A Practicing ShepherdCare conference isn’t your ordinary minister’s conference. Often, pastoral seminars provide lots of intellectual information, with each minister asking himself, “How can I use this to help my people?”

In contrast, our highly personalized conferences are designed to restore your passion for ministry and give you a fresh perspective on your calling. With us, you will be asking the question, “How can I apply this to myself to become a healthier and more effective minister?” And healthy ministers make for healthy ministries.

In a culture where ministers are leaving the ministry in record numbers due to burnout, moral failure, fatigue and lost passion, it only makes sense to do a little self-care every now and again. Practicing ShepherdCare conferences provide just that. We minister to the minister by helping you rediscover who God created you to be, protect what you value most and improve how you relate to others in ministry.

Conference attendance is kept small to facilitate greater interactivity among participants, creating greater opportunity for relationship and personalized application. There is also opportunity for follow-up involvement with the conference leaders as well as with fellow conference participants, allowing for ongoing relationships that will encourage a continued commitment to your new self-care plan.

A congregation can only be as healthy and passionate for God as its minister. The same is true with a para-church ministry. Isn’t your congregation or ministry worth it? Sign up today for a Practicing ShepherdCare conference in your area. Conferences are currently offered in Georgia, Florida and Texas but may be scheduled elsewhere on an as need basis – especially when a church, denomination or para-church ministry is willing to provide sponsorship.

As with counseling and coaching services, anyone may make a tax-deductible contribution to ShepherdCare on behalf of a minister to cover his or her cost for attendance to a Practicing ShepherdCare conference. Additional financial assistance may be available for ministers with financial difficulty.

Who You Are

#1 Intimacy: Connecting to the Heart of Successful Pastoring
Understand what healthy intimacy is and why you need it. Discover the three basic areas of intimacy: intimacy with God, other godly men (or for women ministers, other godly women) and your spouse, with practical emphasis on how to find healthy intimate friendships.

#2 Calling: Having the Power for Effectiveness in Ministry
Rediscover your calling into the ministry and ensure you were not falsely called. Find out the negative effects of working outside your calling. Discern God's will regarding your current ministry position versus leaving for an opportunity more consistent with your unique calling.

What You Value

#3 Stress Management: Avoiding Ineffectiveness
and Burnout
Receive practical information related to the healthy management of stress. Evaluate your level of stress through our stress tests and learn practical helps to alleviate stress from a spiritual, relational, emotional and physical perspective.

#4 Boundaries: Protecting What Matters Most
Learn the basics about setting boundaries that are both healthy and godly. Create more space for what matters most by tailoring your own collection of helathy boundaries related to your church/ministry, family, friends, God and yourself.

#5 Re-Creation: Taking Time to Refuel
Discover recreation as a purposeful tool for “re-creating” energy to carry out your calling more effectively and efficiently. Overcome your excuses for not recreating by developing a personal plan for accomplishing the three basic goals for recreation: rest, recess and renewal.

How You Relate

#6 People Skills: Managing Your Ministry’s Most
Valuable Resource
Learn people skills necessary for successful pastoring. Become familiar with the various personality types and how each has been placed by God in your church/ministry for a purpose. Practice the skills of active and reflective listening with fellow participants, discovering them as building blocks for ministering to others. Learn assertiveness skills critical for every minister.

#7 Leadership Skills: Setting You Apart from the Rest of
the Sheep
Gain an understanding of the nature of leadership and evaluate examples of healthy and unhealthy models of leadership. Explore leadership as it applies to your unique ministry setting, with emphasis upon the importance of becoming a "transformative" leader. Create and implement a personalized growth plan with feeedback from your conference leaders and fellow conference participants.