Product Details
Listen in as Pastor and Mrs. Schultz share helpful practices for managing stress together.
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Guests: Matthew and Kristin Schultz. Matthew is a pastor and ministry consultant. He has successfully shepherded multiple churches through times of transition and has helped not-for-profit agencies and churches of all sizes reimagine their ministries. Matthew currently pastors a congregation in New York state. Kristin works in health-care communications, volunteers on various committees at church, and leads Bible studies.
Introduction: Explore tools to recognize and address the stresses of ministry and how they affect marriage.
Summary:
- Stresses of ministry—managing expectations
- Recognize the expectations for yourself and your families
- Have frank conversations with church leaders regarding expectations for you and your family. Are there “unwritten rules”?
- Recognize stress and follow up on that—be aware of your own feelings and discuss them with your spouse.
- Be intentional about talking with one another—about both big and small things.
- Set “ground rules” to help manage expectations.
- “I’m missing you!”
- Stresses of ministry—managing time
- Availability for church members to gather for ministry is often outside of traditional working hours.
- Be strategic about using time wisely.
- Set aside time as a couple to do nonobligatory things.
- Communicate with one another regarding upcoming obligations so both have input.
- Give yourself—or your spouse!—permission to say no.
- COVID-19 has added stressors to already stressful situations:
- Changes in routine and new obligations, everyone in family suddenly in the same space
- Stress of working from home: “Living at the office”
- Commit to properly transition
- Resist the temptation to prolong the workday
- Managing concern for other family members
- Coping with how long it’s been and how long this could go on
- Coping with new expectations for church and what that means for ministry going forward
- Be intentional about . . .
- Communicating with one another
- Bringing the stressors to God in prayer—lay it at the feet of Jesus!
- Look for the silver linings of the COVID-19 work situations
- What have you learned about each other?
- Connect briefly—in ways you haven’t before—because you can!
Resources:
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
