A conversation about Grace Place Wellness with Rev. Dr. Greg Walton

Earlier this year I visited with a long-time donor to Grace Place Wellness. After spending a little time getting to know each other, we reviewed some of the past history of Grace Place Wellness. We reflected on the hundreds of church workers served over the years and our mutual affection for the founder, Dr. John Eckrich, who established the ministry to provide intentional care for stressed-out church workers. He had heard many stories over the years of ministry careers prolonged because of the impact of Grace Place Wellness. He was passionate about the value of Grace Place Wellness retreats. 

The conversation slowly turned from the past to what has become of Grace Place Wellness since being acquired by Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) in 2022. During the pandemic, it was impossible to gather for retreats. Just finding a facility to accommodate a retreat became a daunting task. More than that, many church workers found it risky to consider going on a retreat as the threat of disease loomed. I shared with him, coming out of the pandemic, that fewer workers seemed inclined to commit to a 5-day retreat. So, we began exploring new opportunities to provide care for church workers.  

Grace Place Wellness is all about helping church workers reclaim the joy of ministry, whether as a pastor, a teacher or an administrator, a DCE or a deaconess, or whatever ministry role they find themselves in. I shared with my friend how ministry has dynamically changed over the past few years. The message remains the same, but many ministries noticed diminishing worship attendance and increasing difficulty in securing volunteers. While many ministries provided online resources during the peak of COVID as a way to minister to God’s people, some became so comfortable they decided to stay away. Of course, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is not alone; this is true in many denominations. 

The future of Grace Place Wellness
We talked about the future of Grace Place Wellness, and I shared a renewed focus in two particular areas. We certainly aren’t walking away from retreats, but we are adding a few new ways to support and encourage church workers.  

I shared with this donor how we are developing and encouraging church worker support teams. These teams are groups of people selected and assigned with the specific responsibility to care for the church worker or workers. Whereas in many ministries a board of elders has a similar responsibility, the major difference is that elders are an official group of advisors; church worker support team members are advocates and not advisors. I shared with him how these teams are structured and that I have been sharing this information with circuit visitors around the Synod.   

Then I shared a second area of effort: ministry sabbaticals. Unlike academic sabbaticals, ministry sabbaticals focus on rest and renewal for a worker. There is much research that a ministry sabbatical not only serves the worker taking a sabbatical, but at the same time, it also serves the whole ministry. At the mention of sabbaticals, the donor perked up. He not only knew about sabbaticals but saw the value of church workers getting a much-needed break for renewal. 

Workers return refreshed and more productive in ministry, and members of the ministry can also gain a new sense of excitement. There is also evidence of ministry sabbaticals increasing longevity among church workers, especially important in a day when there are fewer available to serve. 

The Grace Place Wellness Sabbatical Scholarship was established to provide LCMS church workers the opportunity to experience a ministry sabbatical and to create an awareness among our ministries to support and encourage our church workers. You can help a church worker experience a ministry sabbatical by donating to the Grace Place Sabbatical Scholarship. For more information on the sabbatical scholarship, or to apply, click here to download the application.  

All applications must be submitted by October 31, 2024.