Cornerstone Theological SeminaryResilience: Finding Wholeness in Ministry by Way of the Cross
Self-Care in Ministry
The goal of this study is to help pastors and ministry leaders understand what wellbeing is, why it is important and how to cultivate it. During this study, pastors and ministry leaders will reflect on their level of wellbeing and experiment with self-care practices.
This study is for pastors, ministry leaders and students and features Dr. Matt Bloom, Pastor Joy Bonnema and Dr. Danjuma Gibson.
Study Resources
Download Small Group Facilitator’s Guide (PDF)
Lesson 1 Video | What Is Wellbeing?
Watch the video titled Four Components of Wellbeing. Dr. Bloom offers a research-based framework for understanding wellbeing.
Lesson 2 Video | Pursuing Wellbeing: Four Steps
Watch the video titled Four Simple Steps in which Dr. Matt Bloom describes four steps you can take to enhance your wellbeing.
Lesson 3 Video | Rest
Watch the video titled Making Time for Rest in which Pastor Joy Bonnema shares a strategy she learned for establishing healthy rhythms of rest.
Lesson 4 Video | Play
For his doctoral dissertation, Dr. Danjuma Gibson studied Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies to understand, from a psychological perspective, Douglass’s resilience. In the video for Lesson 4, Dr. Gibson shares one of three themes that emerged from his research.
Lesson 5 Videos | Storytelling
In Lesson 4, we learned that one of Frederick Douglass’s resilience practices was play. In the video for Lesson 5, Dr. Danjuma Gibson explains another one of Douglass’s practices.
Watch the video titled Your Life Narrative in which Dr. Matt Bloom describes the relationship between our identity and our life narrative.
Lesson 6 Video | Prayer
Watch the video titled Rethinking Spiritual Practices in which Dr. Matt Bloom describes how spiritual practices, such as prayer, can impact a minister’s wellbeing.