What is LeadFresh?
LeadFresh is the leadership component of our Clergy Formation & Wellness Department. Within LeadFresh there are groups and events that gather with their own unique goals and contexts. LeadFresh communities meet online and in person. There are currently 3 groups that are either underway or will begin soon:
FreshStart: an encouraging spiritual community for pastors, offering support for them to be proactive about their own soul care. It is focused on helping CBAC pastors recover, heal, and start fresh in the midst of COVID and beyond, prioritizing personal recovery, healing, and refreshment. See more about FreshStart
Sozo Journey: An online spiritual community involving spiritual practices, Spiritual Direction and retreats, experiential learning, reading, and reflecting. It provides tools to support you in your own healing and transformation. It will also equip you to become an instrument of God’s healing and transformation for others, including your church. See more about Sozo Journey
Resilience Journey: a formation process and community for pastors to increase our resilience as spiritual leaders, using online sessions and spiritual retreats as learning venues. Each February, a cohort of pastors begin the journey by taking part in online gatherings, spiritual direction, retreats, and reading assignments. We have seen God use the Resilience Journey to build the faith, wellbeing, and resilience of our leaders. See more about Resilience Journey
Barna in their “2017 State of Pastors study” named three areas of risk for pastors: burnout risk, relational risk and spiritual risk. Other research has identified mental health and physical health as also areas of risk.
Areas of pastor risk for pastors can be summarized in 5 risk areas:
1. Spiritual risk
2. Emotional/ psychological,
3. Relational risk
4. Physical risk
5. Vocational risk (burnout)
Our belief is that if we reduce pastoral risk and increase pastoral health and wellbeing we will have healthier and more resilient leaders.
We believe the source of healthy wellbeing for spiritual leaders begins with their relationship with God, nurtures the soul and then overflows into relationship with others.
LeadFresh components are focused on reducing risk for pastors and increasing health, wellness and resilience for spiritual leaders.
FreshStart
A LeadFresh Community for Pastors
We’re accepting new memberships and membership renewals for FreshStart, which begins in Janaury 2023.
At its core, FreshStart is an encouraging spiritual community for pastors, offering support for them to be proactive about their own soul care. It offers tools for coping with COVID fatigue and moving into a “new normal.”
Join us as together we discover God’s help with personal and pastoral challenges at a time when many of us feel depleted by the pandemic and other life events.
We’ll be using Rich Villodas’ book “The Deeply Formed Life” as a platform for our discussions in FreshStart 2023.
You will find it helpful, but not necessary, to read the book.
All FreshStart memberships include:
– Supportive community
– Learning modules (optional)
– Monthly online check-ins (spiritual practices, reflection, and sharing)
There are three levels of FreshStart membership:
Fresh Basic: Includes 2 sessions of Spiritual Direction
Fresh Choice: Includes 1 Spiritual Retreat or 7 sessions of Spiritual Direction
Fresh Complete: Includes 1 Spiritual Retreat and 7 sessions of Spiritual Direction
FreshStart Membership includes:
• One on One sessions with a spiritual director, coach or mentor (see membership levels above)
• FreshStart community monthly check-ins
• Online group learning modules in spiritual formation, wellness and leadership development
• Special events
• Spiritual retreats
• Self-assessment tools
• And more resources
Sozo Journey
“Sozo” is a Greek verb that means “to save, rescue, heal and more, especially in the sense of making one whole and complete, lacking nothing.”
Sozo means the renewal and restoration of our lives to the fullness of our salvation that can only be found in Christ.
The Sozo Journey is a guided walk along pathways that lead to greater wholeness and healing for ourselves and others, including our churches.
The Sozo Journey is online spiritual community. It involves spiritual practices, including Spiritual Direction and retreats, experiential learning, reading, and reflecting. It provides tools to support you in your own healing and transformation. It will also equip you to become an instrument of God’s healing and transformation for others, including your church.
Sozo Journey 2021 is already underway! We are already excited for Sozo Journey 2022, and we’ll open registration in May 2022.
Resilience Journey
The Resilience Journey is a formation process and community for pastors to increase our resilience as spiritual leaders, using online sessions and spiritual retreats as learning venues.
Each February, a cohort of pastors begin the journey by taking part in online gatherings, spiritual direction, retreats, and reading assignments. We have seen God use the Resilience Journey to build the faith, wellbeing, and resilience of our leaders.
Want to hear more about Resilience Journey? Reach out to Cheryl Ann Beals today (contact information below).