Every Sunday and throughout the week, tens of millions of Americans look to Christian ministers for spiritual encouragement, guidance and teaching. However, where do pastors, especially men in serving ministry, go for encouragement, support and accountability without judgement? Indianapolis pastor Rev. Shaune Shelby is offering an answer to that question with the upcoming 2017 Pastors and Ministers Men’s Retreat.
All members of the clergy locally and nationally are invited to attend the conference, which will take place Oct. 8––10 at the Staybridge Suites in Carmel, Indiana. There is no cost for the event; participants will only need to pay for their room and travel.
“This is a chance for men in ministry, pastors and ministers to come together for affirmation, advice and fellowship,” said Shelby, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Indianapolis.
He added that the conference, which is also designed as a retreat, will offer ways to avoid (or recover from) pitfalls in ministry, such as negative criticism, fatigue and sinful temptation.
“We have pastors who are coming to speak openly on these topics,” Shelby said.
He added that he has seen many ministers struggle with these challenges during his 23 years in ministry, which has included work at churches in Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Virginia. Earlier this year, Shelby reached out to several other pastors he knows throughout the country to get their thoughts on joining forces to discuss solutions. He received a positive response.
“All of us in ministry have heard about another minister who has fallen or faced destructive issues,” Shelby said. “This is often because most male ministers do not have a nucleus of brothers in ministry they can reach out to.”
Pastors and ministers, Shelby added, often host conferences and workshops for major causes with each other but rarely join forces to help each other handle individual pressures in ministry. That isolation, Shelby concluded, has led some ministers to becoming “islands of ministry where we do our own thing.”
He also noted that many women in ministry reach out and talk to each other.
“But most of us who are men don’t feel the need to come together to share openly and honestly without the fear that something … we say will get back.”
Ed Setzer, Ph.D, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, believes spiritual retreats such as the one offered by Shelby are great ways for pastors to maintain focus and renew their energy.
“Pastoring can be stressful at times,” Setzer said. “No matter if you’re an assistant pastor of a church of 40 or a lead pastor of a church of 4,000, shepherding the people of God can take a toll on your mind and your body.”
He added, “Pastors need vacation and counseling too, because oftentimes the opportunity for pastors to get away or seek counsel is not readily available or easily affordable.”
Shelby believes the concept of pastors encouraging each other is not only good for them, but is also helpful in building the next generation of ministers, improving the public perception of pastors and keeping the health of churches strong.
“This is one of those moments that we say, hey man, let’s check out what we’re doing so that we can make sure that the next generation of pastors don’t fall into the traps that a lot of minsters have,” Shelby said. “Because when we fail or fall, it affects the body of Christ and people become jaded about what church is and what it’s not.”
One of the biblical examples the conference will highlight is the life of Samson who, Shelby said, struggled with self-destructive behavior and “unresolved pain” long before he was tempted by Delilah.
Shelby hopes the conference will help ministers overcome their own pain and challenges.
“Once we identify what the problems are, we can discipline ourselves and exercise self-control, because if we don’t, it will impact our spiritual gift,” he said. “We want to be overcomers and encourage younger ministers to live a life that is worthy of their calling and to not take it for granted.”
For more information about the free Pastors and Ministers retreat, call (317) 631-5946 or visit ebenezerchurchindy.org. Attendees must book accommodations directly with Staybridge Suites by calling (317) 582-1500.
