Clergy Recovery Network

Mentoring ministry professionals through<br /> personal crisis and early recovery

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About

What is the CRN Mission?

To mentor ministry professionals through personal crises and early recovery and to guide their ministries toward spiritual and organizational health before, during and after leadership crisis.
How Does CRN Function?

CRN is a 501c3 non profit, non-denominational ministry with its own Board of Directors working outside normal institutional structures to provide safety, healing and growth for Christian leaders and their ministries. We do this because current systems are not providing the resources clergy and their congregations need and we long to see the Church a more graceful and honest community.

What Does CRN Do?

  • We mentor ministry professionals all over the world by “meeting” face to face, on-line and on the phone to guide these leaders toward biblical hope, help and healing.
  • We provide password protected, confidential on-line support groups to guide pastors and their spouses out of the maze of their secret lives, sin and deep pain into vibrant spirituality.
  • We are constantly developing and posting Web based information and referral resources to guide the most frightened ministry leader toward help at www.clcrgyrccovcry.com
  • We are creating a network of recovering clergy who can mentor their peers, “comforting them as they have been comforted”.
  • We offer counseling referral for ministry professionals who need it. Clergy referral is a difficult and challenging endeavor.
  • We serve as a resource for ministry professional and ministry board questions Phone and email guidance for ministry professionals world wide (rural and international ministers use us constantly).
  • We consult with Christian ministries finding themselves in crisis with one of their leaders.
  • We speak at church staff and denomination retreats to prevent the common clergy crises.
  • We are writing to fill the vacuum of quality resources for seriously hurting ministry professionals. Web materials, magazine articles, pamphlets and book length projects are in progress including.

What are the Five Main Crises CRN Encounters When Working with Ministry Professionals?

  • Ministry professionals with sexual issues.
  • Ministry professionals burned out and weary.
  • Ministry professionals caught in secret sin.
  • Ministry professionals in marital conflict.
  • Ministry professionals in a conflict with their churches or boards.

Here is How You Can Help:

You can join our team of financial supporters. Go to the Donations tab of the home page to donate and positively change the lives of Christian Leaders.

You can pray. Please pray for CRN and its ministry. CRN is poised to expand dramatically. As you may imagine the stakes are high. Leaders who fail hurt so many. Leaders who fail but change and grow spiritually impact so many more. We need the Father’s favor to continue to influence hurting clergy and an often indifferent Church.

You can become part of the Been There Done That Network. If you are a recovering clergyperson who wishes to share his strength, hope and encouragement with your peers contact Dale Wolery to see about joining the network.

You can refer us to your personal and ministry contacts. The vision the Lord has given us cannot be accomplished without expansive underwriting and the intentional application of resources where we are hurting most among our struggling leadership. Do you know of a funding resource to which you may refer us? Denominational leaders, foundations, donors with interest in helping the Church must all be engaged to meet even the current needs.

Who is Dale 0. Wolery?

Dale is the Founder (June 1997) and Executive Director of the Clergy Recovery Network (CRN). CRN is a nondenominational resource for Ministry Professionals in crisis. Dale focuses his ministry time on the Internet and the phone and concentrates on mentoring, consulting, referral and writing.

Dale is married to Sara Wolery, founder of Eldercare and a recent graduate of Big Sky Somatic Institute for Massage Therapy. They have been married since August, 1968. They are the parents of two adult daughters, Lori and Deborah.

Dale was ordained by the Duncan Park Baptist Church which he served as Associate Pastor (1973-1979). He was the Executive Pastor of the historic Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles (1979-1991). While there he recruited and supervised the staff, shared the pulpit, was the point person for the church’s sale of its Los Angeles property and move to Glendora. He also guided the purchase of its new facilities in the suburbs and led the campus development team.

While in recovery, Dale was Senior Pastor of North Community Church of Yorba Linda, California, a plant of the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton (1991-1997). Under his leadership the church became a safe place for Christians and seekers to wrestle with the tough issues of life. It is here Dale developed his vulnerable teaching style; a warm blend of honesty, real life insights and Scripture.

From 1994 to 2002 he was also the Executive Director of the National Association for Christian Recovery which published STEPS, a magazine of hope and healing for Christians recovering from trauma, addiction and abuse and hosts national conferences. Click here to view the variety of recovery helps available through the National Association for Christian Recovery.

Dale holds a BA from Tennessee Temple University and his MRE from Temple Baptist Theological Seminary. References available upon request.

For additional informational information about Dale and Sara Wolery go here