I once thought of self-care as selfish. But instead of “me first” or “me not at all” where you always come last, I’ve come to realize that we can take care of ourselves while we take care of others. In fact caring for ourselves plays an essential part of vital, ongoing ministry.

That was the focus of my seminar for this year’s Simpson Lectures at Acadia Divinity College. It was an honour to be part of this annual series on the practice of ministry intended primarily for students, pastors, and spouses.

The livestream video of the seminar is available for viewing, and please note the following time signatures:

5:54 Welcome and Introduction to the Simpson Lectures by Stuart Blythe, Director of the Simpson Lectures and John Gladstone Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship, Acadia Divinity College

8:25 Introduction to the Seminar on Self-Care While Caring for Others led by Rev. April Yamasaki

10:30 Seminar begins

Watch Self-Care While Caring for Others on Vimeo

 


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I’m April Yamasaki

Welcome to When You Work for the Church. I’ve been a church volunteer and a full-time pastor. I’ve led small groups and served on denominational committees. When I resigned from pastoral ministry to focus on my writing, I knew that I wanted to be—needed to be—grounded in a local congregation. I love the church!

But I also know that churches and church organizations have not always lived up to their calling, have brought harm instead of healing. So I started this website to share resources for doing ministry better, and pray that together we might serve more faithfully and effectively.

For a healthy rhythm of work and rest, I’d love to send you my ebook.

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