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What is Minister Wellness?
Minister Wellness is a program designed to encourage and support the health, joy and excellence of ministry personnel in Canadian Shield Regional Council.
Ministry is a challenging profession and calling:
Minister Wellness connects
Our Minister Wellness progam provides opportunities for clergy to be with one another, to share experiences of ministry, to share challenges and opportunities, and to talk about what it means to be a minister in the United Church of Canada.
Minister Wellness nourishes
Sometimes what we need is time away from our responsibilities as church leaders. Our Minister Wellness program provides time and space to retreat, to engage in personal reflection, to be ministered to as ministers, and to have fun with colleagues.
Minister Wellness enhances
Minister Wellness provides programs and events to help ministers continue their life-long learning. Through conferences, webinars, special courses and other learning opportunities, Minister Wellness connects ministers with people and resources who help build the skills and knowledge that ministers need to inspire and lead in their ministry, and to respond to the constantly emerging needs of their congregations, communities and the wider world.
Minister Gatherings
Minister Gatherings are a chance for ministry personnel in our region to gather and discuss relevant topics and concerns in a safe and confidential space. Sometimes there are resources or things to share with each other that come out of these gatherings. You can find these items here.
Medical Assistance in Dying: Following Our Call to Care
With Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) now legal in Canada, people participating in United Church of Canada communities of faith are faced with their loved ones choosing such assistance in dying, or considering this option themselves.
The Church concludes: “The choice of assisted death must be a free and informed decision by an individual who, with the support and accompaniment of others, sees this as one option among many in determining their future, and not as the only option that must be taken due to a lack of choice when facing terminal illness. Our communities of faith need to be safe places for discerning, thoughtful conversations about these options.”
“Those facing the end of their lives, and their families and friends, must feel that they will not be abandoned by the church at any point. This is an imperative for a church that, in the words of A New Creed, trusts in God and proclaims that in life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone.”
MAiD Resources
MAiD Presentation by the Rev. Dan Hayward from the January 31, 2023 Minister Zoom Gathering – PowerPoint – PDF of slides
A liturgy “Anointing at the Time of Death” written by the Rev. Alan Hall – June 4, 2020 (with permission for you to use)
A link to the liturgical resources on the UCC website: https://united-church.ca/worship-theme/death-and-dying
A link to the United Church’s revised statement on MAiD (2020): https://united-church.ca/news/revised-statement-medical-assistance-dying
Resources
Ministry Vitality – UCC resources to support ministry leaders in establishing healthy and vital pastoral relationships. Includes benefits and leaves, policies, and networking opportunities.
Flourishing in Ministry Study and Well Being App
Many UCC ministers participated in a 2018 multi-denominational study of clergy well being. Designed and implemented by the WorkWell research group, it examined the everyday happiness, resilience, self-integrity, and thriving of thousands of clergy. The research group has identified these four areas as being critical to overall clergy well being.
1. Daily wellbeing: Do you have more days that are characterized by negative emotions such as frustration, anger, resentment, sadness, and anxiety, or more days that are characterized by positive emotions such as laughter, joy, satisfaction, enthusiasm and peace?
2. Authenticity: True self-knowledge. Knowing well one’s strengths and limits. Having a clear and positive self-identity. Knowing our core convictions and being able to engage in work that lives them out.
3. Resilience: The ability to bounce back from set-backs and adversity, and to learn from them. Self-awareness, self-control, and self-reflectivity are important capacities in resilience. The opposite of resilience is burn-out.
4. Thriving: Having a strong sense of meaning in life. Knowing what matters. Having a clear sense of purpose. Strong sense of curiosity and learning. Deep social connections.
Based on the study and other research, WorkWell has developed a free smartphone app that helps clergy to assess and improve their well being. The app provides a self-assessment tool that generates a profile of your well being in each of the above four areas and then based on that profile, suggests daily practices and tools to enhance areas that can be improved.
Staff Support
Robert Smith
Pastoral Relations Minister
Phone: 1-833-236-0281 Ext. 3
Email: rsmith@united-church.ca
Serves in: Canadian Shield Regional Council
Location: Teleworks and works in the Thunder Bay Office.
Role: Rob encourages and supports ministry personnel toward health, joy, and excellence in ministry practice.
Contact Rob about: Conflict Resolution; Finding A New Minister; Licensed Lay Worship Leaders; Licenses To Administer Sacraments; Pastoral Relationships Policy; Resources for Transition Times; Retirement; Sabbaticals; Sick Leave; Short Term Supply Ministers; Visiting Minister Options.
More about Rob...