What We Do

Compassionate ministry practitioners have proven to be compassionate, talented and hardworking individuals who have made a difference in the lives of the vulnerable and those requiring rehabilitative services. Much of their work is to listen to the problems of others. They hear stories of infidelity, hopelessness and depression. Some of them work with adults and children who have been abused, who are victims of incest and rape and people who have experienced the horrors of community violence. They reach out to alcoholics, drugs and substance abusers, commercial sex workers, prisoners and children or families connected to streets. They provide comfort to those who have lost loved one, court ordered abusers, the mentally ill, the aged, and families that have been torn apart, orphans, abandon babies, widows, people living with disabilities. They facilitate livelihoods to the poor and try to lift their living standards.  

However, hearing these stories over and over can produce thoughts and images that can be traumatic. Sometimes called compassion fatigue or burnout, research has evidenced this phenomenon in a wide range of direct-service caregivers. A body of research has emerged in the past decade that shows care givers or compassionate ministry helpers of all types are at risk encountering negative consequences of working with highly stressful events such as suicide intervention and prevention. Being able to help directly or indirectly has both positive and negative aspects which have been described as Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue. Compassion fatigue has two parts, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Burnout is about things such as exhaustion, frustration, anger, and depression. Secondary Traumatic Stress is a negative feeling driven by fear and work-related trauma.  
 
Helping our Helpers agency reported a recent study of 300 workers in fields such as mental health and substance abuse, health care and child welfare found that: 
• 40 percent thought about their work without intending to 
• 22 percent reported feeling detached from others 
• 26 percent felt emotionally numb 
• 28 percent reported concentration difficulties 

In 2016, TCN conducted a study to find out the stress level of 50 church leaders, it was found that: 
• 46 percent had normal stress level  
• 50 percent were suffering from stress 
• 4 percent were under severe stress and needed to be assisted  
 
Unhealthy care giver or helper has a direct implication to the ministry or organization serving under. This was shown in a TCN study from the same 50 church leaders in 2016. During the study concerning their ministry financial management, it was found that: 
• 46.8 percent had their ministries rated high risk  
• 32.2 percent were on a medium ground but indicating risk of not fully fulfilling its objectives • 12.7 percent had low risk 
 
Most Compassionate ministries/agencies experience high turnover and some Compassionate ministry practitioners work in private practice isolated from others in their field. Many Compassionate Ministry Practitioners change careers and simply leaves the profession/calling due to burnout from the emotional toil of helping others. 
 
They are often people who have experienced the depths of poverty, pain, violence and loss themselves but somehow with God’s help, these people have risen above the pain and despair to becoming the transformers of the future. They are involved in a wide range of pioneering work, including standing up against immoral activities, social ills such as child trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse, alcoholism, making peace and reconciliation, reintegrating ex-inmates, caring for the sick and terminally ill patients offering fresh hope to street children, rescuing victims of accidents, among others.  
 
The big concern has been; “Yes, we want to help others but who is there to help us?”