Higher Ground 2023-2024 Cohort Pre-Journey Survey

The goals of Higher Ground are to:

Inspire you to a renewed joy and clarity in your life goals and ministry calling
Create the conditions for you to grow in well-being
Provide tools and experiences to foster resiliency
Strengthen connection with others and colleagues to reduce isolation

The following questions are designed to till the soil and to prompt self-reflection around dimensions of well-being that will continue throughout the Higher Ground experience. Your anonymous responses will help our Higher Ground team better prepare for both the monthly gatherings and the summer retreat.

Please respond to the questions below and return by September 15, 2023.

How well do you handle stress in your life? *

Spiritual Well-being

Where does your mind go when it is not focused on work? *

Describe your prayer life, your conversation with God. *

What are you longing for in your relationship with God? *

 Do you engage in other spiritual practices or are there any you would like to explore? *    

 Rate your overall spiritual well-being at this point in your life. Use a scale from 1-7 with 7 being the highest. *    

Emotional Well-being

How would you describe your conflict management style? *

How would you describe your ability to adapt to change? *

 In what ways do you engage in creative, artistic expressions and activities that support your well-being?  Which is most important to you? *    

 In what ways do you engage in experiences of God's creation and nature to support your well-being? *    

 Rate your overall emotional well-being at this point in your life.  Use a scale from 1-7 with 7 being the highest. *    

Social Well-being

 If you have a partner/spouse, how would you describe your overall relational well-being at this point in the relationship? *    

 How would you describe your level of connection with your clergy peers?  Non clergy peers? *    

 What are the boundaries that you have created to support your well-being?  What are the related challenges? *    

Comment on whether you are an introvert or extrovert and why you think so. *

 Rate your overall social well-being at this point in your life.  Use a scale of 1-7 with 7 being the highest. *    

Financial Well-being

How would you describe your relationship with money? *

 If there were a tangible change that would tell you something is better in your financial life, what would it be? *    

Please check any of the following concerns that apply to you and you wish were different. *

 Rate your overall financial well-being at this point in your life.  Use a scale from 1-7 with 7 being the highest. *    

Physical Well-being

 How would you describe your fitness level? (Keep in mind the national recommendation is at least 150 minutes of activity a week.) *    

 How would you describe your nutritional eating habits? (Also comment on the number of fruits and vegetable you eat daily/weekly.) *    

How would you describe your sleeping patterns? How well do you sleep? *

 How would you describe your energy level and how you typically feel on a daily basis? *    

 Rate your overall physical well-being at this point in your life.  Use a scale of 1-7 with 7 being the highest. *    

Ministry Calling

 Comment on your story around your call to ministry.  How has your original call to ministry shifted over recent years? *    

What has been your greatest struggle as a pastor? *

 How do you think your overall well-being or your well-being in any of the dimensions explored above is currently impacting your ministry (positive or negative impact)? *    

 What do you hear God calling you to do in your next chapter? (Your "next chapter" may be immediately/soon, next year, or in the next five years or more.) *    

Journey Outcome

What is your hoped-for outcome of the Higher Ground journey? *

Thank you for your time in completing the questionnaire as you begin the Higher Ground Journey. We hope answering these questions begins to stir something within, a yearning or a wondering from a deeper place, your true self.

Higher Ground 2023-2024 Cohort Pre-Journey Survey

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