BRN seeks to help pastors with new Full Strength Network partnership

During the 2022 Accelerate Conference, the Baptist Resource Network unveiled a whole new partnership with Full Strength Network, which provides a wellbeing membership for pastors and church staff to live and lead at full strength.

October 13, 2022
Barry Whitworth

Hello, BRN Family! It’s good to be with you today!

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. The Baptist Resource Network loves our BRN pastors and their families, and we want to show that in a powerful way.

During this year’s Accelerate Conference, we unveiled a whole new partnership with Full Strength Network, which provides a wellbeing membership for pastors and church staff to live and lead at full strength.

With this partnership, BRN ministry leaders (specifically senior/lead pastors, associate pastors, and campus pastors) have the permission, privacy, and provision to access professional experts and confidential resources in the following areas:

COUNSELING: Get the confidential and professional guidance you need.

PRACTICAL COACHING: A customized plan to tackle the areas of your life where you most need help.

RESOURCES & CHECK-INS: Tools to help you monitor your wellbeing and strengthening resources for your journey.

We recognize that pastoring is difficult. We also recognize that the pastor is key to the overall success of a local church.

Here are some things we know:

There is a reality in life; hurting people hurt others. Pastors are constantly dealing with hurting people, and some pastors and their wives are hurting because people have hurt them.
75-80% of pastors are currently experiencing burnout.
80% of pastors believe that ministry has been harmful to their families.
Most pastors’ wives have nobody to talk to, and very few friends to listen to them.
71% of pastors say they are constantly fighting depression.
1,700 pastors are leaving the ministry every month.
In 2021, 1 of 10 pastors contemplated committing suicide.

The wellness program that we unveiled is meant to help change these statistics and to elevate the value and personhood of pastors, their wives, and their families across the BRN. You can learn more at www.fullstrength.org. Thanks for listening in today. May God bless you!

Barry Whitworth

Barry has been in ministry for over 30 years, serving as a mission pastor, associate pastor, church planter, pastor, interim pastor, transitional pastor and planter, church planting strategist, lead church planting catalyst, church planting director, and now executive director.

Before his calling as Executive Director of the Baptist Resource Network in February 2017, he was a church planting missionary and served the Multiplying Churches Team Leader for the BRN.