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Advance Newspapers: Walker News

Couple follows calling, minister to area pastors’ needs
By Nathan Peck
Walker residents Jim and Karen Michael admit their calling happened somewhat accidentally. Four years ago, while on vacation in Tennessee, they happened upon a group of pastors on retreat. Realizing that no organization existed in West Michigan to cater to the needs of area ministers, they sought out to investigate what pastors need to ensure that they, and their congregations, thrive.The Michaels say pastors are torn between the needs of their congregations and their own personal needs. As they researched the problem, they were startled to find many pastors leaving ministry."There are very few places they can go they think they have to personify perfection from the pulpit," Karen said. Stonegate Ministries, the organization the couple founded, seeks to bring renewal to area ministers through sabbatical retreats and a refocus on prayer. Karen likens the effect of the ministry to tossing a pebble into a still pond. "It's the ripple effect," she said. "When the minister is replenished, so too is the congregation, and the greater community."Ministry is a demanding calling, the Michaels say, and pastors frequently neglect their own needs as they care for their flocks."They minister to everyone," Karen said. "But you never think of asking the pastor, Are you OK?'"Rev. Joe Knight, pastor of the Grand Rapids International Fellowship, A Church of the Nazarene, said the Michaels' focus on prayer renewal "replenishes the well." "Without prayer, the well runs dry, even ministers experience it," Knight said. "Prayer takes us back to the welland reminds us of the power we have in God. It replenishes our souls."A recent "prayer summit" coordinated by Stonegate brought pastors of five Grand Rapids churches together to discuss the role of prayer in their congregations. Far from wrangling over differences between denomination, Knight said it was a united, "very humble appeal to God," to improve the lives of all those living in the area."We find that we have a lot more in common than we disagree on," Knight said. "We have very much benefited from ministry of Jim and Karen."The Michaels also hope to expand their sabbatical retreats. They envision programs in which Stonegate can provide an escape for pastors to avoid the burnout, which can force them from ministry. "We want to get to them before they reach critical mass," Jim said. "We'd rather be proactive than reactive."For five days, the pastor and his spouse can get away, devote to focus on prayer, their marriage, or personal needs. Ultimately, the Michaels hope they can be a refuge for clergy who have no where to turn. If at the end of the retreat, they find underlying problems requiring more attention, Stonegate partners with other resources for counseling.The results of these retreats, Jim said, are "explosive.""We really are in the ministry of transformation. The results are a stronger pastor, a stronger family, and a stronger church."