Reflection for Ministry Teams

By Sam Rahberg

Ministry can be a rewarding yet challenging vocation. As Christian leaders, we inevitably face moments of exhaustion, disillusionment, and frustration. When we do, it’s tempting to simply press on without reflection. Doing so, however, can lead to burnout for both the leader and the community. The key to enduring ministry lies not just in perseverance but in a more grounded, grace-filled approach that helps us face challenges with a renewed sense of purpose.

In the preface to Enduring Ministry, I reflect on the story of Benedict of Nursia, whose early community ministry was tumultuous. Rather than succumbing to bitterness, Benedict discerned with composure, allowing the grace of God to guide his next steps. This story reminds us that Christian leadership is not free from struggle, but those struggles can be navigated with a calm mind and an openness to God’s guidance.

The journey toward lasting ministry is not primarily about finding the willpower to keep going. Instead, it involves surrounding ourselves with people who embody God’s grace—mentors, colleagues, and communities that support and challenge us. It also requires daily discernment and a commitment to remaining connected to our calling, even when the path is difficult.

For many of us, the real work of enduring ministry is about embracing more reflective moments within the flow of ministry. By doing so, we practice listening for God's voice and renewal of hope and joy that originally drew us into ministry. Rather than feeling isolated, we are invited to draw on supportive networks that keep us engaged.

Discussion Questions/Exercises:

1. Reflect and Share: What personal experiences have led you to question or reaffirm your calling? How do you stay connected to your sense of purpose in ministry during challenging times?

2. Build Your Network: Identify three people (mentors, spiritual directors, peers) who can help you stay grounded in your ministry. Commit to reaching out to one of them this week to share your reflections and ask for their support.

   
   

   

   
   

Navigating Change: Embracing Strengths for a New Chapter

By Brenda Kresky, David Fremo, and Sam Rahberg

On October 8, a committed group of individuals gathered at the Church of Saint Joseph in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, to explore how we navigate change with the benefit of our unique strengths. Facilitated by the Bridge Builders’ team of CliftonStrengths coaches (Brenda Kresky, Diocese of St. Cloud; David Fremo, Catholic Community Schools; and Sam Rahberg, Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary), this interactive workshop delved deep into the conceptual and practical challenges of embracing change—especially when circumstances feel uncertain, relationships are strained, or our sense of identity feels threatened. With a mix of reflective exercises, collaborative activities, and personal storytelling, participants left not only with new insights but also actionable strategies to lead change in their respective communities.

Reframing the Narrative

The day kicked off with a simple yet powerful question: What stories are we telling ourselves about change? Often, we approach change with a default narrative of fear, anxiety, or resistance. This is understandable, especially when change feels sudden or unwanted. As one facilitator shared, however, through the “Thomas theorem”—the idea that if people perceive a situation as real it becomes real in its consequences—our mindset shapes our experience of change. The workshop encouraged participants to reframe their perspective: to see change not as a threat but as an opportunity for growth, learning, and collaboration.

In one memorable exercise, participants were asked to complete a “Mad Lib” about change. It was an imaginative and playful way to reflect on how we relate to change and what elements of surprise or adventure we may not be recognizing. This exercise opened the floor to deeper conversations about how each of us, shaped by our strengths, can approach change with curiosity and resilience.

Increasing Engagement

We began by unpacking “engagement” as a willingness to invest our time, attention, and energy into something, others, or ourselves. Chip and Dan Heath’s book Make it Stick provided inspiration for practices that help increase our awareness and mindfulness of others, focusing on the common language of CliftonStrengths. We explored ways to improve engagement in communication and the framing of situations where utilizing Strengths can solve problems and accomplish goals. We reflected on how our assumptions about the nature of change impacts our engagement and what we might do to challenge and shift our mindsets.  Finally, in small group discussions we processed our learning with some case studies of real-life situations faced in ministry settings.

Practicing Collaboration

Collaboration with others is important when it comes to change. Collaborations can create sustainable solutions, build stronger communities, and help overcome resistance to change. Collaborative partnerships depend on interdependent relationships. Complementary strengths-based partnerships are fundamental. Team members that thrive on the interdependent relationship maximize the collective strength of the team. The key to achieving success is not trying to be someone else, to discover your own strengths, to recognize your less dominant talents, and to understand how someone else’s abilities complement your own.

Articulating the team’s collective talents, leveraging and applying the strengths of each member, allows deeper creativity, understanding, and engagement.

Blessing

The day ended with a blessing for change, a moment of tangible connection and energy, made even more powerful by a simple experiment. Participants formed a circle, and when everyone was connected, a current lit up a wand—symbolizing the energy that flows when we come together with intention. As participants reflected on the insights gained, there was a palpable sense of hope. Equipped with new strategies for self-awareness, appreciation of those around them, and tools for collaboration, they left ready to navigate change more gracefully.

From Compassion Fatigue and Burnout to Greater Fullness of Life

By Beth Gaetz, Ministry Coordinator at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Bloomington, Minnesota

Out of the blue this past spring, I received an email from my long-time friend, Jim Otremba, who holds a master of divinity and is also a licensed independent clinical social worker and Christian life coach. He wanted to talk with me about a ministry-related idea. When we spoke a few days later, he wondered if I might be interested in participating in a group coaching program for lay pastoral ministers, which would offer tools and support to heal compassion fatigue and burnout. My interest was piqued by words and concepts like “CCM” (Catholic Clinical Meditation), “secondary trauma,” and “research-based tools.” That interest turned into real excitement when he said it would be offered virtually and free of charge to participants, thanks to Bridge Builders for a Thriving Mission. Not quite realizing just how fatigued and burnt out I was by my work and personal life, I eagerly said, “Sign me up!” and invited other colleagues to consider joining as well. And that is how I came to participate with seven others in “Naming and Taming Ministry Stress and Compassion Fatigue,” a life-enhancing, five-session group coaching experience that took place over ten weeks this past summer.

Before the first session, Jim asked us to complete three self-assessments (PRoQOL, PHQ-9, and GAD-7) to gauge our current levels of ministry-related “compassion satisfaction,” burnout, “secondary traumatization,” depression, and anxiety and to report them anonymously to him. During the first session, Jim masterfully set the context for the course through prayer and Scripture, including the model of Jesus’s life as one that included periods of intense ministry followed by rest, solitude, and intense prayer. He fostered a sense of community and mutual support among the group through introductions and the sharing of hoped-for outcomes. Jim then plunged into the material, defining compassion fatigue and burnout, offering for our consideration the many small habits we engage in that either increase or decrease our negative stress, fatigue, and overwhelm (e.g., “time-i-cides”: time-killers that lead to poorer health, such as unproductive screen time), and asking us to commit to reinvesting that time into developing new, healing habits over the course of the program. He encouraged us to observe whether our internal self-talk is “garbage-based” or “Gospel-based” and to identify three “scriptural-based truths” about who we are in Christ. He challenged us to tell ourselves these Gospel-based truths multiple times every day. Finally, he exhorted us to acknowledge and get professional help to heal any major unhealed psychological wounds. Continuing on, he presented research on the relationship between brain function, gut health, and diet and the role that several subsystems of the autonomic nervous system play in negative stress and fatigue. He offered a number of research-backed dietary changes that have been proven to calm our nervous systems, as well as the relatively simple practices of Intentional Catholic Breathing (ICB) and Catholic Clinical Meditation (CCM), which we then practiced together during that session and in each successive class. An enormous amount of valuable information was presented to us that day, and our homework assignment was to schedule time in our calendar to begin to practice ICB, CCM, gospel-based self-talk; to evaluate our eating, exercise, and time-wasting habits; and to commit to making changes.

Whew! While the amount of information Jim presented to us in the first class was almost overwhelming, I recognized how foundational these practices would be for a more peaceful and productive life. In those next two weeks, I worked to check my self-talk and referred to my notes for the three scriptural-based truths I had come up with during the first class (I am good enough; I am precious in God’s sight; I am forgiven), and I incorporated them into my day. When I was tempted to eat something unhealthy or to ease my stress by snacking at night, I borrowed one of the statements Jim uses to help himself make good choices: “In Christ, I am disciplined.” I found I was able to withstand the temptation and make the choice to care for my body, this “temple of the Holy Spirit.” While I struggled to do it for as long as recommended every day, I gave myself some quiet moments most days to meditate on a phrase like “Jesus, I trust in you” or “The Lord is my rock and my shield” (part of CCM), often to the rhythm of breathing in for six counts and out for six counts (ICB). I felt the benefits almost immediately. I found myself paying closer attention to my body’s stress or distress signals throughout my day at work and with my family at home, realizing that the choice to stay in negative stress or to move toward more peace and integration was to be made at that very moment. How liberating to recognize the power of the moment! I also worked to get more exercise and sleep, to pray the Psalms more intentionally each day, and to spend some moments each day in gratitude. I began to feel better and more hopeful!

At the start of each subsequent class, Jim asked us to check in with the group by naming a “resurrection” we’d experienced since our last meeting, what we’d been working on, and any areas of struggle. We celebrated each other’s progress and offered support and empathy in the struggles. I felt supported and encouraged after each class and eagerly anticipated the next one.

In subsequent sessions, Jim presented helpful strategies to deal with secondary traumatization, which can take place when we listen to the pain and trauma of others, to embrace and live the power of the present moment, to prioritize and improve our sleep hygiene, and to call on at least three saints to pray daily for us and our intentions. At the start of each class, he checked in to see how we were doing with the breathing and CCM, and we practiced CCM during each session. During our last meeting, we retook the PRoQOL, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 self-assessments to measure whether our levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatization, depression, and anxiety were higher, lower, or had stayed the same. My measurements confirmed my sense of it: my levels in all areas had decreased, thanks to Jesus and the work of his minister, Jim!

I’m grateful for having participated in this group coaching opportunity because the information offered is so fundamental to overall health and is effective—when practiced! I am also sincerely thankful for the opportunity to reflect on this experience, as it’s showing me how I have slipped out of some of these healthful practices in the transition between summer and a new school/program year. It is prompting me to commit to at least some of these practices once again. What is at stake for ourselves and the world when we do not fight compassion fatigue and negative stress is eloquently expressed by Jim in his course materials:

We need to bathe ourselves in the freeing truth of God to build resiliency and fight compassion fatigue and negative stress. Remember that Satan, our past wounds, and our past mistakes do not want us to love ourselves and become healthier! They want only to destroy and pull us down—thereby causing a negative ripple effect in the Body of Christ. But these negative realities have been crushed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and his ascension and sending of his Holy Spirit (don’t forget about the Holy Spirit!).

We need to daily say yes to this divine victory.

Amen to that, Jim. Let us take on this battle for better physical, emotional, and mental health, strengthened by Christ, so that we can be more effective ministers, friends, spouses, parents, and citizens.