Spiritual & Emotional Formation for Christian Leadership: Research and Practice

Many who have served in various ministry capacities (e.g., as pastors, missionaries, lay church leaders, etc…) are intimately familiar with the potential dark realities of the ministry environment. Ministry is often fraught with many difficulties and challenges, imposing significant stress upon one’s spiritual life, marital and family relationships, and upon one’s emotional and physical well-being. Unfortunately, many Christian leaders have, over the course of their ministry journey, been deeply wounded over the course of their ministry work. Accordingly, this course will present both practical and conceptual considerations and recommendations in the care of Christians and Christian leaders who have been emotionally hurt by the ministry context, drawing from both Christian theology (e.g., the doctrine of incarnation, theodicy and the problem of evil, etc…) and psychological research and practice (e.g., in the literature on grief, trauma/abuse, and spiritual coping/spiritual struggles).