Sustaining Health and Pastoral Excellence (SHAPE) continues to positively affect those pastors involved in the program. But the impact transcends the individual participant and extends to their family and congregation, all enhancing ministry. And the impact continues to expand as the number of pastors involved, as well as the number of SHAPE clusters, continues to grow.
By the end of 2008, the sixth program year, SHAPE will have ministered to nearly five hundred pastors. The five existing SHAPE regions are scheduled to initiate new cohorts for pastors by early 2009. Three new regions have been developed and are near the launch of their first cohorts, while three additional regions have begun the process of coach selection, training, and development. Initial conversation is being held with yet three more regions for development in early 2009. It is anticipated that by the end of 2009, these nine new regions will be fully active and involved in the SHAPE experience.
Participating pastors continue to relate stories of personal growth, spiritual renewal, professional development, greater connectivity with other pastors, and enhanced ministry to their local congregations. In a recent survey of pastors finishing a three-year experience in SHAPE, all of the respondents said that their involvement in SHAPE has made them a “healthier pastor.” Here are just a few testimonies of the power of SHAPE in a pastor’s life:
A Midwest pastor recently received distressing news and was able to process that news with his SHAPE cluster. “I’ve never been able to share so freely with a group of pastors my feelings in times like this,” he shared following a time of prayer.
A youth pastor just starting out in ministry felt free to share about family struggles. The cluster spent two hours focusing on his need. His openness led to a powerful time of personal sharing. One person’s willingness to be vulnerable opened up emotions for the entire group.
One seasoned pastor said, “I wish I had this when I started.” Another pastor said that he “had never experienced such an outpouring before.”
A pastor was ready to quit, but he was able to express his frustration and to receive encouragement within his SHAPE cluster. Through several meetings, he was able to shift attention from maintenance to outreach ministry, and with the help of his cluster, he initiated new ministries to the community surrounding his congregation with powerful results.
Life mapping for another pastor led to a “great discovery” regarding his life and ministry. As the cluster processed this pastor’s thoughts and feelings with him, it became very clear that the pastor was to go into another form of ministry. The cluster helped the pastor work through how this change would be shared with his congregation, and consequently a healthy transition for the pastor, his family, and the congregation took place.
Please pray for those pastors involved in SHAPE, and encourage those not yet involved to consider participating. To learn more about the SHAPE program, visit www.chog.org/SHAPE.
SHAPE is funded, in part, through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.