The Shepherd's Refuge in Faith Today Magazine

"Eighty-five percent of people who train for ministry are out within five years, 40% that are in ministry have seriously considered quitting, and 25% are planning to retire. We're in a crisis."

Well, I didn’t make the cover of Faith Today but there was a nice little story inside that you can read below. :-)

Care, coaching and connection for pastors - Former pastor launches The Shepherd's Refuge

Michael Krahn, former pastor of a midsized evangelical church, resigned his position of 15 years to launch The Shepherd's Refuge - a nonprofit he describes as "dedicated to care, coaching, and connection for pastors and other ministry leaders."

Why? "My tenure as a pastor was extremely difficult," he says. He experienced everything from burnout to despair and depression throughout his years in full-time ministry.

Many clergy are not as transparent about their struggles, but Krahn knows he is not alone. Quick to cite statistics from a Duke University study, he says,"Eighty-five percent of people who train for ministry are out within five years, 40% that are in ministry have seriously considered quitting, and 25% are planning to retire. We're in a crisis and we haven't seen the worst of it yet."

At his lowest points Krahn remembers drawing on the support of counsellors, mentors and others, and in recent years has had the privilege of comforting other pastors both local to his southern Ontario setting and farther afield going through their own trials.

While the idea of formalizing ministry to pastors had been brewing for a few years, a little over a year ago Krahn felt God "commission" him to move ahead with setting up the nonprofit organization. The Shepherd's Refuge (TheShepherdsRefuge.com) was formally established in March 2024. He will receive certification from the Association of Biblical Counselors by the end of 2024.

"I don't want to supplant those who are already caring for pastors in their denominations," he says. "I'm happy to provide resources and support to supplement that. But there are a tremendous number of smaller denominations and independent churches that don't have access to pastoral care for their pastors. I can fill a gap in those cases." -PATRICIA PADDEY