Formerly Career And Personal Counseling Service

Guiding and nurturing ministerial candidates, church professionals, and individuals from a number of denominations through the process of career and life planning. 

Ongoing Workshops


Workshops listed below may be scheduled by contacting Ministry Development Services. Other workshops can be designed to meet the needs of your judicatory,
​church or staff. 


Pastoral Family Finances Taking You From Conflict to Peace

If you have ever said to yourself; I know what I should do with money but I still don’t do it, then this presentation is for you. During this presentation you will have the chance to look at your relationship with money and your spouse through a new lens. I know what you are thinking, here comes another presentation on budgeting, saving and avoiding debt. There will be none of that. This presentation will help you understand the underlying reasons why you remain in conflict over money and then start to free you to respond in new ways.

Five Core Areas:

  1. Exploring Spirituality and Money
  2. Debunking Money Myths
  3. Your Family History and Money Messages
  4. Seeing Your Financial Self More Clearly
  5. Finding Common Financial Ground With Your Family


Date:      This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours. 

               Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.
Cost:       $35
Facilitator: Ed Coambs, Counselor with Ministry Development Services

Addressing Stressors Related to Bi-Vocational Ministry
How to manage being torn between two worlds. We'll investigate the stressors for bi-vocational pastors, address time-management challenges and talk about self and family care.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.

Cost is $50.


​Uncovering Mental Health Myths In Ministry
How Can I Honor My Call? We'll address depression, attention Issues, trauma recovery and addiction issues in ministry. 


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.

Cost is $50. 

Called Still?  Still Called: Mid-Career Discernment
There will come a time during ministry that clergy members will find themselves at a crossroads and point of transition. At this time they will need to devote their time and energy in developing their own personal growth and enrichment of their calling.  It is a time for discernment and reflection as they consider the changes in their life.

A number of denominations provide first call companion support and training for ministers in their first five years of ministry.  This first call support allows ministers to review their experiences so that they can be intentional about their own continued spiritual development and continuing education. However, continued education, support and training are hard to find.  Ministry Development Services and their tenured team want to help you through this process.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.


DREAMS: God's Forgotten Language (Dream Interpretation)
Recovering the church's ancient tradition of looking at God's messages to us through the symbols and images encountered in our dreams. Using Carl Jung's approach to the psyche's natural inclination towards health and wholeness, we will look at ways that our dreams show us just where God is tugging on us to continue our growth; how nightmares are important in our healing; and how the "shadow" aspects of ourselves can be rich reservoirs for deepening our relationships with self and others.  A combination of lecture and experiential learning will equip participants with the basic tools to do dream work, both individually and in small groups.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.

Surviving The First Seven Years: Avoiding Burnout In The Parish

Burnout in the ministry typically occurs within the first five to seven years of parish life.  In this workshop, we will look at some of the dynamics of pastoral ministry and the pastoral persona and how those dynamics impact one’s life, family, and well-being.  We will explore expectations versus reality, and will examine the process of job burnout – emotional exhaustion, growing cynicism, and a reduced sense of effectiveness on the job.  We will also explore self-care practices that can ameliorate the stressors that contribute to ministry burnout, including time apart and personal Sabbath time, building a social support network, learning assertiveness, and setting healthy boundaries around one’s time and availability. The format for this 3-hour workshop will be a combination of lecture and group discussion, sharing our experience in the ministry and learning from one another.  


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.


Boundary / Clergy Ethic Training: 

This curriculum is intended as the framework to raise consciousness and to provide an atmosphere of support to clergy.  Clergy are bound by their vows to respect the dignity of every human being and through their ordination vows, are expected to be faithful and accountable. Abuse of power occurs when accountability is absent, or the appropriate support system and personal care are not in place, and/or relationship boundaries are violated.  This training will provide the guidelines, foundation, and normative expectations needed to support the principles and practice of ordained ministry.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.


Health & Self-Care For Pastors:

A. This curriculum is designed to encourage and inspire clergy in their journey to wellness and help them maintain a balance between life and work. If resiliency is maintained, they will be more effective in their role as spiritual leader. Because clergy are so busy fulfilling their vocational responsibilities and demands, and do not attend to themselves, they often succumb to health issues. Health problems identified, but are not limited to, are burnout, depression, poor eating habits, and stress.  This training will aid in stress management, coaching and support and spiritual renewal.


B. Time Management contributes to health and self-care issues for clergy.   Time management takes mindful focus and organization.  But, it is a vicious circle, because self-care is where attentive focus and organization originates.  We will address time-management strategies that you can implement into your daily life, which will help maintain your overall health and well-being.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.


Managing Conflict:

Different Gospel messages reference forgiveness, unity and reconciliation.  However, conflict has become synonymous with churches. Churches are experiencing reduced ministries because of unproductive progressions of conflict and it is becoming a very prevalent problem in today’s world. Clergy attempt to manage conflict appropriately, but unfortunately the attempt is often met with the inability, and the consequence of hurt and discouragement. The health of the ministry is essential to the health of a congregation. This curriculum will address each individual’s conflict management style and how they can manage conflict more effectively.  This will lead to a healthier church.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222. 


Mid-Career and Retirement:
A. There will come a time during ministry that clergy members will find themselves at a crossroads and point of transition.  At this time they will need to devote their time and energy in developing their own personal growth and enrichment of their calling.  It is a time for discernment and reflection as they consider the changes in their life.

A number of denominations provide first call companion support and training for ministers in their first five years of ministry.  This first call support allows ministers to review their experiences so that they can be intentional about their own continued spiritual development and continuing education. However, continued education, support and training are hard to find.

B. Retirement: 
In the next ten years, it is expected that there will be a large number of clergy in the “baby-boom” age range who will retire.  This transition can be traumatic, as many will lose their connections to the very spiritual communities that have defined their professional lives.  Research has shown that if a person has not prepared for retirement, a sense of identity is lost. This can lead to health and relationship problems, which can shorten life and reduce enjoyment of the blessing of the later years of life.  This curriculum will address preparation for this next phase of life through a health evaluation and use of tools to plan for this transition.


This workshop can be scheduled at your place or ours.  Please call MDS to make reservations for your group at (704) 554-9222.