Testimonials & Endorsements

Every pastor needs an "Aaron" and a "Hur" to help
hold his arms up in the battle.
- Exodus 17:12

"I am a pastor who has experienced first hand brokenness and recovery. A major factor in the brokenness was a 'forced exit' from my job as Senior Pastor. But God is good. At each juncture John Smith was there, encouraging, listening, praying, counseling, and helping me through each step one at a time. God has used John Smith to bring into my life encouragement, acceptance, love, and wise counsel when I desperately needed it. He has as large heart for hurting pastors and the experience to back up what he says. I consider it a privilege to call John a colleague and a friend, and to recommend him to your service."
Pastor M., West Michigan

"John’s commitment to minister to those wounded in ministry is unwavering. He is deeply dedicated to assisting hurting pastors through the healing and restoring process when ministry has gone south and life has turned upside down. John’s willingness to listen, his gentle, calming spirit, his command of God’s promises for healing, restoration and renewal and his sincere concern for the health and well-being of his brothers and sisters in Christ is exemplary."
Steve Roll
Pastor, Restored Joy Church
President, Restoration Ministries
Tulsa, Oklahoma

"I do not know how I would have made it through the past few extremely difficult months had it not been for this team of God-sent individuals that know what it is like to be torn apart in ministry. I cannot speak highly enough of the PastorCare team and specifically John and Sue Smith."
Pastor M., West Michigan

"I experienced such pain and crises in January of 2006 when I was forced to resign after six years of faithful service to the church I pastored. I had pastored a total of 17 years and now I found myself in a place I had never been before. Deeply wounded I was in crises emotionally, spiritually, vocationally, and financially. Had it not been for the loving and gracious care of John Smith and PastorCare Ministry, I'm not sure I, my wife, and 3 children would be on the path to healing and recovery we are on today. John was there, in the midst of my crises, offering a listening ear and words of comfort and assurance. John spent countless hours with me during this most difficult time and his gracious and loving spirit embraced me and my family in ways that I find hard to express in words."
Pastor R., West Mighigan

"Had it not been for the Lord's provision and for you and PastorCare, my wife and I would not have made it! Your timely phone calls, compassionate counsel, realistically faith-filled assessment of our situation and appropriate hand-holding contributed immeasurably to our spiritual, emotional, physical and spousal health. Not only did the Holy Spirit cause you to call at just the right times, He prompted you to reach out on those "occasional" instances - like just before church on Sunday or preceding what you knew might be a difficult day or meeting. As I reflect, I can confidently assert that our Sovereign Lord brought our paths together in miraculous moments and wonderful ways! My wife and I will be forever grateful for your ministry to us, and we hope that the ministry of PastorCare Great Lakes continues to grow with your guidance."
Rev. B, Wisconsin

"I have seen firsthand how the ministry of Pastor Care has made a deep and lasting difference in pastors and their families. To have someone come alongside and extend grace, mercy and above all, hope, is priceless. I see John as that man right now in West Michigan. I believe that an investment in this ministry will facilitate the Lord taking our greatest struggles and turning them into His strength within."
Bruce H. Johnson
Consulting Director
CapTrust Financial Advisors

"Focus on the Family receives calls from pastors and their families from all across the country. It is great to be able to refer some of these pastoral families to a ministry in Western Michigan that I know personally. I have confidence that I can depend on John and PastorCare Great Lakes to reach out to these folks and to walk with them through their difficult times."
Pastor John Barner, D.Min.
Manager of Pastoral Care
Focus on the Family

"Through his person, passion, and training, Dr. Smith comes alongside a pastor or family in distress. He extends the compassion we once received from Christ (2 Cor. 1:3). It is without any hesitation that I can recommend John and his ministry to you."
Rev. Jaco Hamman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Western Theological Seminary

"The Northeastern United States is not the easiest place in which to serve in ministry, particularly if you are not a native of the region. Many come and stay a few years before moving on. Few have what it takes to remain for decades. John Smith is one of the few. For over two decades John served ably as senior pastor at one of the most influential Protestant congregations on Long Island, New York. He was a superb pastor and mentor to many, both within the congregation, and all across the region. John is intelligent, articulate, and above all, compassionate. His understanding of the intricacies of local church ministry is unsurpassed. Through his new work directing the Great Lakes region of PastorCare, John will work with church leaders who are hurting, under great stress, and in need of emotional and spiritual support. The ministry of encouragement provided by John Smith through PastorCare will make Christ's church stronger as pastors and their families struggle with the complexities of twenty-first century ministry."
Paul S. Williams
President
The Orchard Group, Inc.

"John's first-hand experience as a pastor for many years, including dealing with his own "burn out" issues, have given him a unique perspective from which to serve pastors in his role at PastorCare. John's servant's heart and winsome personality equip him to effectively minister to hurting pastors and their families. In many ways, based on his love for pastors and his diligence and dedication at work, it seems as if John's entire life experience has been simply been preparation for his current assignment. God has clearly smiled on John's ministry and it's wonderful to see his leadership having such wonderful results."
Scott W. Bolinder
Executive Vice President and Publisher
Zondervan

"I have known John Smith for a number of years now and so appreciate his history with God and integrity as a pastor who knows what it is like to be in the "trenches" year after year. I highly recommend the unique and much needed ministry of PastorCare to pastors around North America. Our churches desperately need the leaders in God's church to step aside in order to retool, reenergize and rethink how to do ministry for the long haul. If God had opened up a ministry like PastorCare to Geri and I in our early years, our first ten years of pastoring and marriage would have been completely different. I commend PastorCare to you."
Pete Scazzero
Senior Pastor
New Life Fellowship
Author of The Emotionally Healthy Church and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

"Through years of successful and caring pastoral ministry John Smith has learned the life of the pastor and is uniquely qualified to care and encourage those whose lives are spent caring and encouraging. There is a vision in the ancient wisdom of Proverbs that says, "Do not withhold a good thing from one to whom it is due if it is within your power to do it" (Proverbs 3:27). It is within the power of John Smith to give enormous care and support, wisdom and insight to hurting pastors and he does it with uncommon grace."
Dr. Timothy Brown
Henry Bast Professor of Preaching
Western Theological Seminary

"John is gifted with the heart to connect with people in a caring way and also with a business-like professionalism that brings appropriate structure, strategy and accountability to this ministry. I observe John connect with people in a way that makes them feel respected and well-regarded. His interaction is characterized by the friendly and safe environment he maintains as he establishes an avenue for people to open up and share more deeply about themselves. In this, I believe John to be a person of high integrity who safeguards the rightful privacy and dignity of his contacts and the personal information they convey. The spiritual sensitivity, personal devotional life, Christian walk and personal integrity John exemplifies characterize him as a person appropriate for and gifted in pastoral care ministry."
Dr. Nicholas V. Kroeze
President
Kuyper College

"I have known John for the past three years and find him to be a very passionate and competent person who pours his life into his ministry to pastors and their families. John is very committed to ministry to pastors and has been of tremendous help to many pastors in transition or trouble. I highly recommend John and his ministry at PastorCare, Great Lakes."
Jerry Schreur, Ph.D
Pastor of Family Life (Recently Retired)
Calvary Church, Grand Rapids, MI

"As a pastor at a church who recently has had to move people from employment, it has been WONDERFUL to have John as a resource to aid us in the process. Whenever you have to remove someone from ministry (and the situation we are in has nothing to do with overt, public sin, but rather not fitting with the organization anymore), it is hard. It is so great to have a partner who comes along side the individual and the ministry and helps navigate through the process of separation. John has greatly aided our ministry by listening, talking, processing, etc. with us and with our former employee so that God's name will not be raked through the mud. We appreciate his efforts!"
Sam Tawney
Executive Pastor
Ada Bible Church

"I have had the opportunity to refer a number of people in ministry, who are also friends, to this ministry. They have found help and encouragement as they faced difficult transitions, and your ministry was a tool in the hand of God to restore them. West Michigan is blessed to have you and your ministry in service to pastors in transition and/or going through difficult times."
Jim Lankheet
Lead Pastor
Beechwood Church

"John is a leader who has experienced, over a sustained period of time, the wide range of emotions and experiences of pastoral ministry. He is exceptionally well qualified for the ministry of PastorCare. He personally understands the anxieties, stresses and feelings of isolation that frequently surround pastors and their families. I have found John's empathetic listening skills to be both supportive and clarifying. To many, like myself, experiencing a period of uncertainty, he has become a real encourager."
Dr. David P. Breen
Pastor
Sunrise Ministries

"We were privileged to have John on staff with us for two years. John is a man of deep passion and compassion. He empathizes deeply with anyone in pain. If John discovers that someone is in need, he would go to great lengths to be of service. At PastorCare John has found a ministry that truly plays to his strengths and allows him to minister in deeply compassionate ways to pastors."
Jeanne L. Jensma, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Alongside

For more information about PastorCare . . .

Telephone: 616-940-9860 or email: john@pastorcaregreatlakes.org