We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website, FocusHelps.ca.

FocusHelps has been designed to provide counselling and hope for Canadian families who are struggling with some of life's toughest issues.

Pastors, when people in your church come to you with tough issues, where do you find helpful resources, informative articles or referral ideas? Please take some time to browse our FocusHelps website. We hope it is a place where you'll find some answers, as well as a place you can send people to search out their own answers. Maybe you, or someone you know, could benefit from a free counselling session with one of our professional counsellors.

To learn more, go to FocusHelps.ca.

We are so glad you found our website! If you are a pastor or a family member of a pastor or missionary family, you will find all kinds of practical information and encouragement here.

Ministry is a high calling, but it’s not for the faint of heart! Inherent in this line of work can be long hours, expectations of others, self-sacrifice and incredible times of joy. The Clergy Care Network and Focus on the Family Canada are here to help provide guidance when life is challenging – and to rejoice with you when things are going well.

Please call us toll-free at 1.888.5.CLERGY or email us at info@clergycare.ca. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. PST. Let us know if we can serve you through complimentary phone counselling, consultation, resource or retreat suggestions or counselling referrals. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter for pastors and check out our website for upcoming clergy events across Canada!

Blessings to you and your family
as you serve the Lord and His people!

Clergy Care Network

Healthy Homes, Healthy Church by Jim Toohey
How do you measure church health? There are many valid answers. One critical measure that is often overlooked and underestimated is the home. Your church is only as healthy as the homes (represented by families) that attend it. Healthy homes make for a healthy church.

So You're the New Pastor by Randy MacDonald

You’ve been waiting and waiting. Finally the phone rings and you’re offered the position you’ve been longing for. Here are some words of wisdom from a long-time pastor to help you and your congregation ease into the leadership transition.

Saying Goodbye With Grace by Laird Crump

When leaving a church as a pastor, it's very important to navigate departures well. A pastoral transition can put both a pastor and a congregation into a vulnerable position: The pastor could feel undervalued; the flock could feel insecure, and "wannabe" leaders can rush in with a harmful agenda.

Is Spiritual Direction for Me? by Graham Langmead
The challenges of life often draw us into deep waters. Left to ourselves, we may feel like we are drowning. What we need is someone who can provide a new perspective, and help us see how God is using circumstances for His purposes.

Addicted to Approval? by Jerry Ritskes
When we begin to look to people for affirmation as a sign of "God's blessing" or "God's calling," then we are on a slippery slope toward a direction which actually blunts our ministry and passion.

The Pastor’s Need to Rest and Retreat by Jerry Ritskes
When you get asked how you are, do you find yourself proudly (but with some frustration) answering that you are “busy”? There is a world to win, programs to organize, people to train and a church to maintain.

The Really Ugly Truth by Wendy Kittlitz
By shining a light on pornography addiction, you will remind those in bondage that there is hope and that they're not alone. God's power is stronger than this addiction!

Skimming by Pete Scazzero*
Pete Scazzero, author of The Emotionally Healthy Church, talks about the perils of avoiding aspects of ministry. If you're "skimming," it may be time to stop trying to look good and do the dirty work beneath the surface.

*Note: Links to external sites or articles do not constitute endorsement or complete agreement by Focus on the Family Canada with information or resources offered at or through those sites.

The Importance of Spiritual Direction

by Michele Langmead

This is not the first time we've addressed the issue of spiritual directon, but we think it's such an important issue that it's worth talking about again.

Being a pastor is demanding on many levels. Pastors are in the front line of the spiritual battle and are assailed from many angles - some expected, some not. Pastors contend with the spiritual complacency of some followers, betrayal by others, and the high expectations and demands - both realistic and unrealistic - from within and without.

The pastor's walk with Jesus is a prime target for the enemy. Although this is true for every Christian, a pastor must walk his or her journey in full view of his or her congregation in a way that many of us do not. This is not an easy thing to do, and certainly not something Jesus expects us to do alone. Without doubt, we all need Jesus, but sometimes we also need the valued perspective and insights of a mature spiritual director: someone who has been gifted by God and trained to recognize the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of faithful followers. And who needs that kind of support more than clergy?

Our monthly e-newsletter, Focus on Pastors, is filled with encouraging articles and resources that are practical and relevant to the needs and ministry of Canadian pastors. It is a collaboration between Focus on the Family Canada's Church Relations, Clergy Care Network and Kerith Creek (Kerithcreek.com).

If you are not a current subscriber and would like to receive this free resource, please sign up below.