august 4, 2006
Refiner's Fire: Intensified Pastors and Ministers Retreat
If you're a pastor, a teacher, an evangelist, or a small group leader, or you believe God is calling you into ministry, you're joining an elite group of God-made men and women who serve the Kingdom of God. It is an incredible blessing and responsibility -- and it carries with it some alarming, and sometimes even fatal, statistics:
* 1500 pastors are leaving the ministry each month (US);
* 80% of pastors and 84% of spouses say they are discouraged or dealing with depression;
* 70% of pastors say they have no close friends or confidants;
* 95% of pastors don't pray with their wives;
* 70% of pastors believed they were called by God to pastoral ministry, but after three years, only 50% still felt called;
* Almost 40% of pastors polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry;
* 80% of pastors surveyed spend less time than fifteen minutes a day in prayer;
* 70% of pastors said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons;
* 80% of adult children of pastors surveyed have had to seek professional help for depression;
* The majority of pastors' wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage was the day they entered the ministry.
The evidence is clear that a decrease in brokenness within the Body of Christ is producing a facade of righteousness that neither conveys the Power of the Cross nor makes available to the Body of Christ the gift of Reconciliation Christ came to make clear to us through the Cross.
'Refining Rain' is the first step in regaining that brokenness among the Body. In a safe and confidential setting, pastors are encouraged to develop support groups designed to carry them through a process of 'Repentance, Renewal, and Restoration'. Through the assistance of trained and licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), each pastor or leader is allowed to explore the power of confession, the wealth of mercy among other pastors worldwide who are struggling with equally stifling burdens, and receive the gift of forgiveness, the gift of God's Immeasurable Grace, and move toward an open, transparent relationship with God.
The next Refining Rain retreat will be August 7-12 in Topeka, Kansas.
Learn more about the Refining Rain Ministry Retreat
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