The Samaritan Connection - 10

Are You Being
Intentional with
Your Spiritual
Journey?
Or have you been putting off or
avoiding taking care of yourself,
focusing instead on the challenges of
ministry?
Spiritual direction provides
valuable self-care to clergy by
intentionally concentrating on their
spiritual lives.
By inviting a spiritual director to
walk alongside you, you are supported
to stay centered and grounded while
facing the daily demands on your time
and energy.
Clergy & Congregation Care offers
the fi rst session of spiritual direction at
no charge and with no
obligation to continue.
5 Actionable Practices for Chall enging Times
By David Miron, Clergy & Congregation Care Coordinator
As I listen to messages from many corners of the church,
I often sense that the words shared come from a place of
fear or worry. Messages frequently seem to revolve around
thoughts that life is hard, we are grieving, how to comfort
one another, etc.
And while these statements may often be true, they tend
to focus inward on the " me and us. "
The Gallup organization, however, suggests a more helpful
focus.
Their work, based on solid data gathered from studies of many crisis situations,
offers good guidance for religious communities even though the article's primary
focus is the business community.
What people need from leadership
In fact, Gallup identifi ed through extensive research that there are four
universal needs people are looking for from their leaders:
* Trust
* Compassion
* Stability
* Hope
In the article describing these needs, Gallup recommends fi nding out from
employees (or congregants) how well leadership is doing during challenging
seasons. They even offer questions built around fi ve practices that promote
choosing life.
Refl ection questions for the congregation
Consider the following questions for you and your congregation to help
with refl ection and growth.
* Has the congregation developed a clear plan of action in response to its
current circumstances?
* Are congregants prepared well for their roles (emphasizing clarifying
expectations, reviewing resources needed, readjusting roles as needed)?
* Are congregants well informed in relation to the current circumstances?
* Do congregants know that they matter and are cared for?
* Are persons in leadership reinforcing best practices for staying healthy through
example, expectations, and accountability?
" Spiritual
direction has
direction has
helped me see
that when
talking with a
talking with a
congregant, I don't
necessarily need a
lot of information.
It is more important
to walk with them in
their journey. "
- Local Senior Pastor
10 * The Samaritan Connection
Closing thoughts
The COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging situations can be frustrating
- but they may also help us. For, in the midst of the hardships and grief, we often
realize that as humans,
we are all in this
together.
And we remember
that we are not alone;
God is with us, helping
us to endure and stand
strong, day by day.
The Samaritan Connection

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