How are you feeling, church worker?

The Lutheran Wellness Wheel

You might be amazed to discover that church workers, who are so skilled at caring for everyone else, often have a difficult time answering how they themselves are doing. They want to help others, but often neglect their own needs.

To help ensure that our churches have healthy workers, Grace Place Wellness teaches the Lutheran Wellness Wheel as a simple tool for asking “How am I doing?” Developed with Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod partners like Concordia Plans, The Wellness Wheel is a guide for discerning health and vitality in eight categories: baptismal, spiritual, relational, intellectual, emotional, vocational, physical, and financial.

So how might a church worker (or a church member) use The Wheel to answer the question, “How am I doing?” spiritually, relationally, physically, or vocationally?

Grace Place Wellness has developed some one-word definitions of wellness, assembled some simple guiding questions for reflection and linked the different parts of The Wheel to scripture passages from the 4^th chapter of Ephesians to help individuals, couples, families or churches assess their measure of wellbeing.

Here’s a brief sample of what a simple wellness assessment using the Lutheran Wellness Wheel might be like.

BAPTISMAL

Baptismal Wellness in One Word: IDENTITY

Do I find confidence, comfort and security each day in my identity as God’s child no matter what trials and challenges I may face?

“…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness
of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:21-24

SPIRITUAL

Spiritual Wellness in One Word: RECEPTIVITY

Do I, by my daily and weekly disciplines of scripture reading, prayer, and worship exhibit my receptivity to God’s gifts of grace?

“…until we all attain to the unity in the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
Ephesians 4:13-16

RELATIONAL

Relational Wellness in One Word: UNITY

Do relationships in my family, my church and my community reflect the Holy Spirit’s gift of unity that is intrinsic to the Body of Christ?

“…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing
with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:2-6

INTELLECTUAL

Intellectual Wellness in One Word: CURIOSITY

Do I display a healthy curiosity about what I might learn from the wisdom of those whom God has brought into my life?

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits
the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29

EMOTIONAL

Emotional Wellness in One Word: HARMONY

Are my relationships in family, church, and community characterized by the harmony that comes through mutual confession and forgiveness?

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:26-32

VOCATIONAL

Vocational Wellness in One Word: HUMILITY

Am I growing in my sense of humility over God’s call for me to serve Him by serving others in my various vocations in life?

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work
of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”
Ephesians 4:11-12

PHYSICAL

Physical Wellness in One Word: VITALITY

Do my physical health choices regarding nutrition, exercise and rest result in vitality for service to God, family, church and community?

“You must no longer live as the Gentiles do…
They have become callous and have given
themselves up to sensuality, greedy
to practice every kind of impurity.”
Ephesians 4:17-20

FINANCIAL

Financial Wellness in One Word: GENEROSITY

Am I responding appropriately to opportunities that God gives me to show generosity, just as He has been generous to me?

“… But rather let him labor, doing honest work with
his own hands, so that he might have something
to share with anyone in need.”
Ephesians 4:28