MArriage is not a bear!
A 2-Day Experience for Pastors & Ministry Couples
Strengthening marriages for those who strengthen the Church.
Dear Pastor, Ministry Leader, and Ministry couple…
We see you. We hear you. We understand. WE ARE YOU.
Our calling is sacred and costly. We carry the weight of people's stories, crises, expectations, and spiritual needs while trying to care for our own soul, our spouse, and our family. Ministry is an honor, a joy, and at times, a heavy burden. We are called by our Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit… while and also being human. We serve in a finite body, in a broken world, under pressures most people never see, while being powered by the infinite.
Research from Barna, Lifeway, and Pastoral Care Inc. confirms what so many of us live daily. Ministry couples often face:
Long and unpredictable hours
Strain on marriage and family
Emotional and physical burnout
Loneliness and isolation
Pressure, expectations, and constant spiritual responsibility
Difficulty maintaining personal rhythms of Scripture & prayer
Wrestling with staying, changing roles, or stepping back
None of us should have to carry this alone.
There is hope. There are tools. There are truths and practices collected over decades of ministry and clinical experience that can help us and our spouse regain connection, clarity, and emotional health. God meets us in the places we feel stretched thin and He often meets us through intentional space like this.
The Marriage Is Not a Bear! experience creates that space.
ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
A two-day, in-person seminar designed specifically for pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses. This experience blends Scripture, clinical insight, real-life ministry wisdom, and meaningful conversations to help couples:
❋ Understand the unique dynamics of ministry marriage❋ Identify what's truly going on beneath the surface ❋ Communicate with honesty, safety, and grace❋ Strengthen connection, trust, and shared vision❋ Build rhythms that support long-term health❋ Engage in guided conversations as a couple (not forced group sharing)Every couple receives a Marriage Is Not a Bear workbook to continue their growth long after the weekend ends. Ideal group size: 20-30 couples.
Two-Day Sample Format
This schedule can be tailored to each region, host church, or sponsoring couple. Couples may stay in local hotels or commute based on location/preference.
DAY ONE | 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
❋ Opening session: What makes a healthy ministry marriage?❋ Exploring the unique pressures of ministry ❋ Understanding how we operate, in vigilant vs. vibrant systems ❋ Practical teaching & couple conversations❋ Dinner together (hosted or local options)❋ Optional hangout time & guided discussion until 9:00 PMDAY TWO | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
❋ Deep dive into communication, conflict and expectations❋ Applying the Marriage Is Not a Bear! framework ❋ Reflection, prayer, and next-step planning as a couple❋ Lunch together❋ Closing session and blessingFollow-Up Coaching
This seminar is only the beginning.
Couples will have the option of ongoing coaching with trained ministry couples and leaders connected with Vibrant Living Coaching and Journeys Counseling Ministry. Follow-up options include:
One-on-one or couple coaching
Short-term follow-up cohorts
Support for pastors, spouses, or staff teams
Referrals for deeper counseling when needed
These relationships help ministry couples continue the work long after the seminar ends.
About Randy
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT 27433
Licensed Minister
Founder & Executive Director, Journeys Counseling Ministry
Randy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and longtime ministry leader with decades of experience walking alongside pastors, ministry couples, and church teams. He founded Journeys Counseling Ministry, launched the counseling center at Vanguard University, and pioneered ministries including Hands Across the Border.
He has served as a singles pastor, family pastor, Director of Spiritual Formation at a Christian university, and church planter. Randy holds a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Cal State Fullerton and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Vanguard University.
A licensed minister and gifted communicator, Randy started preaching at four years of age to the neighborhood kids (after climbing a tree), and now speaks nationally at churches and conferences. He has been featured on radio programs, podcasts, and the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). His approach is warm, honest, pastoral, and deeply rooted in both Scripture and clinical wisdom.
How to Host A RETREAT
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HOSTING
Personal experience with Randy or VLC SeminarSend out materials (mail, email, digital, etc.) to ministry couples
Be the contact for the local experience
Host location to provide facilities and personnel to support event, run sound, provide clean up
Hosting Options
At a partnering churchThrough a sponsoring couple or network
At a retreat center or neutral venue
Price, lodging, and schedule customized for each location.
Financial Investment
VLC/JCM has a sponsoring donor for these events which will help cut the costs substantially.Each network/church will be able to offer scholarships to couples they choose.
VLC will fund the food, drinks and speakers.
Normal cost $1500 per couple; with sponsorship $500 per couple.
Housing left up to attending couples.
Interested in Hosting or Attending?
We’d love to talk to you.