Over the years, The iHope Center has hosted a variety of resources with the goal of strengthening our local Christian community. Obviously, our primary resource is professional counseling and life coaching services that we provide on-site at The iHope Center.
But plenty of people need encouragement, help, and support without the formality of counseling or life coaching.
And even bigger – plenty of Christians are ministering to people in their church, neighborhood, workplace, Bible study groups, and beyond… but lacking the skills or confidence to help people with emotional, mental health, or relationship struggles.
That’s why we’re launching a new resource: A brand new podcast called Counseling Tips For Pastors And Ministry Leaders
If you want to care for the people in your ministry more effectively, this podcast is for you.
Our goal with this new podcast is to EQUIP and ENCOURAGE the pastors and other ministry leaders in the area of counseling skills.
Obviously, we won’t be making you a professional counselor. (You probably don’t want to be that anyway.)
But the reality of Christian ministry is that it can be exhausting, overwhelming, and lonely. This is certainly true for pastors, but it is also true for all Christians in ministry! And every Christian has a ministry of some kind. From youth leaders to Bible study leaders to loving your next-door neighbor, we are all in ministry to the people around us.
And those people are hurting.
The emotional struggles, mental health needs, and relationship challenges of today’s world are big. Millions of people struggle with anxiety, depression, divorce, abuse, and stress. And when people are hurting, the Church is meant to help.
… But do you really feel equipped to do that?
The mission of this podcast is to EQUIP and ENCOURAGE you in your ministry leadership.
Whether you are pastoring a mega church or the far more common smaller church, or maybe you’re working at a nonprofit and leading a book club on your lunch break – you want to be able to love and care for the people around you.
Every episode will EQUIP you with practical skills, ideas, tools, or resources to address the “counseling” related needs of the people in your ministry. Each episode will also seek to ENCOURAGE you in the important ministry work you are doing for the Lord’s glory.
About The Podcast
This new podcast will exist in audio (on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify), video (through our YouTube channel) and also right here on the blog. We expect to offer each episode in all 3 platforms… but we hope you will show us grace if life gets a little busy here and there and one platform gets prioritized above another that week.
Join the email list now so you get ALL THE INFO (plus all the free resources) for each episode!
Meet Your Host
Counseling Tips For Pastors And Ministry Leaders is hosted by iHope Christian Care and Counseling, a nonprofit counseling center in Florence, S.C.
Our Director is our primary host… and that’s me! I write the blog, host our podcast, and supervise interns and some of the licensed associates at The iHope Center.
My name is Jessica Hayes and I am a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in South Carolina. I have almost 15 years of experience helping people in the counseling room, and I’ve been a pastor’s wife for most of my 10 years of marriage. Today, much of my time is spent at home with my 4 toddlers. I have my own personal podcast (Love Your People Well) and I’ve enjoyed it so much, I realized that this is a great opportunity for iHope to encourage and equip ministry leaders in our community and beyond. After several other pastors and counselors in our area suggested the same idea, we decided to move forward with Counseling Tips For Pastors And Ministry Leaders.
Disclaimer
This podcast, as well as other resources offered by The iHope Center, should be taken as informational and educational content only. Utilizing our resources does not create a professional relationship. This podcast is not therapy. Always use your own judgment in making decisions and in making recommendations for others.
In the case of a medical or mental health emergency for yourself or someone else, please contact your local emergency department. In the USA, you can call “988” which is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.