Healthy churches require healthy ministers

As our summer comes to an end, I had the privilege of participating in our Pastor Strong Retreat this past week at the Silver Cliff Ranch in Colorado. What an incredible time of fellowship, recreation, rest and worship we enjoyed.

Kevin Abbott, Area 5 representative and director of Pastoral Health Networks, and his team have been leading Pastor Strong cohorts in the College Station area, the Houston area, the San Antonio/Austin area and the DFW area this year, culminating in this powerful retreat with all four cohorts together.

Forty-seven pastors and network leaders shared outdoor experiences, testimonies, prayed over each other, practiced vulnerability and encouraged each other in their ministry journey. We are convinced that pastors need to be in authentic community. These experiences give pastors an opportunity to continue to be holistically healthy and stronger!

 We are thankful for the partnership our TXB pastoral health network shared with Steve Doyle and the Brazos Valley Baptist Network; Josh Ellis and the Union Baptist Association; Darrell Horn and the San Antonio Baptist Association; David Smith and the Austin Baptist Association; Ryan Jespersen and the Dallas Baptist Association; and David Bowman and the Tarrant Baptist Association. Local churches and associations working together with the state convention to strengthen pastoral ministry is the best way!

We are also grateful for the sponsorship of Keely Rule and the Simplicity/Guardian Financial Group. Although Cooperative Program funds have supported much of the work of Pastor Strong, we thank God for sponsors and donors that make the recreational aspects of these experiences possible.

We are confident that the relationships these pastors and ministerial leaders have developed will be long-lasting, will contribute to their health and our churches will be more effective because of this ministry.

The GC2 Strong strategy that we are developing as Texas Baptists seeks to focus on three areas: strengthening churches, ministerial leaders and mission partnerships. We need churches to be strong in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in order to reach our state.

Healthy churches require healthy pastors. We want to foster ministerial health so that those who lead our churches and ministries are healthy spiritually, emotionally, in their family life, in their finances, in their relationships, as well as intellectually and physically.

We believe that healthy churches and healthy ministerial leaders will naturally be on mission with God. Churches and pastors who are Great Commandment and Great Commission Strong will be strong in partnering for missions locally and globally.

Stay tuned for 2026 cohort & network opportunities for pastors, including women in ministry and Gen Z//millennial pastors.

I want to encourage you to make plans to join us for our Annual Meeting this November 16-18 in Abilene, where we will focus on “Living Out GC2.” You can see the speaker line-up, those leading us in worship, the schedule, and some featured workshops here.

In fact, you can already pre-register as either a messenger or a guest! Don’t miss it!