2024 Soul Care for Leaders Network
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European leaders serve in their ministries, organisations, and communities with faithfulness, yet when circumstances become difficult and ministries enter periods of extended stress, many leaders do not receive the personal care and guidance they desperately need. Leaders suffer from isolation, lacking mutual encouragement and fellowship from others who are going through similar difficulties as well as wisdom and direction from trustworthy mentors who have successfully persevered through their own seasons of pain and hopelessness.
The Soul Care for Leaders Network’s vision is to equip Christian leaders to:
- Understand and apply a biblically-based view of life and ministry
- Receive encouragement, prayer, and guidance and mentoring
- Establish a biblical mindset and approach to the work God has called them to
The Soul Care for Leaders Network seeks to bring hope, healing, and renewal to weary Christian leaders through a biblical understanding of God’s grace, prayer, and living out the command to carry one another’s burdens.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
Jay Mosser has served in pastoral roles for 43 years – about 20 years in various assistant pastor capacities and the rest as senior pastor. Through those years he has served in three churches ranging from smaller (less than 50) to larger (about 1,000). Along the way he has worked with children,… Read more
Maurice Nightingale is a member of the Relational Mission core team with responsibilities that include the supervision of early-stage church planting on the mainland of Europe, in particular training and coaching pioneer leaders and developing strategies for both initiating and supporting church… Read more
Scott Poling serves as Senior Pastor of Harvest New Beginnings Church located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He has served in ministry for 30 years at Harvest, seeing first-hand God’s work in the renewal of a dying church. He’s gained a unique perspective, understanding the pressures and… Read more
Jerry Root is a Professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative. Jerry is a graduate of Whittier College and Talbot Graduate School of Theology at Biola University; he received his… Read more
Jelena Sivulka hails from Serbia, where she was born and raised. She obtained her master's degrees in psychology and theology from her homeland. Thirty years ago, she embraced Christianity, igniting a passion for ministry alongside her husband Greg. Together, they have been instrumental in… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 26 May
Stress, over-commitment and anxiety take their toll on our life and leadership. What do we do when difficulties weigh us down, affecting every area of our lives? This session will give us practical, biblical insight to refresh and encourage our souls.
We define ourselves by means of the love of God. Having been recipients of his love, we are also ambassadors of his love and forgiveness to others. Thoughout the history of Christian spiritual formation, maturity has virtually always been conceptualised as union with God and His mission for the world. This session explores those areas of life that can possibly prevent maturity in Christ. Time will be invested in discovering in what way our wounds tend to be deeper than our convictions, and why. It will also explore how God can work through our human weaknesses and recycle them into assets of empathy in order to reach others for Christ and His Kingdom.
Monday, 27 May
What do you do when life and leadership take an emotional, physical and spiritual toll? Burnout, discouragement and exhaustion are real dangers, but there are ways to protect and preserve your calling. This session will give you real-life survival tools that will encourage you and lengthen the life of your ministry.
Over the years of ministry, we have all witnessed strong leaders whose souls have gone untended. Anxiety, burnout, depression, and anger are some of the symptoms of a neglected soul. How can we help a hurting soul? What are some of the practical steps to help our streams of life stay clean, alive, and healthy? Only a rested, well-cared-for soul has the capacity to empathize and understand profoundly, to ask questions, and not simply go through the motions of faith.
Tuesday, 28 May
An understanding of God’s grace is vital if we are to fully enjoy the freedom we have found through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Sadly, many Christians are more aware of a sense of failure and condemnation than of reigning and rejoicing. The people of God must be restored to a fresh appreciation of all that is theirs in Christ. This seminar explores the glorious riches of the gift of mercy that is God's grace to us, particularly how to disciple one another into enjoying the full benefits of God's astonishing, lavish, unending, unfailing, unlimited, unmerited favour towards his children through Jesus Christ.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray. This would indicate that prayer, at least in part, is a learned discipline. To the degree that any human is engaged with God, every feature of our soul is at play: the mind, the emotion, and the will. Prayer allows a believer to reach into the depths of himself and disclose to God what He already knows about us: our sins (in prayers of confession); our fears and sorrows (in prayers of lamentation); our joys and thanksgiving (in prayers of adoration and praise). Prayer not only allows one a growing awareness of God and His work in our lives, it is also a gateway to self-awareness.
Wednesday, 29 May
Let's face it: ministry can be hazardous to your family and to your health. Burnout, exhaustion, disappointment, and unmet expectations are real dangers that can rob you of joy and even end your ministry. Is it possible to survive the stress of ministry and even to thrive long-term in your personal life, in your marriage, and in your family? This session will provide both encouragement and practical help for finding a balance between ministry and family time, all designed to help you and your family serve with joy for a lifetime.
True soul care involves our mind, body and heart, resulting in a life that experiences peace. How does this take place? What changes does God want us to make? We'll look at everyday steps we can take as we learn the truths of biblical soul care.