The Apostle Paul compares the pastor to a disciplined athlete, a hard-working farmer, a focussed soldier (2 Tim 2: 3-6). Pastoral ministry has always been demanding.
Our contemporary society is bringing many new demands and new expectations, and these are leaving many pastors in the UK feeling increasingly ill-equipped and overwhelmed. There is a growing crisis of recruitment, retention and burnout among pastors. We want to equip and support pastors in their ministry in ways that both nourishes their own discipleship and helps them care well for the church communities they serve.
Over the next three years we want to expand our support to church pastors through:
Resourcing
Providing pastors with resources both for personal growth and ministry activities
Refreshing
Blessing pastors through sabbatical courses that fuel their thinking and encourage them in their walk with the Lord
Reflecting
Creating opportunities for pastors to reflect on their pastoral care structures and practices
Donations to this fund will be used to create, develop and implement these initiatives.
This is a pressing need. To that end, our goal is to raise annual donation income by £65,000 per year to cover the costs of a senior ministry staff member, so we can devote significantly more time to this important area.
Pastor Perspectives
What is one of the biggest challenges facing UK churches today?
Tom Clewer, Pastor of Grace Community Church (Porthcawl), puts his finger on a pressing need in the local church – this is one of the central reasons why BCUK exists:
