BOLIVAR – A new initiative of Southwest Baptist University is being established to provide for training and encouraging pastors and their wives. Called the Blair Center for Training and Pastoral Health, it is intended to help pastors and their families grow in resilience and overcome challenges in ministry.
The director, Bill DuVall, said he hopes the ministries of the newly established center will help pastors avoid burnout and discouragement.
DuVall is an associate professor of psychology at the Bolivar university.
He said it is named after the family that provided the funding for the center from the Elsie and Glenn Blair estate. Their son-in-law helped set up the trust fund with the university, and it was their desire to help pastors and their families get through the difficult times that sometimes come with ministry.
DuVall said he anticipates several activities and resources to come out of the center:
• One is a plan for an area pastors and wives retreat in the Branson area in the coming year. The three-day outing will include time for recreation in the resort town but also include encouragement for the pastors and wives in a relaxed setting.
• A mini-conference for a group of pastors in the Bolivar area is also on the schedule in late January.
DuVall said the center will have a robust website with several digital resources, including helpful articles, blogposts, book reviews and videos. He said some of the topics will include conflict management training, how to work effectively with volunteers, avoiding burnout in ministry and how to develop self awareness and emotional maturity (sometimes called EQ or emotional intelligence).
He also offered to provide leadership and facilitators for local church staff retreats – especially for larger churches with multiple ministerial staff. DuVall said there are sometimes issues that come up with differing philosophies of ministry and a need to develop healthy staff relationships and unity on church staff teams.
He said, “Over the past 25+ years, I have served in various ministry roles in the local church. I have seen and experienced firsthand the challenges of working and volunteering in churches ranging from 50 to 1,000+ members.”
He added, “Having seen those struggles and blessings, I’m excited to now have the opportunity to serve pastors and ministerial staff, supporting and encouraging them to build resilience in their current roles, and where necessary, recover from the challenges that those roles present. My desire is to provide tools and opportunities to grow and flourish in ministry for years to come.”
DuVall teaches psychology and counseling courses at SBU. He holds the following degrees: M.A. in Christian Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Th.M. and a Ph.D. in Counseling from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
To connect with the Blair Center, there is a Facebook page which can be accessed at www.facebook.com/groups/blaircenter or a website: www.blaircenter.org.