Transformative clergy small group experience: addressing leader burnout and creating a culture of thriving in ministry

Abstract

Drawing upon psychological and sociological research, this project reviews the core elements and causes of clergy burnout and reflects theologically on the image of a life rooted within the healthy and thriving vine of Christ from John 15 as the ideal for clergy in ministry, framed within Luther’s theology of the Cross. It then models a year-long clergy small group experience for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastors in southern Minnesota, correlating the elements of burnout with the image of the vine through practices incorporating Mezirow, Dirkx, and Cranton’s adult transformative learning theory and Bloom’s model of pastoral identity formation