‘The main lesson I learned is that rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity.’
A crochet class, walking shoes, a road bike, and pickleball paddles. Mental health therapy, a silent retreat, biking gear, and a father-son fishing trip.
These are just some of the life-enhancing tools, resources, and experiences provided to 213 clergy and ministry leaders across the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference through its first-ever well-being grant initiative.
Since April of 2025, grants totaling nearly $100,000 have been funded by the conference and distributed to approved applicants through its inaugural Well-Being Mini and Clergy Renewal Grant Program.
The program is a key action step to support comprehensive strategies unveiled by the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference in 2025 to help care for the mental health and well-being of its clergy, laity, and congregations at a time when stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression are on the rise, according to national and conference health data.
“Most of the grants were modest in size — up to $400 per applicant — but the intent was significant, and the impacts have been meaningful for many recipients and their congregations,” said Courtney Lawson, Chair of the Mental Health and Well-Being Guide Team.
In addition, eight grants were distributed to local churches to support their clergy’s planned renewal leave.
“This is a concrete offering by the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference to encourage clergy who want to take the next small step to care for their health,” said Lawson. “It’s also a way for United Methodists across our area to invest in and partner with clergy to prioritize their well-being, all while building a healthier culture of connection across our conference.”
Grants Personalize Multi-Faceted Well-Being Needs
Because well-being is interconnected, mini-grant applicants were encouraged to consider how their requested funds could nurture their ongoing well-being practice in one of five dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, or financial.
Early feedback — about whether and how the grant money led to healthier ongoing lifestyle practices — has been positive.
Melisa Derseweh used her grant to help pay for high-intensity workouts with a personal trainer.
“Taking this intentional time for myself allows me to be physically healthier, more mentally alert and more able to move through my day with confidence,” said Derseweh, an elder at Morton Memorial UMC in Monteagle, Tennessee. “Having such focused activity allows me to be completely present in the moment, which feels much like meditation or spiritual reflection.”
Shelby Slowey, an elder serving at South End UMC in Nashville, purchased a bike trailer to facilitate family bike rides with her daughters. “It has been absolutely delightful to bike around our new neighborhood together as a family of six, exploring the bike trails, the creek and the two easily accessible playgrounds from our house,” she says. “We have grown closer as a family, and we are getting out of the house so much more.”
Jeff Rudy was able to go on a personal retreat to engage in intentional reflection and planning.
“I am reminded of the wisdom of a mentor who has said, ‘You don’t learn from experience. You learn from reflecting on experience.’ This was the case in this retreat,” said Rudy, an elder serving at Murray First United Methodist Church in Murray, Kentucky. “This gave me the opportunity to reflect and celebrate my own gifts and passions, to look at the big-picture view of my current appointment, and to align and prioritize my goals and schedule to minister accordingly.”
Linda Furtado, a deacon serving in extension ministry at the Scarritt Bennett Center, used her grant to purchase supplies “to support intentional solo crafting and creative exploration as a form of renewal and self-care.”
“The supplies have had a meaningful impact on my emotional and spiritual well-being by enabling small but consistent moments of self-care in everyday life,” she said. “I have found comfort and grounding through creative practices during brief intervals when I might otherwise have experienced heightened stress.”
Of the 2025 grants, 40 percent of recipients sought to fund a well-being practice rooted in physical health and movement. About 20 percent wanted financial assistance to support their emotional and mental health, and 18 percent sought a spiritual renewal or retreat experience. Other applicants sought to fund well-being practices that promoted financial or relational health.
“One of the biggest challenges was giving myself permission to slow down,” says Quentin Dickerson, who used his grant funds toward a short sabbatical from his appointment as a local pastor at Hamilton UMC in Nashville. “I am used to constantly serving, leading, and moving, so stepping back required intentional discipline.”
Other Offerings
The well-being grant program is the cornerstone of a larger connection-wide movement to prioritize ways to help clergy, churches, and staff remain healthy. To bolster support for clergy families, the conference has partnered with Cedar Crest Camp to host an annual Clergy Family Sabbath Retreat; called on ministry teams to incorporate wellness practices into their gatherings and work; and conducted a clergy wellness survey. Survey results will be released soon, said Lawson.
This work is guided by the TWK Mental Health and Well-Being Guide Team, which consists of representatives from the Board of Ministry, Cabinet, Camping and Retreat Ministries, Connectional Ministries, Human Resources Team, Office of Admin Services, and the Mental Health Cohort.
2026 Grants Are Now Available
En 2026 Well-Being Mini-Grant application cycle is now open.
Mini-grants will be increased to up to $500 to fund well-being practices. They are available to active commissioned, full, or associate clergy; local pastors; certified lay ministers; supply pastors in active appointment; campus ministers; deaconesses and home missioners; and conference staff. Clergy serving a Tennessee-Western Kentucky appointment while on loan from another annual conference also are encouraged to apply.
Lawson emphasized that the mini-grants are designed to support ministry leaders with their ongoing health and well-being, not just when they experience a crisis.
In addition, applications are available for the 2026 Clergy Renewal Grants. These funds of up to $3,000 are available to clergy and congregations to support clergy renewal leaves, an important practice for clergy, as outlined in the Book of Discipline.
Retired clergy seeking resources and support are invited to visit The Shepherd’s Fund, a ministry operated through the Southeastern Jurisdiction, to serve retired clergy, their spouses, and widows.
All of these investments align with our Wesleyan heritage.
Al impulsar el movimiento metodista, Juan Wesley hizo hincapié en la salud holística y la salvación basada en la interconexión del bienestar físico y espiritual. Por ejemplo, alentó prácticas como la oración, el ejercicio y la vida sana para fomentar una vida floreciente.
While much in the church has changed since those days, the need for practices identified by Wesley remains.
Jim Melrose, who used his grant to fund a 4-day retreat in North Carolina, said the conference’s investment helped him find quiet space away from the demands he was feeling as a local pastor serving the Duck River Charge in Hickman County, Tennessee.
“My biggest challenge was initially not having any communication to connect with the churches I serve,” Melrose said. “This was quickly replaced by a sense of peace and calm and an understanding that I am not responsible for trying to take care of everyone. It also allowed me to delegate to members of my congregations and allow them to explore their own gifts of leadership and care-giving.”
Dickerson, who was able to take a brief sabbatical through the new program, echoed that sentiment.
“The main lesson I learned is that rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” he said. “Taking time to recharge makes me more effective, more present, and more balanced. It reminded me that I cannot pour into others if I do not take time to refill myself.”
