Spiritual Renewal Groups
Spiritual Renewal Groups are an opportunity available currently for Ministers within PCQ and their wives, as well as other ministry workers. They were formed as a strategy to enable ministers and their wives to commit focused time to growing their relationship with God and from that, develop sustainable ministries and encourage healthy relationships across the denomination. Each group has 6-8 men or women who agree to meet together for a 4-5 day retreat each year for 3 years, plus a one day catch-up between each retreat. In the context of the group, each member explores what God is doing in their own lives through time alone with God, listening to and telling life stories, ministry workshops, formal affirmations, sharing Lord’s supper and having fun together. Enjoying separation from routine and home in a peaceful, beautiful setting adds to the refreshment of this time together.
The goal of the group process is to multiply the groups every 3 years. It is anticipated that a new men’s group and women’s group will commence each year so those interested in joining a group should not have too long to wait. We are also interested in hearing from any women employed by PCQ who would be interested in being part of a new SRG specifically for female workers.
The cost of SRGs is shared by the participants.
Below a participant shares their reflections on being part of a Spiritual Renewal Group:
"Being part of a Spiritual Renewal Group (SRG) has been an essential part of me keeping healthy in pastoral ministry. The statistics on pastors and other religious workers dropping out of ministry due to burnout or moral failure is quite staggering. The feelings of isolation and inadequacy pastoring in a church can be overwhelming. Many pastors, myself included, are rediscovering what are actually ancient Christian practices of pursuing spiritual renewal through retreat, silence and sharing our inner stories. It feels like many Christians, pastoral leaders particularly, are refocussing on the need to feed our souls in a world that is increasingly hostile to what we do.
I’ve found SRGs give me the ‘sacred space’ to do this sort of spiritual reflection and heart work. It’s a great encouragement to do this with a small group of like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. While time away on SRGs can be tiring, it’s also renewing and I’ve found it a pressure release valve in my year.
I’ve heard pastors regularly feedback that if it wasn’t for their Renewal Group, they probably wouldn’t be in ministry. The opportunity to get away, spend time with God and share our stories in a place that’s safe and beautiful has contributed to spiritual and emotional health of many pastors and their wives. The flow on effect to the Christian communities in which they do ministry is huge."
