Both raised in pastors’ homes, predominantly in the midwestern states, our family and church backgrounds include a mix of joys and sorrows. We both came to believe in Jesus at an early age and, while we each made our fair share of ridiculous youthful choices that might be best left unspoken, we’ve each been actively following God for the bulk of our lives.
But no matter how much our hearts longed to do well for the Kingdom, looking back we realize that we were gravely ill-equipped and under-supported (especially emotionally) for the journey of ministry we embarked on.
Having never healed from our own childhood wounds, we found ourselves raising a passel of pastor’s kids of our own – in the chaotic and beautiful mess that comes from having four kids in five years – and we functioned in survival mode for the larger part of two decades.
In deep need of healing, but also fearful and severely underresourced, we fumbled our way through the early years of marriage and ministry with gritted teeth and even grittier hope. Through years of grief, denial, breakthroughs and breakdowns, God invited us into the slow and painful process of healing and restoration – each in our own way.
Two international moves, a global pandemic, a teenage daughter’s cancer journey (she’s doing pretty well at the moment), and the deep loss of several broken family relationships later, we now find ourselves experiencing an empty nest for the first time.
And while these painful experiences have certainly not been easy, in recent years we have discovered ourselves to be more equipped and empowered to withstand the storms.
Certainly, we can attribute our healing journey to God’s grace and mercy. But the vehicles God has used have included life-giving spiritual practices, hope-filled personal work, trauma-informed emotional care, and the oh-so-strong-but-gentle commitment of a handful of other kind humans along the way.
It is only through our own brokenness and healing that we dare to embody the role of facilitating Spirit-led healing in the lives of others.
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We aren’t big into making lists of our qualifications and experiences, as we believe stories and conversations do a better job at saying who we are. But here’s a quick summary for curious eyes.
Julie:
- 31 years ministry/pastoral care experience (Russia, US, UK, and Czech Republic)
- Spiritual Direction and Formation training through Deepen/Sent Well
- Coaching training (The COACH Model)
- Redemption Groups training
- Leader Development training
- Grief Work leader (seminars and through GriefShare)
- Story Work leader
- Church planter
Joel:
- 30 years pastoral ministry experience (Ukraine, Russia, US, UK, and Czech Republic)
- Ordained through the Church of God, Anderson
- Certified Biblical Counselor through CCEF and Westminster Seminary program
- Confessional Communities training through The Center for Being Known
- Certified Christian Trauma Care Provider
- Redemption Groups training
- Leader Development training
- Church planter, teaching pastor, member care pastor, lead pastor
Joel and Julie Workman 