Refugee ministry is characterized by urgency and ongoing, overwhelming practical needs for people also carrying deep pain from their emotional and psychological wounds. To stay involved in this work for the long term and to do so from a place of personal and spiritual health, Christian ministers must have clarity about their motives and well-being while also developing skills for how to accompany people who have been displaced.
Participants Will:
Evaluate their own motivations and posture that drives their ministry,
Learn simple ways Christians can aid the healing of refugees from emotional and psychological pain,
Consider what patterns they need to establish to care for themselves and their teams over time.
Rachel Uthmann
Rachel is the Director of Training for International Association for
Refugees (IAFR). She has an undergraduate degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in history with a focus on global immigration.
Rachel has worked in ministry among refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, Italy, England, and the USA over the last two decades. While
living in Italy, Rachel and her husband started a hospitality centre for asylum seekers which is still running in cooperation with several local churches. She currently lives in Minnesota, USA, where she focuses on equipping others to minister to forcibly displaced people in ways that are sustainable, ethical, and faithfully Christian.
