Ministering to Ministers

Reflective Practice

Wondering how to safely share the burdens associated with Your ministry?

Very often, ministers are reluctant to speak about anything of a personal nature, or to self-disclose challenges associated within their professional ministry. Sometimes ministers don’t know where to go to find a trained, experienced, confidential listener; especially one who will honor your faith tradition and ensure the necessary safe-space and sensitivity.

All humans have challenges, and this includes the women and men who minister to others. Ministry brings special opportunities for spiritual and emotional growth, but researchers who follow professional ministers estimate that only about half of professional ministers are involved in any type of ongoing reflective practice, and this includes ordained, professional clergy and lay ministers. Not only do individuals in the healing ministries need a safe space to reflect upon and grow through our ministerial experiences, if left unexamined, the challenges of ministry can transform a minister into something that is neither healthy or holy. A well-trained, certified reflective practice provider offers professional ministers a safe-space to reflect upon the rich, but challenging experiences that come with a life in ministry.

At Forbes Well-Being Advisors, we are passionate about helping those called to the healing ministries, to help you live healthy, wholesome lives. If you are looking for caring, knowleageable professionals to help you during a life transition, you came to the right place.

Reflective Practice is a well-regarded ministry that has been effective in supporting healing professionals in various settings. After Forbes Well-Being Advisors worked for several years to develop faith formation programming for the women and men who practice medicine, Forbes Well-Being Advisors responded to requests to develop similar services for the healing professionals who serve in other areas of ministry. Those requests fell on fertile ground.

Rachel Forbes Kaufman grew up in a minster’s family and understands the special circumstances faced by ministers and their families. When one is called to any kind of a healing ministry, that vocation can—and often does—overwhelm other areas of the minister’s life. Serving others as a minister is a tremendous discipleship opportunity, but the service of being a professional “healer” can leave the minister—and his or her family members—feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, resentful and spiritually depleted. If you are a lay minister, or a bi-vocational minister, the challenges can be even more daunting.

Like those billboards we sometimes see on our roadways, the ones that read, “Are you looking for a sign from God?”? Well, consider this: if you are wondering if God might be sending you a “sign” to help you experience New Life within your ministry, or to consider how God might be calling as you enter your retirement years, the fact that you have found Forbes Well-Being Advisors, and are reading these words, just might be pointing you towards your answer.

Consider these . . .

• If you feel as if you do not have the time, energy or space to unload and reflect on your ministry experiences

• If you feel exhausted in your ministry

• If you feel encumbered or stuck in your ministry and find yourself questioning your vocation

• If you are beginning to think about retiring from professional ministry, but wonder what your second-half-of-life might look like from a spiritual or vocational standpoint

Rest assured, you are not abnormal, nor spiritually lacking if you identify with any of the above statements. They are normal experiences for all humans, including the professional minister. These questions are pointing you towards Newness of Life: new insights, new opportunities, and greater spiritual growth.

At Forbes Well-Being Advisors, our ministry is dedicated to you, the professional healer. Contemplating these life transition questions with an experienced, theologically-trained Certified Reflective Practice Minister, or Spiritual Life Coach can be life-enhancing for you, your family, your church community, and for us. In all things we want to glorify God and his people. Regardless of your faith tradition, we will honor and support you as together we walk this sacred journey.

At Forbes Well-Being Advisors, our services are based on the principle of discipleship—journeying together in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. From our own experience growing up in a pastor’s family, and then working as a professional minister in the vineyard of health care, we understand how challenging it can be to find trained individuals who intimately understand the unique challenges of the professional healer. We consider this ministry to be a sacred opportunity to serve the professional healer, and every day we seek to honor that sacred opportunity.

Our life-transition services are not cookie-cutter, canned services. We have assembled an impressive array of tools, and training opportunities, each developed and curated by Christians, to address the special needs of faith-oriented healing professionals. Integral to all our services at Forbes Well-Being Advisors, is our commitment to provide a safe, respecful, but challenging space to help you hear how God is calling you to New Life. To be transparent, this is not psychological counseling, although we do have individuals within our Healing Community network who can address those special needs. With the guidance of a credentialed, theologically-trained Reflective Practitioner, we offer you confidentiality, empathy, and customized services to help you spiritually grow and realize new hopefullness.

We provide both face-to-face and telephonic/online services, whatever is most comfortable for you. To help you discern if this service is right for you, we can offer you a free, confidential 1-hour Discovery Session. What awaits you are new insights, new opportunities, and hopefullness. You can request a Discovery Session by connecting with Rachel at rachel.forbes.kaufman@gmail.com or sending us a text/call (812) 459-1058.