Mill Pond Porch – reflections on culture and mission from down in the holler
Description: Promoting meaningful connection between churches and families of kids with disabilities for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
In this talk from Disability and the Church 2023, Dr. Steve Grcevich discussed topics and trends he observes in the medical and mental health professions likely to impact the disability ministry community and shared ideas for how the individual Christians and the Church as a whole might prepare to serve the vulnerable in the months and years to come. He urges followers of our ministry to share with anyone who might be encouraged or inspired by his message.
For those of you who follow our ministry, you know that I haven’t been nearly as visible as a few years ago. My work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist has left me very tired, very burned out, and very angry. The mental fatigue from all the clerical and administrative tasks involved with helping families access the support services and medication they need has made it more difficult for me to exercise the emotional self-regulation expected of a ministry leader and elder in the church.
One conclusion I’ve come to with the help of a trusted friend and ministry coach is that I need to accelerate the process of “retiring” from medicine to ministry for my own spiritual well-being and the sake of my witness to others. With that said, I’ve come to recognize much of my anger may represent a sort of “holy discontent.” My ministry coach suggested I consider how the trends I’m observing in medicine and the struggles I see in kids and families served by my practice might inform and impact the minist
Mill Pond Porch – reflections on culture and mission from down in the holler