Before Neil Chafin, Dewey Hobbs and Roy Smith opened the doors to the Center for Congregational Health in 1992, struggling congregations had nowhere to turn for in-depth assistance. It was Chafin, then director of the North Carolina Baptist Hospital School of Pastoral Care Foundation in Winston-Salem, and Hobbs, director of the hospital’s Department of Pastoral Care, who prayerfully devised a plan
for a ministry to faith communities. When they collaborated with Roy Smith, Secretary General of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, their vision took off. Since its inception, the Center for Congregational Health has broadened its excellent services while remaining true to the vision of its founders. Asked what they would do differently if they could do it all again, each founder insisted that he would start sooner. Ecumenical is scope, it has flourished in response to the varied needs of churches. Today the Center for Congregational Health provides ministry and/or training for hundreds of faith communities, lay leaders and clergy annually across the United States and in several foreign countries. It has trained thousands of interim ministers. Key to the Center for Congregational Health’s success are our excellent staff, a commitment to creative thinking and continuous learning, and a passion for helping congregations and their leaders attain health and wholeness. These elements are undergirded by a trust that God has something wonderful in store for the Center and the faith communities whom we serve.
