Feeding the Flock Without Starving Yourself

You do not have to burn out, cause harm to your church, and potentially lose your family.

Do you know how close you are to burnout?

What happens at this seminar?

The seminar is designed to be fun, interactive and has time built into it’s structure for the free exchange of ideas. Planned topics include the following: 

  • Signs and symptoms of burnout
  • Causes of burnout as they directly relate to ministry
  • Negative impact a burned out minister has on a congregation.
  • Guidelines for pastoral boundary setting
  • The Necessity of pastoral boundaries for a healthy minister

Each minister will leave the seminar with a personalized list of goals or goal ideas that are designed to help prevent burnout and ensure faithfulness to God’s calling.

The seminar can be structured in 2- or 3-hour formats. 

This seminar works great when ministry leaders from unrelated churches gather. The discussions become powerful and beneficial as leaders recognize their common experiences. Additionally, when this seminar is presented to a single ministerial team, the discussions can focus on ensuring the needs of the congregation are met while also ensuring that each minister has boundaries and can be a healthy member of his or her own family. 

What are people saying about Feeding the Flock Without Starving Yourself?

Rev. Josh Whitfield, Senior Pastor at Stoney Creek Church in Goldsboro, NC invited Rev. R. David Morrow to provide the James A. Evans Lecture for the Original Free Will Baptist Pastors Conference in Black Mountain, NC. Cragmont Assembly, which is an Original Free Will Baptist camp, retreat, and conference center, was a perfect setting for relaxation, wonderful food, outdoor recreation, and mutual learning.  The lectures took place on June 9 and 10 of 2020. Approximately 30 pastors attended. Following the Feeding the Flock Without Starving Yourself seminar, this is what Rev. Whitfield said:

“David invited us into a safe space and gave us permission to be human. Pastors, saddled with expectations, of their own creation and given from church members, often do not realize the stresses and burdens they carry and how those burdens affect their lives holistically. The opportunity provided at the conference to reflect upon the ways in which ministry can adversely effect the minister was welcomed and needed. Ministry to a congregation and community need not cost the pastor his/her life or the life of his/her family. Pastoral presence can be strengthened for the improved health of pastor and congregation, if the pastor will address the mental health issues and spiritual anxieties that can cause fatigue and burnout. If the pastor chooses to keep issues on the inside, he/she will have to deal with the issues all by himself/herself. Pastors should never feel like feeding their flock demands starving self or family.”

Who teaches the seminar?

David Morrow is an ordained minister, a licensed marriage and family therapist, an author, and a musician. He grew up as a preacher’s kid, and at the age of 12, he moved with his family to Kennedy Home, which is a group home for kids. His heart for helping families began in that place because his friends often had very difficult family situations. Kennedy Home is also a historical plantation, and in that setting, he saw the discrepancies of how people were treated differently, and learned the value of every human being. July 6, 2020 was his 30th anniversary being a mental health professional. He provides about 1,000 hours of counseling services each year and working with couples is the thing he enjoys doing most. David has a son named Stephen. He is 26 and is studying entrepreneurship at Western Carolina University. He has a daughter, Amanda, that is 24 and will soon start a dual Master degree in Divinity and Counseling at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. David and his wife Cheryl blended their families through their marriage in July of 2016. You can learn more about David on his individual page HERE, and see his full resume HERE.

Let's start a conversation!

Are you interested in attending or hosting this seminar? Send an email to David@FruitfulVineFamilyMinistries.org. David will be happy to discuss more details about the seminar and ensure that the presentation can be personalized for your specific needs.

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