What if relationship skills are not just practical life skills, but part of discipleship?

In this episode, Laura sits down with Dr. Kelly Haer, Executive Director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University, to talk about Relationship IQ, a practical resource designed to help young adults build healthy relationships.

Kelly shares her own story of being drawn to counseling and relationship work from a young age, and how God opened the door for her work at the Boone Center. Together, Laura and Kelly explore why young adulthood is such a formative season, why many young people are longing for meaningful connection but have not always been taught the skills to build it, and how churches can help.

This conversation is hopeful, practical, and deeply relevant for pastors, parents, youth leaders, young adult leaders, and anyone who wants to help the next generation grow in healthy relationships with God, family, friends, dating, boundaries, conflict, technology, and more.

“Technology changes how we relate and connect.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

“There are relational calories being consumed, but the quality of those relational calories are subpar.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

“So much of life happens in and around relationships.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

“Our greatest highs are around relationships, our greatest lows often happen through relationship.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

“This is a huge part of following Jesus, being able to relate well with those that we’re around.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

“My vision and heart is that young adults both are competent and feel confident.”
Dr. Kelly Haer

Boone Center for the Family
A relationship training center located at Pepperdine University that integrates psychology and theology to equip people with healthy relationship skills.

Relationship IQ
A curriculum from the Boone Center for the Family is designed to help young adults live out healthy relationships.

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

Care is already happening in your church so how do you build on what is already there

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined by Peggy Krueger, Care Coordinator, and Pastor Dennis Goff from St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a real-time coaching conversation

Peggy and Dennis share what it looks like to build care ministry in a growing church context where many forms of care already exist but there is a desire to bring more intention, structure, and sustainability to it all

Together, they explore how to move from scattered efforts to a more connected and accessible approach while still maintaining the relational heart of care ministry

This episode is especially helpful for leaders who feel like they are building the plane while flying it and are looking for clarity on what the next step could be

“Care is already happening. The question is how do we become more intentional with what is already in motion” Laura Howe

“Culture shifts at the speed of relationships” Laura Howe

“I have not heard anybody talk about this in church before” Dennis Goff

“We are building the plane while flying it” Peggy Krueger

• Care Ministry Collective (Online Community + Office Hours)
  
• Apply for Coaching on the next podcast- https://forms.gle/hu5Dd4Tv2gq33rAY6

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org
Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey talk about the weight many care leaders are carrying right now.

Walking with people through grief, crisis, and everyday challenges can take a toll. It is not just the work. It is the stories, the responsibility, and the pressure to respond well. For many leaders, that weight can start to feel overwhelming.

Laura and Rebecca offer a simple but powerful reminder. Feeling this way does not mean you are disqualified. It means the work is heavy, and it was never meant to be carried alone.

Together, they explore the importance of recognizing early signs of burnout, inviting others into your process, and creating small, restorative rhythms that help you stay grounded.

This episode is a gentle invitation to pause, reflect, and receive care as you continue caring for others.

“The weight that you’re feeling is not because you’re disqualified… it’s because this is really hard work.”

“This is really hard work… and you aren’t meant to carry this alone.”

“We make terrible accountability partners to ourselves.”

“The best way we can care for others is when we receive care ourselves.”

• Care Ministry Collective (Online Community + Office Hours)
  
  
• Keys to Resilience - Podcast Episode
  

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org
Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

What do you do when someone shares something heavy… and you care deeply, but don’t feel equipped to respond?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mark Mayfield (or as he prefers, “just Mark”) to talk about the growing need for mental health awareness in the church, and the very real tension many leaders feel between wanting to help and not knowing how.

Mark brings a unique perspective, having spent years in both ministry and clinical counseling. Together, we explore his personal story, what he’s seeing in churches today, and why so many leaders feel stuck in that middle space of “I know this matters… but what do I actually do?”

This conversation is honest, practical, and hopeful. You’ll walk away reminded that you don’t need to have all the answers to care well, and with a clearer sense of what your next step could be.

“I don’t believe church is about Sunday mornings. It’s a component—but it’s not the end-all, be-all. We have to think beyond Sunday mornings. We have to think about community and connection.”
— Dr. Mark Mayfield

“I think the hesitation is legit. It’s just we have to get them past paralysis.”
— Dr. Mark Mayfield

“People just want to have language to their struggles. That’s okay. They want to be seen.”
— Dr. Mark Mayfield

“The secret to good counseling is the therapeutic relationship… just creating space for people to be seen and to be heard.”
— Dr. Mark Mayfield

“You don’t need to be a counselor to care well—but you do need to know your role.”
— Dr. Mark Mayfield

• 📘 The Mental Health Handbook for Ministry by Dr. Mark Mayfield
  A practical, easy-to-use guide to help ministry leaders understand mental health, respond with confidence, and know when to refer.

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• 🌐 Mental Health Made Simple
  Free tools, assessments, and training resources to support churches in mental health care

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

Build care that grows with your church by balancing relationships, systems, and sustainable support.

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined by Laura Mulligan, Care Coordinator and Chaplain for a slightly different kind of conversation; less coaching, more shared learning.

Laura reflects on 10 years of building care ministry at Grace Fellowship, growing from a few simple teams to supporting a church of over 5,000 people. As the church continues to grow, they explore the tension between relational care and scalable systems.

This episode is for leaders asking:
How do we care well as we grow?
How do we support our teams?
And what needs to evolve next?

“Ministry, and especially care ministry, is built at the speed of relationship.” Laura Mulligan

“I don’t want to continue moving forward in ministry with a small church mindset.” Laura Mulligan

“We don’t want anybody to fall through the cracks.” Laura Howe

Care Protocol: Receive, Respond, Report, Follow-Up

Grace Fellowship Community Church

HMS Amazon Store 🇨🇦Link
HMS Amazon Store 🇺🇸Link

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org
Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe and Rebecca Bailey explore a question many churches are asking right now: we care about mental health… but what do we actually do with it?

As awareness has grown, the challenge has shifted from understanding mental health to integrating it into the life of the church. But with so many resources and approaches available, many care leaders feel overwhelmed and unsure where to begin.

Laura and Rebecca unpack this tension and offer a simpler way forward—one that moves beyond programs and focuses on integrating mental health into discipleship through relational presence. Instead of trying to fix or have all the answers, they highlight the power of listening, curiosity, and being with people in the middle of their struggles.

This episode is especially helpful for care leaders who want to support mental health in a way that is clear, sustainable, and rooted in everyday church life.

“We’re not called to know more… we are actually called to be with people.” Rebecca Bailey

“It’s harder to sit in the uncomfortable, messy space of someone struggling than it is to have a solution.” Rebecca Bailey

“We don’t need more programs—we need a clearer way to care for people.” Laura Howe

“There’s a difference between caring for people and carrying everything for them.” Rebecca Bailey

Mental Health Sunday Resources

The Attuned Listener Course

Email for more info at hello@hopemadestrong.org

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined again by Rebecca Taguma from the American Bible Society and the Trauma Healing Institute.

Together, they explore what many churches are quietly experiencing—everyday overwhelm, loneliness, and emotional exhaustion—and how this is shaping the way we care for and disciple people.

This conversation reframes emotional resilience as part of discipleship, not a separate ministry, and offers a hopeful, relational path forward for churches.

They also introduce Anchored in Hope, an accessible resource designed to help churches build connection, resilience, and support in everyday life.

This episode is especially helpful for leaders who feel stretched, are carrying more than they should alone, and are looking for practical ways to build a culture of care.

“It’s really easy to be lonely in a crowd if it doesn’t feel safe.” — Rebecca Taguma

“Church leaders are struggling right now… it’s been unrelenting.” — Rebecca Taguma

“God created us to be in relationship with one another—and to heal in relationship with one another.” — Rebecca Taguma

“Care happens in relationship. Programs are just the vehicle.” — Laura Howe

• Anchored in Hope – Trauma Healing Institute
• Healing the Wounds of Trauma Small Group

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HMS Amazon Store 🇺🇸Link

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org

Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube

In this episode of The Care Ministry Podcast, Laura Howe is joined by David Barter, pastor, ministry coach, and the lead for Hope Made Strong’s work in Australia.

David shares how his own experience with depression, anxiety, and burnout shaped his passion for helping churches care well. Together, Laura and David talk about the reality many churches face—they want to help, but often aren’t sure how.

This conversation also introduces Hope Made Strong’s next step toward global hubs, starting in Australia. Not as a new organization, but as a way to deepen connection, offer culturally relevant support, and better serve care leaders in their local context.

This episode is especially helpful for leaders who feel like they are carrying too much alone and are looking for a more shared, relational approach to care.

“I really started to think about it—well, what am I doing that maybe not that I shouldn’t be doing, but that somebody else could do?”
David Barter

“People need to be empowered across the church to do the work of the ministry.”
David Barter

“The work of the ministry basically is to care for people and disciple each other.”
David Barter

“We’ve always had a global community at Hope Made Strong… but this is about making that feel more connected, more relational, and more rooted in local context.”
Laura Howe

A Better Way - Website

The Church Mental Health Summit

Email David - david@hopemadestrong.org

HMS Amazon Store 🇨🇦Link
HMS Amazon Store 🇺🇸Link

Website: HopeMadeStrong.org
Socials: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube