Navigating Pastoral Crisis: PCG's Crisis Intervention Plan

There is no question that we are living in troubling times—political unrest, toxic social media, relationships unbalanced and out of control, and much more. In order to effectively pursue the Decade of Harvest goals that God has placed on the hearts of the Pentecostal Church of God leadership (100 Nations, 1,000 Next-Gen Leaders, 10,000 Ministers & Churches, and 1,000,000 Believers), it is more important than ever, that we take deliberate steps to care for our pastors and their families during times of crisis. We are literally in a war with Satan and his minions for the lost souls of those around us. The enemy will take every opportunity to attack and isolate pastors and other leaders in this spiritual battle. The enemy wants us to fail!

We rely on our pastors and their families to speak truth and provide reassurance when we experience a personal crisis, but who steps in to assist our pastors and their families in times of crises? The sad truth is that our pastors and their families can experience a traumatic crisis at a moment’s notice. When a crisis happens, being supportive spiritually and emotionally is the will of God (Galatians 6:2). The sacrifices Christians make to help others please God (Hebrews 13:16). Through Crisis Intervention, believers obey God by demonstrating love (John 15:12-13) and hospitality (Romans 12:13).

Crisis Intervention is an important facet of compassion and is addressed as a function of the PCG Team. Through the deployment of volunteers—chaplains, pastors, and district leaders—our PCG ministers and their families can receive help in their time of need. The PCG Crisis Intervention Chaplains provide specialized training and expertise in spiritual care and ethics to stand in the gap. Additionally, our chaplains possess a wealth of experience, specialized education, and unique skill sets that qualify them as valuable, well-trained intervention assets.

The PCG Crisis Intervention Plan (CIP) is a proactive response addressing the immediate needs of our PCG ministers and their families. Through crisis intervention, chaplains, district leaders, and pastors can collaborate to assist fellow ministers and their families to navigate their unique circumstances. We are blessed to have 15 volunteer Crisis Intervention Chaplains on standby to provide immediate crisis pastoral care throughout our 35 Districts. A critical element of CIP is the ability to assist in making local individual and resource referrals to meet the long term crisis recovery needs of our leaders and their families in need.

The PCG Crisis Intervention Plan has been disseminated to each district leadership team with the intent to ensure leaders are informed of the mission, protocol, and responsibilities. The implementation and management of the Crisis Intervention Plan can be a success only with the support of leaders. I am confident that the Crisis Intervention Plan will help many PCG pastors and their families to persevere through the difficult events of life.

In keeping with the vision of One Mission, One Movement, One Chance, having a crisis response chaplain come along side pastors and their families who are hurting and in crisis, can provide comfort and direction during uncertain times.

Make no mistake, we are in a spiritual war. Satan and his minions do not like it when souls are saved and Christians are strong. The enemy seeks opportunities to hurt and isolate our leaders and their families who are on the front lines of this battle.

If you or a fellow PCG minister is experiencing crisis, you do not need to go through it alone. You do not need to feel hopeless and isolated. Help is only a phone call away. Reach out to your district leadership, or you can contact us directly by phone at (817) 554-5900, ext. 320 or via email (pastoralcare@pcg.org).