Helping men and women of the cloth get through their ministerial rough patches has been PastorCare’s mission since Filbert Moore founded the nondenominational ministry in 1995 on the campus of Peace College in Raleigh, N.C. Smith now runs the ministry from his Grand Rapids office.

From the start, the intent has been to provide confidential, Christ-centered ministry nationwide for pastors and their spouses, with the primary plan of helping them stay in ministry.

It’s a mission that regularly requires Smith to make the initial contact with ministers who sometimes are reluctant to reach out because of a compelling desire to keep their problems private, or are unsure who they can trust.

“What I’ve learned is many times, pastors are not good at seeking help themselves,” Smith said. “There’s a fear of how this will be used against them. We always give them a choice of where we will meet.”

The bulk of pastors’ problems are related to burn out — packing too many hours in a work-week that cuts into personal time with their spouses and family, Smith said.

For more, read here.