The Care Ministry Podcast

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey discuss how churches can create safe pathways for families to ask for help before situations reach a crisis point. Many families are carrying challenges related to parenting, grief, finances, mental health, caregiving, and relationships, but often hesitate to reach out for support. Laura and Rebecca explore the barriers th...

What if relationship skills are not just practical life skills, but part of discipleship? In this episode, Laura sits down with Dr. Kelly Haer, Executive Director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University, to talk about Relationship IQ, a practical resource designed to help young adults build healthy relationships. Kelly shares her own story of being drawn to counseling and relat...

Care is already happening in your church so how do you build on what is already there In this episode of   The Care Ministry Podcast , Laura Howe is joined by Peggy Krueger, Care Coordinator, and Pastor Dennis Goff from St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a real-time coaching conversation Peggy and Dennis share what it looks like to build care ministry in a growing church c...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey talk about the weight many care leaders are carrying right now. Walking with people through grief, crisis, and everyday challenges can take a toll. It is not just the work. It is the stories, the responsibility, and the pressure to respond well. For many leaders, that weight can start to feel overwhelming. Laura and Rebecc...

What do you do when someone shares something heavy… and you care deeply, but don’t feel equipped to respond? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mark Mayfield (or as he prefers, “just Mark”) to talk about the growing need for mental health awareness in the church, and the very real tension many leaders feel between wanting to help and not knowing how. Mark brings a unique perspective, having spe...

Build care that grows with your church by balancing relationships, systems, and sustainable support. In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined by Laura Mulligan, Care Coordinator and Chaplain for a slightly different kind of conversation; less coaching, more shared learning. Laura reflects on 10 years of building care ministry at Grace Fellowship, growing from a few simple...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey explore a question many churches are asking right now: we care about mental health… but what do we actually do with it? As awareness has grown, the challenge has shifted from understanding mental health to integrating it into the life of the church. But with so many resources and approaches available, many care leaders fee...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast , Laura Howe is joined again by Rebecca Taguma from the American Bible Society and the Trauma Healing Institute. Together, they explore what many churches are quietly experiencing—everyday overwhelm, loneliness, and emotional exhaustion—and how this is shaping the way we care for and disciple people. This conversation reframes emotional resilience as pa...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined by David Barter, pastor, ministry coach, and the lead for Hope Made Strong’s work in Australia. David shares how his own experience with depression, anxiety, and burnout shaped his passion for helping churches care well. Together, Laura and David talk about the reality many churches face—they want to help, but often aren’t sure how...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey explore one of the most misunderstood areas of care ministry: referrals. Church leaders often feel tension when referring someone outside the church. It can feel like handing people off or losing influence. But healthy referrals are not a failure of care. They are a critical part of sustainable, holistic ministry. Laura an...

How Churches Can Serve Their Communities With Humility and Impact 5 Practices for Faithful Community Engagement with Kent Annan Many churches care deeply about their communities but feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the needs around them. Where do you start, and how do you help without causing harm or burning out your team? In this episode, Laura Howe talks with Kent Annan, co-founder of Haiti...

How do you lead well in church ministry when you care deeply about people but aren’t the final decision maker? In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe sits down for one of her monthly coaching conversations with Lacey Reaves, a ministry leader serving in small groups at Redemption Church in South Carolina. Together they explore a leadership challenge many ministry leaders face: ho...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey explore one of the most overlooked yet powerful parts of care ministry: follow-up. Churches often do a meaningful job receiving needs and responding in the moment. A meal train is organized. A hospital visit happens. An outreach event is planned with excellence. But what happens after that? Laura and Rebecca walk through t...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, host Laura Howe sits down with Dave Eckert and Mark to explore how churches and communities can work better together to care for people on the margins. Drawing from decades of experience in mental health, social services, and church leadership, Dave and Mark share why community itself is often the missing piece in care and how churches can move beyond...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast , Laura Howe is joined by pastor and care ministry leader Chad Clements for a coaching-style conversation about grief, leadership, and the pressure many ministry leaders feel to move faster than they should. Chad shares openly about stepping into a newly created care role without a clear roadmap and how his own journey through grief and lament has shape...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, host Laura Howe is joined by Rebecca Bailey for a rich conversation on how spiritual formation functions as preventative care within church care ministries. Together, they explore why care and formation cannot be separated, how spiritual formation shows up across Hope Made Strong’s five-part Model of Care (self, community, peer, pastoral, and professio...

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast , Laura Howe is joined by psychologists, spiritual directors, and Soul Shepherding founders Bill Gaultiere and Kristi Gaultiere for a deeply honest conversation about empathy, burnout, and spiritual formation. Drawing from decades of counseling, ministry leadership, and personal experience, the Gaultieres unpack why empathy is “oxygen for the soul” and...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast , host Laura Howe sits down with Jennifer Bowen , Executive Director of Shalem Mental Health Ministries , to reflect on hosting a Local Church Mental Health Summit in Canada. Jennifer shares the heart, strategy, and lessons learned from hosting a multi-day summit that brought together pastors, therapists, educators, and ministry leaders to explore faith...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, host Laura Howe sits down with Mark Strickland and Matt Timpson from Milton Bible Church to explore what intentional, sustainable care looks like in a mid-sized church. Together, they unpack why Milton Bible has chosen to remain “decidedly mid-sized,” how administration can strengthen (not replace) relationships, and how care systems can support people...

In this episode of the Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey kick off the new year by introducing prayer as a foundational care strategy within a holistic care ministry. They unpack how prayer fits into six core care pillars and explore why prayer should be more than informal or assumed. It deserves thoughtful structure, training, and follow-through. From understanding different typ...

Today, Laura Howe speaks with Dr. Chris Adams, Executive Director of the Mental Health and the Church Initiative at Biola University’s Rosemead School of Psychology. They dive into the essential practices of healthy caregiving within ministry, highlighting how care leaders can show up with empathy and wisdom without carrying the full emotional weight of others. Chris shares his personal journey fr...

In the final week of the Advent series, Laura and Rebecca explore the theme of love…not just the love we offer others, but the radical invitation to receive love ourselves. They reflect on the vulnerability of love, the five needs for Christian connection, and how community becomes the soil where love is planted and grown. This episode brings a practical and deeply spiritual close to the Advent jo...

In this third week of the Advent series, Laura and Rebecca dive into the theme of joy, not as fleeting happiness, but as a deep, sustaining posture of the heart. They reflect on how joy can coexist with sorrow, stress, and fatigue, and how it’s often found not in perfection, but in presence. Through personal stories, theological insights, and the Advent Guide , they invite leaders to explore what...

In week two of our Advent series, Laura and Rebecca reflect on the theme of peace, not as the absence of noise or activity, but as the deep assurance that God is near in the midst of chaos. Using the free Advent Reflection Guide , they share practical ways for care leaders to slow down, center themselves, and reconnect with God, even in the busiest season. Through breath prayers, hymns, and daily...

In this special Advent episode, Laura and Rebecca introduce a new free resource designed to help ministry leaders slow down, reflect, and find restoration during the hectic holiday season. This Advent series centers on nurturing leaders through the four themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. With daily breath prayers, scripture readings, hymn reflections, and photo prompts, this guide offer...