April 14, 2025

It started with a question: How is the Holy Spirit inviting the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference to tend to our mental health and well-being within the church?

After two years of conversation, study, and discernment, we are answering this critical question by rolling out a major initiative for — and investment in —the people of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.

Today, we are pleased to unveil new mental health and well-being strategies and action steps designed to help care for laity, clergy, and congregations across the connection.

A key component is a $150,000 grant program to support clergy well-being and renewal. Read more about how the funding was secured here.

Mini-grants of up to $400 will be available to clergy to support their ongoing well-being practices. And grants of up to $3,000 will be available to clergy and congregations to support clergy renewal leaves, an important practice for clergy outlined in the Book of Discipline.

“We want to prioritize ways to help our clergy, churches, and staff remain healthy and flourishing as we navigate the challenging parts of ministry,” says Bishop David Graves. “These new strategies will help us do just that.”

The upcoming rollout is the conference’s response to concerning data and trends.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one in five adults ages 18 and older reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in the last two weeks. Within our United Methodist denomination, Wespath has reported a steady decline across almost all dimensions of well-being of United Methodist Clergy since 2012.

The well-being initiative also aligns with our Wesleyan heritage.

When nurturing the Methodist movement, John Wesley emphasized holistic health and salvation rooted in the interconnection of physical and spiritual well-being. For instance, he encouraged practices like prayer, exercise, and healthy living to foster a flourishing life.

Identifying strategies for healthy clergy, congregation, connection

The initiative names four strategies, along with concrete action steps, to move the needle on clergy and congregational well-being across the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference:

• Improve clergy well-being. This includes funding for ongoing clergy wellness practices and renewal leave; strategic communication to reduce stigma associated with mental health needs and encourage laity and clergy to seek help; and the creation of new spaces for clergy to connect in relationship with each other outside of Annual Conference gatherings.
• Equip those who care for, supervise, and support clergy wellness. This includes offering opportunities of connection for clergy partners and families; partnering with the Cabinet to clarify and grow their capacity to support clergy wellness; and engaging Staff Parish Relation leadership in ongoing connection and learning.
• Foster a culture of well-being across the conference to promote wellness and healthy connection. This includes calling on ministry teams to incorporate standard conference-wide wellness practices into their work; creating and implementing a trauma-informed appointment process; and conducting a clergy wellness survey every four years.
• Resource laity and local congregations to care for the mental health and well-being of each other and their neighbors. This includes mental health training for clergy and laity; creating conference-wide cohorts for churches meeting specific mental health needs; and adopting a conference-wide response plan to activate for congregations in crisis.

How We Got Here

Years in the making, the well-being initiative began to take shape in the wake of a global pandemic that created unprecedented challenges for clergy, laity, and congregations, as well as painful division within the denomination over theological disagreements.

“When I began my role in spring of 2023, I noticed everywhere I went that both laity and clergy were having conversations about mental health and trauma,” says Courtney Lawson, Connectional Ministries staff member.

To better understand the well-being landscape across the Conference, Lawson led a drive to review research, assess well-being resources within the conference and denomination, and identify systemic questions for consideration. She presented the findings to the Connectional Table, the Episcopal Cabinet and the Board of Ministry’s Executive Committee in fall of 2023. Each team affirmed the work, added to it, and asked a similar question: “What’s next?”

“At the time, we didn’t know,” says Lawson. “But we knew God had placed so many gifts in our basket in the way of clergy and laity who are mental health providers. They could help us determine next steps.”

A conversation group of clergy and lay mental health leaders was convened by the Connectional Table. Called the Mental Health Cohort, the group consisted of 28 people from various disciplines, including a school psychologist; chaplains in hospitals, military, and prison settings; social workers and licensed mental health counselors; and registered nurses, as well as representatives from the Connectional Table, the Cabinet, and the Board of Ministry Executive Committee. Each month, the Cohort met for one hour to explore a strategic question related to conference-wide well-being.

“By fall of 2024, we had shared 12+ hours of conversations together,” says Lawson. “We knew it was time to synthesize our reflections into key recommendations for consideration.”

The resulting four strategies — each with specific actions steps — were presented to the Cabinet and Connectional Table for feedback. Both bodies enthusiastically affirmed the recommendations. In January 2025, the Connectional Table requested funds from the Council on Finance and Administration to begin initiating the recommendations.

Read more about how the funding was secured here.

Fruits of Connectional Discernment, Expertise

Shepherding these strategies forward is a newly formed Mental Health and Well-being Guide Team consisting of laity and clergy leaders representing multiple existing teams in the connection.

Members include: Rev. Melinda Young Britt (Connectional Table, Cabinet), Rev. Roger Brown (Board of Ministry), Rev. Renee Dillard (Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare and the TWK Mental Health Cohort), Rev. Keller Hawkins (TWK Mental Health Cohort), Rev. Timothy Holton (Mental Health Cohort), Amy J. Hurd (Communications), Audrey Jordan (Camping and Retreat Ministries), Melinda Parker (Office of Administrative Services) and Rev. Nancy Johnston Varden (Cabinet). Leading the team are Rev. Marie C. King and Courtney Lawson.

The Mental Health and Well-Being Guide Team plans to launch the clergy well-being grant program on April 22. Details will be released on the conference website and social media channels.

“In order to care for our communities, we have to care for our clergy,” says Lawson. “It’s past time to make this investment, and it’s inspiring to watch so many people across our connection work together to make it possible.”