3 February 2016 | Scandinavia [Victor Hulbert] January might be the coldest time of year to visit Scandinavia, but for Pastor Patrick Johnson, Ministerial Association secretary for the Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the snow outside was balanced by the warmth of the ministerial welcome he received at venues in Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Talking frankly about his Scandinavian experience Patrick shared how he is working with TED Health Ministries director, Torben Bergland, to develop tools that will help ministers with their physical and emotional wellbeing. This is something he sees as important not just for the pastor, but also for their spouse, their children, and for the wellbeing of the whole church and the community where the pastoral family is based.
Patrick speaks from experience having served as a minister both in Norway, and more recently as senior pastor within the international environment of Newbold church, England. His background, having first trained as a nurse, also gives him insight into the needs for physical and emotional wellbeing and if he strays far from the mark, his wife Kari, also a nurse, along with his three children, do their best to keep him on the straight and narrow – even on his ability to take a ‘selfie’ during his travels.
That togetherness is as important for ministerial teams as it is for ministerial families. “Teamwork is the best way forward”, he says. “We get more synergy working together.” He also sees the significant benefits of professional development and is currently in the process of developing a curriculum that will significantly benefit the more than 700 ministers who serve with the Trans-European Division.
To see Patrick’s ‘selfie’ abilities and gain an insight into how he is working with ministers across the TED watch a five minute video recorded following his Scandinavian visit at the end of January. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor
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