Greetings Fellow Ministers,
We hope you are thriving and feeling covered in prayer. Our office has been praying for you, your families, and your churches. The challenges we have faced are not small, nor are they bigger than the God we serve.
While all of us are walking in unknown terrain, facing new opportunities, and embracing new models of ministry, we are aware that God is with us... and for us.
In this newsletter, you will find a couple of resources that we hope will be helpful in your effort to begin preparing your church for reopening. Rev. Ximena Urra was gracious to translate the resources to Spanish so you can select the option below to read them in Spanish if you prefer.
The first resource is a great 8 step plan to reopen church. It simply provides you with a healthy list of things to consider before reopening.
The second resource was created by one of our Open Bible ministers who serves on the National Board, Rev. Chris Hansler, and is a question-based worksheet that helps you think through critical areas of your church before reopening.
I hope you find both resources helpful.
Lastly, you will notice a link to a video interview on a topic I am very passionate about... Pastoral Soul Care & Spiritual Health. We all know that this season of leadership can take a toll, but my prayer is that it not be at the expense of our Pastors' personal health. A good friend of mine, Dr. Isaac Hebden, who happens to be doing consulting work with Open Bible Churches on the topic of Soul Care agreed to do a ZOOM Webinar for us that I believe is both practical and critical. The conversation is no more than an hour and I encourage you to take a moment, watch, and make sure you are staying spiritually healthy during this hectic season. By the way, Dr. Hebden's dissertation was titled "The Avoidance of Burnout Among Open Bible Pastors: Creating Healthy and Vibrant Leaders In Ministry."
Additionally, Dr. Hebden provided an article he recommended for pastors on the importance of Soul Care. You will see the link below: