*Learn to recognize negative emotions and how to develop more positive emotions.
*Develop a lifelong learning strategy to continuously improve their knowledge and skills.
*Develop clarity around how they can be most effective in ministry and how to communicate that to their governing bodies (e.g. deacons, elders, boards, etc)
*Become more familiar with their finances and develop a long-term financial success plan
Of course, everyone’s needs are different, so each ministry leader works with Dr. Arnold to build a coaching program that fits his or her particular needs.
Here’s What You Can Expect
Our Mission
The mission of the Ananias Project is to assist pastors and other ministry leaders in developing a healthy approach to life in ministry that is sustainable for a lifetime.
How I Help
I help clergy recognize the signs of burnout and develop plans that will help them prevent and recover from burnout. I take a holistic approach to caring for clergy—physical, emotional, social, vocational, and spiritual. While there are common elements to my approach with everyone I work with, I will work with you to find a way forward that works for you. Contact me to schedule consultation.
Resources
Clergy Well-being Presentation January 19. 2023 Handout
(1) Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year. Barna reported posted on April 272022 to https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/