When 44% of pastors report feeling overwhelmed and drained, where do church leaders turn for help? Thrive & Cultivate is a membership-based training platform built to equip pastors, staff, and volunteers with the language, skills, and strategies they need to address mental health in their churches and in their own lives.^1
Co-founded in 2020 by Kenny Jahng during the height of the pandemic, Thrive & Cultivate started as a free virtual summit through ChurchCommunications.com and has since grown into a comprehensive on-demand library of 130+ video sessions across nine tracks — covering everything from burnout and self-care to grief, trauma healing, anxiety, depression, suicide prevention, and building a mentally healthy church culture.^2 Sessions are led by renowned Christian mental health experts and ministry leaders, including Kay Warren, Carey Nieuwhof, Carlos Whittaker, Amanda Porter, Joe Padilla, Daniel Whitehead, Dr. Steve Grcevich, Dr. Jared Pingleton, and dozens of licensed counselors and clinical psychologists.^1
What makes Thrive & Cultivate stand out is how directly it serves the local church team. The platform includes group discussion worksheets, a suggested team training calendar, a digital magazine, and new keynote workshops released throughout the year — all designed so a pastor can bring their entire staff through mental health training together.^1 The team also produces a regularly updated blog — now spanning 16+ articles — addressing topics like breaking mental health stigma, the theology of suffering, forgiveness and trauma, pastoral loneliness, shame, and finding belonging beyond diagnosis, equipping leaders with practical tools without overreaching into clinical territory.^4
Why Leaders Love It"Ministry is hard. Burnout is real. Caring for individuals and families and shepherding the flock is an around-the-clock job. Incorporating mental health into the topic of faith can also be difficult. Thrive & Cultivate wants to address all of that." — Jeremy Smith, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and editor at ChurchAndMentalHealth.com^5
Notable- Co-founded by Kenny Jahng, a well-known figure in church communications and innovation, Princeton Seminary MDiv graduate, who also serves as editor-in-chief of ChurchTechToday.com and leads conversations on AI ethics in the church^3
- Has hosted annual summits since 2021 with 30+ speakers per event^3
- Featured speakers include Kay Warren, Carey Nieuwhof, Jon Acuff, Carlos Whittaker, Amanda Porter, Joe Padilla, Daniel Whitehead, DJ Chuang, Pastor Brad Hoefs, Dr. Steve Grcevich, and Dr. Jared Pingleton^1
- Covered by ASSIST News Service as an initiative addressing the pastoral mental health crisis^7
- Membership model with monthly and annual options; sessions are 10-25 minutes for easy team training^1
- Actively publishes blog content on mental health ministry for church leaders, now 16+ articles across multiple pages^4
- Web-based platform (no mobile app) — designed for team viewing on big screens or in staff meetings^1
