Lifted Hands, Inc. is a ministry to church leaders and their families, and was begun because of the alarming dropout rate of men and women in ministry and church leadership. 

The Problem Is…
Ministry is very difficult these days.  It always has been difficult, but there are some new pressures today: unrealistic expectations, identity issues, financial pressures, power struggles.  Consequently some people in ministry get to a point that they burn out, rust out, become disillusioned, or fall into deep depression.  Some are fired from their positions and others are forced out in ways that are more subtle.  Some have had moral lapses, others have turned to alcohol, some have even committed suicide.  Others drag on, year after year, keeping their struggles more private.

How We Help
Our work takes a variety of forms.  When we hear of a hurting church leader, we often go to him or her.  We've traveled thousands of miles in the past ten years to meet with leaders who are struggling.  We also spend countless hours on the telephone, answering letters, and e-mail.  We've held lots of hands and shared lots of tears with people in person, in their location.

Whether talking to people by phone, visiting in their location, or having them here, there are things we try not to do.  We try not to give advice.  We don't have all the answers and cannot tell people specific things to do in their situations.  Instead, we help them reflect, process, and examine what they are doing or not doing.  Another thing we don't do is participate in assessing blame.  If someone is angry with members of their congregation or other leaders, we do not get involved in criticizing those people.  We are not trying to "fix the church."  We limit our work to those who seek our help, and we try to help them focus on their own needs and growth rather than pointing the finger to others.

Our Mission
Our mission is to provide support to church leaders in crisis.  Lifted Hands has helped men and women stay in ministry and has helped others return to their ministry.  Our goal, however, is not necessarily to keep people in ministry.  Some need to leave.  We do what God enables us to do, and hope to strengthen the emotional and spiritual life of preachers, elders, deacons, missionaries, other church leaders and their families.  Many times we simply try to stop the bleeding.

The Network
Lifted Hands is really a "network."  There are lots of other concerned Christians who have a heart for church leaders who have volunteered to help us.  Some of these are ministers or elders themselves; some are educators and some are therapists.  We are blessed with over one hundred such partners across the U.S. willing to commit time and energy to encourage church leaders.  It is not uncommon for us to get a call from someone in Texas, or Florida, or California, and be able to have someone in their living room within hours.  Getting people together is a major part of our work.

Find "Higher Ground"!
Finally, we invite people to come here.  We have turned our large, seven-bedroom home into a retreat center that we call "Higher Ground."  Located on the base of Oregon's Mt. Hood, we have a beautiful site to get in touch with nature, with God, and with one's self.  We schedule "formal" retreats throughout the year where a resource person is invited in to speak and counsel on a particular subject.  We've had preacher's retreats, elder's retreats, and women's retreats.  Besides these formal retreats, we have others who have come by themselves.  We meet with those people, try to assess their needs, and suggest a program for their enrichment.  This might include a combination of counseling, meditation, prayer, rest, and physical exercise.

Lifted Hands, Inc. has grown out of Silas Shotwell's previous ministry with Safety Net, a ministry of the National Church Growth Research Center in Washington, D. C.  Through the years Safety Net has helped countless church leaders and their families, including the Shotwells.  Silas worked in that program as a volunteer and as a Regional Director for several years.  Lifted Hands is an outgrowth of that work.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the ministry of Lifted Hands, Inc.

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from Silas:

My wife died in October of 2003.  I'm raising my 14 year old granddaughter, so it is just the two of us here.  But the Lord uses us mightily.  I have no secretary or assistant, but the Lord gives me strength, and I pray a lot for wisdom.  I have people that come in here from all over the world and from most of the states in the U.S. — all suffering loss of one kind or another.

Running a spiritual ER is not only time-consuming but unpredictable.  I'd like to write a book or two, but urgent things keep getting in the way.  People come here with burnout, disillusionment, moral failure, troubled marriages, etc.  It's mostly "people" stuff and "God" stuff.  I don't give advice, don't make decisions for God, and don't try to fix churches.  It is a Samaritan ministry, where I try to help whomever is bleeding beside the road without passing judgment on them.  I simply try to assist them in resuming their journey.

I have a small church in Hood River, 15 miles away.  I've been there 11 years and am minister and also an elder.  That's where the bulk of my income comes from, such as it is.  A few friends donate to the work of Lifted Hands and that keeps me going.  I don't charge anything for my services or for people staying here.  I wish I could do this work full-time.

Whatever problems people bring here, I point them to the Lord and try to get them to refocus on Him.

  ~ Silas Shotwell