If you look at the grid shared on Friday, June 19 for care of pastors and educators (P/E), you will notice that there are three entities involved, one of which is the congregation. Today I would like to explore one dimension of the congregational attention to the physical health of the P/E staff at their church.
I’m aware that the first response might be that their physical health should be their own concern. My suggestion is that a congregation can benefit from supporting their staff to maintain their physical health. Many corporations are learning this lesson and our Board of Pensions is making this a major focus of some of their efforts.
The first thing that a congregation could do is to become familiar with the programs offered by the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (www.pensions.org) in their wellness program. Here is an example of the value of the connectional church.
The second thing would be to express support for the P/E in maintaining their physical health and make sure they are aware of these resources. For example, if they are having trouble with their weight, are they aware of the Weight Management Program that they can access at 1-866-640-2772.
A third thing that a congregation can do is to support their staff in taking time to make physical exercise a part of their regular routine. I know one congregation that had a member that offered use of his weight machines for the pastor’s use. Several congregations have tried to help provide membership at a Y or sports club. In some cases the health insurance will even help with the cost of such a membership.
Since people are often reluctant to intrude on a person’s personal physical life, an entry point might be to invite the pastor and educator to lead the whole congregation in the spiritual dimensions of physical health. As I mentioned yesterday, according to Paul (1 Corinthians 19) this is a spiritual issue for the whole Body of Christ.
