anglican focus

The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Clergy health and wellbeing

Justice & Advocacy Work Health and Safety Advisor Michael Kucera Justice & Advocacy

Health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace — survey now open!

“Prioritising mental health in parish and ministry working environments helps promote a culture of care and compassion, enhances organisational productivity and fosters the Church’s mission. It can also help reduce stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourages clergy, employees and volunteers to seek help when needed,” says Work Health and Safety Advisor Michael Kucera.

Donna Thistlethwaite from Mentally Wellthy running a Mental Health First Aid course at St Peter's, Maroochydore in May 2023
Justice & Advocacy

Supporting people in ministry with their self-care and the care of others

“One of the highlights of my role is caring for clergy and helping to resource them so their ministries can flourish. Organising subsidised two-day mental health first aid training courses is one of the ways I implement this,” says Wellbeing and Development Officer Rebecca McLean

Features

Marathon walk for mental wellness: dawn to dusk

“The idea for our walk came when we were considering some way of raising awareness about clergy mental wellness to churchgoers, as well as to the wider community. With one of us based in Ipswich and the other at the Cathedral, a walk from one church to the other seemed a natural idea,” say The Rev’d Dr Gemma Dashwood and The Rev’d Selina McMahon

Reflections

International Buy a Priest a Beer Day 2022

“All people like to be appreciated for their service and work. And, our clergy work really hard as they fulfill their unique calls to ordained ministry – whether in parish, chaplaincy, pastoral care, advocacy, Episcopal, theological education and managerial spaces,” says Wellbeing and Development Officer Rebecca McLean

Features

How do you “frame” your weekly day off from ministry?

“A common emerging theme in these chats is that clergy feel that the demands on their time exceed the number of hours in a day, but that being disciplined about their weekly day off is essential to their wellbeing. What I’ve subsequently discovered is that clergy conceive their day off in different ways – in ways that are uniquely authentic and nourishing,” says Wellbeing and Development Officer Rebecca McLean from the Parishes and Other Mission Agencies Commission

Features

“In hindsight I wish that I had put consideration into the first professional supervisor I selected”

“As with most other practitioners and service providers that we engage, there will be times that that doctor, that electrician, that coach, that counsellor will not be the right fit. To give yourself the best shot at finding the right supervisor the first time, it may be helpful to consider the following questions,” says Wellbeing and Development Officer Rebecca McLean from the Parishes and Other Mission Agencies Commission