Helping Our Leaders Reduce Stress

In 2014, the sponsoring employers within the New England Synod earned a 2% discount on their health contributions. This helped the synod office earn a 1% wellness reward, which it’s using to help its rostered leaders deal with conflict and stress.

Bishop James Hazelwood
New England Synod
Worcester, Massachusetts
October 2014

One of the factors that impact our health and well-being is stress. In times of great change, conflict emerges, which can lead to excessive stress.

Rostered leaders deal with various forms of conflict throughout the year. In New England, we decided that one of the best ways to help our leaders maintain their well-being was to provide tools to deal with conflict and stress.

We recently contracted with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center to conduct a week-long training session in conflict and mediation to be held in March 2015. We’re using our synod office’s 1% wellness reward to provide discounts to the New England Synod’s rostered leaders who register for the event.

The training session is one way to help our leaders be healthy, but it can also help them see conflict as an opportunity for moving the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the world, for effective outreach and evangelism. What a positive statement it would be in the public square to have Lutherans viewed as people who can help with conflict in their communities.