Dr. John M. Hirsch
Director of Congregational and Worker Care, Texas District
Healing the Healer
Life as a healer leads one into new frontiers and challenges. Having a healthy sense of self is essential to a sustained life and ministry in the journey forward. Focus will be on some of the key areas of spiritual, emotional and relational health.',N'Rev. John Hirsch serves the Texas District as its Director of Congregational and Worker Care. He assists congregations and professional church workers work through conflicted issues and relationships that may hinder the mission and ministry of the church. He assists in pastoral call list development, new workers orientation to the Texas District, mission developers assessment, conference planning, works with the Texas District Mission and Ministry Facilitators on the mission planning team, and is the staff representative to the Ministerial Health Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Prayer and Spiritual Formation Committee, and Theological Convocation Committee.
Before coming back to his home state of Texas, Pastor Hirsch served as a parish pastor in Michigan for 22 years. He also served as circuit counselor, district vice president and chairman of the Commission on Ministerial Health. He has a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas in Austin, an M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ill., an M.A. in Ed. Psy. from Eastern Michigan University and a D.Min. from Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Mich. He also has completed 5 quarters of Clinical Pastoral Education and has extensive training in negotiation and mediation as well as congregational conflict resolution.
Pastor Hirsch and his wife Kathy have two children and five grandchildren.