Dixon Murrah began developing the Counseling Ministry at Sagemont Church when he served as the Church Counselor. In this role, Dixon and his wife Lois became aware of many unmet spiritual, emotional, and relational needs in people’s lives, so they asked God for wisdom in expanding their ministry. They prayed, and God led them to focus their efforts on wounded church leaders. Their plan was bold and simple: As they taught and counseled these leaders, God would bring healing and hope. Then the leaders could pass along these transforming principles to their people.
The first step in ministering to leaders was a dinner for ministers’ wives from all over Houston. Shortly after that event, a couple in Florida saw a newspaper article in which Pastor John Morgan stated that he wanted to help pastors. The Lord had already laid that same burden on this couple’s hearts, so the man arranged to have lunch with Brother John to explore his ideas. As he caught Brother John’s vision, he gave a large check to Sagemont to fund this ministry.
Brother John called Dixon and asked him to use this donation to develop a program for ministers. About this same time, the leaders of Rapha Treatment Centers approached Sagemont about their desire to help struggling ministers and their families. Rapha’s Dr. Jim Mahoney and Dixon prayed and planned together. Their strategy was to invite pastors and their wives to a weeklong conference called “Stress in the Ministry.”
The first of these conferences took place in September 1989. For the next few months, Dixon and Dr. Mahoney conducted a conference each month. In the spring of 1990, however, Dr. Jim Mahoney was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With their leader in this work out of action, Rapha participated in one or two more conferences in their partnership with Sagemont, and then resigned from the joint effort. Since then, the conferences have been conducted and underwritten solely by Sagemont Church.
A few years ago, Sagemont’s Counseling Ministry and the Stress in the Ministry Conferences had grown so much that Dixon was advised to carve out a separate identity for these events for pastors and their wives. Dixon and Lois still host, lead and teach church leaders and their spouses at these conferences.
Over the years, about 800 couples from some 18 or 20 different denominations have participated in 84 Stress in the Ministry Conferences. The attendees have included missionaries, seminary professors and deans, denominational leaders and pastors serving in churches all over the United States. In addition, pastors and their wives from Dominica, Argentina, Great Britain and Canada have also attended, and in 1995, the conference was held in Nicaragua for about 50 indigenous pastors.
Throughout the years, God has used this ministry to bring hope to the hopeless and restore men and women to effective ministry. One pastor related, “I was going to leave the ministry. My life was a wreck, and my family was a disaster. But God used Dixon, Lois, and their conference to give me more healing than I ever thought possible. I’ll always be indebted to them.”
Stress In The Ministry is a part of The Restoration Ministry of Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas and is a ministry to ministers and their families. This particular part of the Restoration Ministry hosts a week-long conference several times each year for ministers and their spouses. This conference is a two-pronged approach designed to "restore" those who are "burned out" or otherwise considering leaving the ministry as well as providing tools which can prevent burn out. This is NOT a normal stress management conference. This conference deals with the real causes of distress and is provided at no cost to the attendees.
This ministry is under the direction of E. Dixon Murrah who is a Southern Baptist minister as well as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He is approved by the state of Texas as a supervisor of professional therapists. Dixon holds two graduate degrees in the field of psychology and has been directing this ministry for over 18 years. He developed the Counseling Ministry at Sagemont Church and was its director for over 15 years. Dixon and his wife, Lois, host the Stress in the Ministry conferences. Both also teach various sessions during the conference. They are assisted by Dr. and Mrs. David Howell. They were participants of the program several years ago and now are helping.
Have you experienced any of the following?
- Been fired from your church
- A deterioration of preaching, teaching, leadership skills
- Mechanical functioning
- Loss of excitement about the ministry/worship
- Family turmoil
- Desire to escape present situation
- Serious consideration of leaving the ministry
- Stress caused illness
- Ministerial suicide (pornography, an affair, divorce, separation, etc.)
- Addiction to alcohol or drugs
If you answered yes to any of these, you are probably on your way to ministerial burnout. Perhaps you are interested in avoiding "burnout."
What is a Stress in the Ministry Conference?
- a safe place for you and your spouse
- a time of restoration, refreshing and renewal
- a new perspective
- a time of stretching
- a time and place to resolve the real issues that are at the heart of your distress
- a life-changing experience
It is not an ordinary stress management conference. We show you how to resolve your distress God's way, not just manage it.
These conferences are designed as a two-pronged effort. One prong is to rescue those in burnout and the second prong is to provide tools for those who are not in burnout to avoid it.
These conferences are offered several times throughout the year at a comfortable, relaxing location. The size of the conferences is limited to ten couples. They are offered to ministers and spouses at no cost.
E-mail Dixon Murrah or call 713.858-0504 for more information or to reserve your space at the next conference.
Conference dates currently scheduled:
- Apr 16-20, 2012
- Aug 13-17, 2012
- Oct 15-19, 2012
