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, and dozens of licensed counselors and clinical psychologists.^3
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
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^4
Notable- Co-founded by Kenny Jahng, a well-known figure in church communications and innovation, through ChurchCommunications.com^3
- Has hosted annual summits since 2021 with 30+ speakers per event^3
- Featured speakers include Kay Warren, Carey Nieuwhof, Jon Acuff, Carlos Whittaker, and William Vanderbloemen^3
- Covered by ASSIST News Service as an initiative addressing the pastoral mental health crisis^5
- Membership model with monthly and annual options; sessions are 10-25 minutes for easy team training^1
