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Who We Are
Our Mission: "to increase the effectiveness of those providing care for Christian workers through purposeful collaboration and community"
This primarily happens through the annual conference held each fall since 1989. This gathering of ministry leaders provides the opportunity to build personal relationships, awareness, and trust; to share best practices, and to be professionally sharpened and personally renewed.
Together we enjoy an informal ongoing network of like-minded people supporting one another in the task of “ministering to ministers.”
“Every ‘caregiver’ needs care. As we minister to the needs of those who minister it’s easy to neglect our own personal care, and coming together once a year at the Forum allows us to receive that care and prioritize that value.”
Phil Engelman, Ministry Director
Grace Valley Ministries
The Conference
Main sessions each year include times of worship and presentation focusing around a theme offering information, challenge, and spiritual inspiration in areas concerning the caregiver and their ministry and/or those we are called to serve.
The schedule seeks to provide a balanced environment of small group interaction, large group input, and free time to network, problem-solve, and be encouraged spiritually.
Workshops cover topics including the nuts and bolts of new ministries, special issues in ministry, and personal development and renewal.
“When we were first invited to attend CareGivers Forum, we didn’t know what to expect. We were just barely into understanding what our ministry was to look like and decided to check it out. . . The first year, we were overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge, the second year was more about networking and making connections, but by the third year, these individuals had become like family. CareGivers Forum is something we look forward to each year."
Mark and Dallas Henslee
Blue Fire Legacy
Who Attends?
Forum attendees come from a variety of ministry settings, from places providing rest and renewal retreats to places providing comprehensive mental health services.
For those who are just contemplating starting a new ministry, the Forum can be a great place to meet and interact with others who have experience in many types of ministry.
For the well-established ministry, it is a place to be reminded that you are not alone, to give back to others, and to consider best practices and be challenged by interaction with others who share the same vision.
“The battle against isolation in a ministry life isn’t limited to the pastors and ministry leaders we serve. CareGivers Forum has provided us with those incredibly necessary relationships that keep us from feeling like we are alone in the work of caring for those in ministry.”
“Networking with like-minded ministries is an additional benefit that keeps us from feeling we have to be everywhere and everything to the pastoral families we connect with. Through CareGivers Forum we can make confident referrals to ministries we know!”
Roy Yanke, Executive Director
PIR Ministries
Leadership Team
After 30 years of operating as a purely volunteer organization, in 2022 CareGivers Forum became its own 501c3 non-profit. The Board of Directors is made up of ministry leaders representing a variety of caregiving ministries who serve as volunteers to oversee the planning and staffing of each year’s Forum.
Their desire is that through linking arms, the greatest amount of resources can be available to care for the needs of God's leaders.
“ ‘CareGivers feels like a family!’ That’s what I was told, but I hadn’t met anyone yet so I wasn’t sure . . . Well, it didn’t take long. By the time the first forum I attended had ended, I had made new friends and connections with ministry leaders from around the world! I can honestly say that our own ministry is better now thanks to the new connections we’ve made through CareGivers. It truly does feel like a family!”
Oliver Dossmann, President
EdenRidge/Mission to Missionaries