Jun 23, 2020
By John J. Pethtel, Director
The Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund
Stephanie Sholtz was a friend to many SDB pastors and their families. Her heart and career choices led her into the counseling profession where she used her training to assist in helping others cope with the stresses of life and ministry.
Her tragic death in 2017 was heart-wrenching for those who knew and loved her but her legacy of promoting wellness for ministry leaders lives on.
The Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund is designated to assist pastoral leaders and their families who desire to seek greater wellness (emotional, spiritual, physical, financial, etc.). This is NOT a fund to help pay off medical debt. Some suggested uses for this fund include (but are not limited to) pastoral counseling, professional counseling, life coaching, dietician consult, personal trainer consult, a credit counselor, or a course leading toward wellness. Funds will be paid directly to a wellness provider or in reimbursement of expenses towards a wellness provider (receipts required).
Applicants will only be considered at most once a year. All applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Ownership for this fund rests with the SDB Women’s Society but it is administered by the Director of Pastoral Services. Any application will be maintained with the strictest of confidence and discretion. For an application or more information, please contact the Director of Pastoral Services.
MULTIPLY Preview 2020
The 6th annual MULTIPLY Church Development Conference (November 12-14, 2020) is open to anyone who desires to see renewal and revitalization in their church or desires to see new SDB expressions of faith in North America.
This conference will be combining our own SDB learning cohort with the MULTIPLY Conference, put on by Frontline Church Planting in Colorado Springs, to learn from missional church leaders and each other during this extended weekend.
The registration deadline is October 31, 2020, and the conference fee is $120. This fee includes registration, meals for Thursday–Saturday, and lodging for Wednesday–Saturday nights. Transportation will be provided from/to the Colorado Springs airport (COS). You should plan to arrive on Wednesday evening and leave on Sunday morning.
Our theme for this year will be “Prayer: The Foundation of Development.” One of the keynote speakers for the weekend will be Chrissy Cymbala, daughter of Jim Cymbala and author of Girl in the Song.
For more and up-to-date information and to register, visit seventhdaybaptist.org/MULTIPLY.
For any questions, please contact the Director of Church Development.
Check Your Pulse
One of the things that happens when we go to the doctor’s office for a checkup is that we get our pulse taken. They like to know that our heart is still beating but also they want to know how fast or how slowly it is beating. They want to know the factors that might lead to our heart beating abnormally (illness, anxiety, stress, etc.).
One of the things that needs to happen in your church is for you to be able to check your church’s PULSE. The SDB General Conference desires for all of our member churches to be pursuing the best health for their church. To aid this pursuit, the Church Revitalization Task Force has created the PULSE process to help guide churches in a continuing examination of their health.
PULSE is a process (not a program) that will help guide your church to examine four major areas of health in your local church: Expectations, Discipleship, Outward Focus, and Leadership/Relationships. This process can be used continually to help you discover and live out the mission that God has for your local church as well as continue to gain greater clarity surrounding this process.
If you are interested in checking the PULSE of your church or finding out ways to pursue better church health, please contact the Director of Church Development.
Pastor Search
The following SDB churches or groups have called new pastoral leadership:
Pataskala SDB Church (Pataskala, OH) – Charles Meathrell, Pastor
The following SDB churches or groups are actively looking for pastoral leadership.
Please keep them in prayer as they search for their church’s next leader:
Shepherd’s Fold SDB Church (Johnson City, TN) — Assistant
Bay Area SDB Church (Pinole, CA)
Covenant SDB Fellowship (Hungry Horse, MT)
Central SDB Church (Mitchellville, MD)
There are other potential vacancies in the near future. If you are interested in one of these vacancies, if you are called to pastoral ministry, or if you know someone who might be interested in pastoral ministry, please contact the Director of Pastoral Services by email at jpethtel@seventhdaybaptist.org or call 608-752-5055 ext. 702.