Faith
Former Pastor Creates Lifeline for Ministers Facing Hidden Crisis
Faith Facts
- Former minister Darrel Sears experienced severe burnout in 2019, initially mistaking it for depression or spiritual unfaithfulness
- Sears created the THRIVE Cohort in January 2026 to provide community and support for ministers at all stages of their calling
- The cohort emphasizes staying connected to Christ while serving, helping ministers ‘thrive through the Spirit, not just surviving’
YORK, NEB. — After nearly two decades of faithful ministry across the Midwest, Darrel Sears began experiencing troubling symptoms in 2019 that he couldn’t quite identify. As a youth minister and preaching minister who had served since 2001, Sears found himself struggling in ways he’d never anticipated.
“I didn’t even know what to call it at the time,” Sears explained. “I thought I might be depressed or just unfaithful.”
What Sears was experiencing turned out to be burnout — a crisis affecting ministers across America that often goes unrecognized and unsupported. His own struggle would eventually lead him to create a solution that’s now helping other ministers avoid the same painful path.
“Even though I had to write all those papers that stressed me out, I had a great network of minister friends in school,” Sears recalled of his time at York University and Oklahoma Christian University, both institutions associated with Churches of Christ. “I didn’t realize how much I missed that until I was out of it.”
That realization became the catalyst for change. After beginning doctoral studies at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, Sears focused his dissertation on minister burnout, completing it in 2023. He then made the difficult decision to leave full-time ministry to teach at York University.
“Part of the reason that I got out of full-time preaching was I wanted to be a person that got to help train students going into ministry,” Sears said. “But I also felt a calling in my heart from God to be some kind of lifeline for ministers that are in the field.”
That calling led Sears to approach York’s Kite Center for Ministry with an offer to serve as a resource, though he wasn’t sure exactly what form that would take. The answer came in January 2026 with the launch of the THRIVE Cohort — a support network bringing together Sears and seven ministers who meet online eight times throughout the year.
“It’s called THRIVE because we’re not supposed to just survive in ministry or in our Christian life, but God made us to flourish,” Sears explained. “I want ministers to really love what they’re doing and thrive in ministry.”
While Sears’ research focused on burnout, he emphasized that preventing exhaustion isn’t the cohort’s only purpose. The program offers community and support for ministers at every stage — from those just beginning their calling to veterans navigating decades of service.
Rion Curtis, preaching minister for the Clearwater Church of Christ in Kansas, is early in his ministry journey. But he said the THRIVE Cohort has already equipped him to recognize warning signs and prevent burnout before it takes root.
“We make sure we know we’re not alone as ministers because it’s not an easy job,” Curtis said.
Connor Lewis, preacher for Trinity Baptist Church in Douglas, Wyoming, joined the cohort just months into his ministry. At 26, he’s the youngest member and has found tremendous value in learning from more experienced ministers in the group.
“I look forward to learning more from their experience and their wisdom,” Lewis said. “And for this cohort to be a safe place to have other ministers to rely on.”
The cohort meetings provide more than just professional development — they offer a rare space where ministers can be authentic without the pressure of always being “on.” During gatherings, members check in with one another and share struggles that only fellow ministers truly understand.
“I have lots of good friends in the church, but there’s something that only ministers will understand,” Sears said. “They know what it’s like to always be ‘on.'”
Maintaining work-life balance proved especially challenging during Sears’ time in full-time ministry.
“I was always ‘Preacher Darrel’ or ‘Youth Minister Darrel,’ but I needed spaces for myself where I could just be ‘Darrel,'” he explained. “So I’m trying to create a space for these guys where they don’t have to be ‘preacher’ or ‘teacher,’ but they’re just ‘disciple of Jesus’ — and hopefully that’s what makes this cohort lifegiving for them.”
Through reading, learning, practicing spiritual disciplines together, and honest conversation, Sears works to ensure cohort members remain connected to their ultimate source of strength. His goal is straightforward: ministers cannot give life to their churches if they’re disconnected from the source of life themselves.
“I just feel like there’s far too many of us in ministry that are disconnected from the vine,” he said, referencing Jesus’ teaching in John 15.
Sears described a troubling pattern he recognized in his own ministry — one that many pastors will find uncomfortably familiar.
“We preach and we teach all the time, but I’ve realized I would go an entire day of doing ministry without thinking about Jesus,” Sears said. “How did that happen?”
“I want us to be connected to the vine and thinking about Jesus. I want us to be able to give life to our congregants, but we also have to have life within us. I’m just passionate about making sure we’re thriving through the Spirit, not just surviving.”
Sears plans to continue launching new cohorts annually, as long as the program continues serving ministers effectively. For those in ministry feeling isolated, exhausted, or disconnected, the THRIVE Cohort represents both a warning and a hope — that the crisis of minister burnout can be addressed before it destroys calling, and that thriving in ministry remains possible when rooted in Christ and supported by community.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith
Why the Restoration of Western Civilization Requires a Christian Foundation
Faith Facts
- A major global conference on Western civilization’s future emphasized Christianity’s essential role in cultural restoration
- Speakers at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference argued that rebuilding the West cannot happen without returning to Christian foundations
- Growing recognition among thought leaders that faith-based values are indispensable for renewing traditional Western society
The second day of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference shifted from diagnosing the problems plaguing Western civilization to exploring the path forward. After day one’s sobering assessment of cultural decline, attendees turned their attention to a question that matters deeply to millions of faithful Americans: what will it take to rebuild our civilization?
The answer, according to numerous speakers and participants, cannot be found without Christianity at its center. This recognition marks a significant shift in mainstream discourse about the future of Western nations.
For too long, secular voices have dominated conversations about culture, policy, and the common good. Yet increasingly, thinkers across disciplines are acknowledging what Christians have always known: a society built on anything less than biblical truth will crumble under its own weight.
The ARC conference represents a growing movement of leaders who understand that technical solutions, economic reforms, and political changes—while important—cannot restore what has been lost without spiritual renewal. The foundations of the West were laid by men and women who believed in absolute truth, human dignity rooted in being made in God’s image, and the moral framework provided by Scripture.
As families struggle with broken institutions, children face ideological confusion in schools, and communities fragment under the weight of relativism, the case for Christianity’s indispensable role becomes clearer. The conference’s focus on reconstruction rather than mere criticism signals a mature understanding that complaint without solutions leads nowhere.
This conversation matters because it speaks to the heart of what many Americans are experiencing: a longing for the restoration of a culture that honors God, strengthens families, and upholds the values that made Western civilization a beacon of freedom and human flourishing. The recognition that Christianity must be central to this restoration is not nostalgia—it’s wisdom born from observing what happens when societies abandon their spiritual moorings.
The road ahead requires more than policy wins or electoral victories. It demands a return to the faith that built hospitals, universities, and systems of justice rooted in the belief that every person bears the image of their Creator.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith
Why America’s Founding Promise Still Excludes the Most Vulnerable
Faith Facts
- The Declaration of Independence proclaimed ‘all men are created equal’ 250 years ago, yet unborn children remain excluded from this fundamental promise.
- Over 63 million abortions have been performed in America since Roe v. Wade, representing a moral crisis that demands Christian conviction.
- Compromise on life issues has failed to protect the unborn, making principled action more essential than ever.
As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the nation faces a sobering reality: the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal” has never fully extended to those waiting to be born.
The contradiction between our founding principles and the treatment of unborn life represents one of the most profound moral failures in American history. Since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 63 million lives have been ended through abortion—a staggering toll that dwarfs any other tragedy in our nation’s story.
For Christians and conservatives who believe life begins at conception, this anniversary serves as both a celebration of American ideals and a stark reminder of how far we’ve fallen short. The Declaration’s assertion that our Creator endows us with unalienable rights, including life itself, rings hollow when the most vulnerable among us receive no protection.
The path forward requires conviction, not compromise. Too often, political calculations and cultural pressures have led defenders of life to settle for incremental progress while millions continue to perish.
America’s children—born and unborn—deserve leaders willing to stand firmly on principle. They deserve a nation that extends the promise of equality to every human being from the moment of conception. They deserve better than a country that celebrates freedom while denying the most basic right to its smallest citizens.
As we reflect on 250 years of the American experiment, we must ask ourselves whether we will finally honor the Declaration’s promise in full. Will we be a nation that truly believes all are created equal? Or will we continue to exclude those who cannot yet speak for themselves?
The answer to that question will define not just our legal framework, but our character as a people. It will determine whether future generations look back at this moment as the turning point when America finally embraced all human life—or as another chapter in our ongoing failure to live up to our founding ideals.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith
Tucker Carlson Shares Unexpected View on Trump’s Spiritual Beliefs
Faith Facts
- Political commentator Tucker Carlson recently discussed President Donald Trump’s spiritual worldview in a new interview
- Carlson stated that Trump believes in supernatural forces while maintaining a complex relationship with traditional Christianity
- The discussion centered on Trump’s stance toward Christians who actively oppose abortion
Political commentator Tucker Carlson has shared an intriguing perspective on President Donald Trump’s spiritual beliefs, revealing insights that may surprise many Americans of faith. In a recent interview, Carlson offered his assessment of where the 45th president stands on matters of faith and the supernatural.
According to Carlson, Trump maintains a belief in supernatural forces and spiritual realities. However, the conservative commentator also suggested that the president’s relationship with traditional Christianity, particularly evangelical Christianity, may be more complicated than many assume.
The discussion touched on a particularly sensitive issue for Christian conservatives: the sanctity of life and opposition to abortion. Carlson’s comments specifically addressed Trump’s posture toward Christians who take a strong pro-life stance, suggesting tensions may exist in that relationship.
This revelation comes at a time when understanding the faith perspectives of our nation’s leaders matters deeply to millions of Christian Americans. The relationship between political leadership and Christian values continues to shape the national conversation about the direction of our country.
For many conservative Christians, the question of how political leaders view traditional faith and biblical principles remains paramount. These discussions help voters discern where candidates and officeholders truly stand on the values that undergird American society.
Carlson’s willingness to speak candidly about these spiritual matters reflects the ongoing importance of faith in American public life. As our nation faces moral and cultural challenges, the beliefs of those in positions of influence and authority deserve careful examination and honest discussion.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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