In Jeremiah 17:8, we are given the beautiful image of flourishing, like trees planted by the water that send out roots by the stream, not fearing when heat or drought comes, but always remaining green and bearing fruit. God desires that we are all
Rooted - firmly established and finding life in our relationship with God and His purposes in the world
Growing – maturing, bearing fruit and thriving as disciples and as professionals.
Resilient -- through all the challenges of life and ministry.
(RGR) is a ministerial health initiative of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the ECC. Through one-on-one relationships, RGR fosters pastors’ personal wellbeing and professional growth.
Meet the RGR Team
RGR is not a program.
RGR is a person. A person who understands and listens, doesn’t require anything from you, but is simply present and able to give the support, accountability, and encouragement you need to face the challenges of life and the ever-changing terrain of ministry.
We want to connect you with your own RGR Partner - a seasoned pastor who will walk with you through the next six months, meeting monthly to talk about what's important to you, whether or not it's about ministry. Through this supportive relationship, you can be more
Rooted - in God, community and your vocation
Growing - as a person, professional and disciple of Christ
Resilient - through the challenges of life, marriage and ministry
Your RGR Partner is specifically selected based on your needs and personality and will meet with you one-on-one. Space is limited. to: RGR is subsidized by the PSWC so your total cost for six month of personalized RGR support is only $150 (a $700 value) partial scholarships are available.
Testimonials
From PSWC Lead Pastors who participated in the RGR Pilot in 2020:
It's been really helpful to just have someone to check in with and provide feedback on my thought process and development as a pastor.
Encouragement for the battle, tangible tools to grow in the area of multi-ethnicity, the opportunity to query and learn from a Godly thought leader in this area.
As a young pastor, I found it helpful to have another seasoned pastor to confide in and process my personal struggles with. It is good to know that I’m not alone. This has especially been beneficial during this year of pandemic.
Through Rooted.Growing.Resilient TM I was able to identify what was on my heart, set reachable goals and outline steps I could take to see those goals reached. It was even more meaningful as my heart's desire was beneficial to some professional relationships and to the long-term health of the church.
I think the biggest gains for me was having someone to bounce ideas off of and having someone to confide in about my personal struggles with ministry burnout. My coach helped/encouraged me to have a plan to combat this and even followed-up with me to keep me accountable.
From ECC-credentialed pastors who participated in the RGR Pilot in 2020:
I was encouraged, edified, and extends my life for God's kingdom works in my life.
Getting a confidential space to talk through church related struggles with an experienced pastor/coach. This opportunity felt very rare and I valued it a lot.
I’ve been able to do some hard and good work on “the journey inward.”
It has been a positive experience to share what is going on with an experienced pastor. He helped me process some important things that I am dealing with in ministry and personally
I gained clarity, wisdom, and patience as I had a wiser RGR partner to help me think through a major life decision, take it in bite size chunks, and pursue action steps.