Covenantal Leadership Support
Denominational leader, if you could change some things in your work world, what would they be?
Wish you had more staffing? An extra colleague with some spare time and a caring smile? Maybe they could help you tackle the very high metaphorical pile on your desk. Could they offer you spiritual care after a difficult week? Perhaps they can be a confidential sounding board and brainstorming partner for when you’re trying to sort out a tricky situation. A co-dreaming companion for new ways to be in ministry?
For those times and more, Spill the Tea has your back.
Trusted By
Veterans
Administration
State of
New Hampshire
Colorado
Behavioral Health
Council
Wild Goose
Festival
Also Trusted By
Mental Health Network
(UCC)
Mental Health
Connect (MN)
National Youth
Event (UCC)
Interfaith Network
on Mental Illness
Benefits
Being a faith leader in today’s social context requires a lot.
Spill the Tea is ready to assist your ministry as a denominational leader in three broad categories, as you support: (1) clergy in your care, (2) churches in your care, and (3) denominational committees.
Caring for Clergy
Did you become aware of a pastor with dementia still serving? Have people reported concerns to you about a pastor’s work? Do you have a clergy person in need of spiritual care?
Caring for Churches
Do you have a church in which a member has died by suicide? Is there a congregation exploring merger or shared campus options? Has community violence or state violence occurred in or near a church?
Caring for Committees
Is there a seminarian with different support needs than the committee has previously worked with? Are your denominational gatherings accessible? Are your committees rewriting policy?
How can Spill the Tea help?
Having confidential, experienced support in covenant with you gives you a high level phone-a-friend for the needs arising across your clergy, churches, and committees.
FAQS
Here are some frequently asked questions, answered by Rachael.
How does this work?
You have a retainer for 6 hours/month, and you have access to a request form. Time is counted whenever I communicate with you or your people to do the supportive things you’ve requested, including any follow-up that you would like.
The minimum time counted for a task is 0.5 hours (30 minutes). The maximum is your hours for the month. Your requests indicate how much time you’d like me to spend on a given support task.
It can also be helpful (and likely efficient) to use your first hour each month by debriefing your highest concerns with me. We can do brainstorming and then from there we can decide how I can best support you that month.
At the end of each month, you receive a succinct report of how you used your hours. Since most notes refer to people, they are referred to by initials only in this brief report, for privacy.
Remember to save an hour for follow-up if you’re requesting things you will also want to discuss with me after.
Who are you, Rachael Keefe?
I am the spiritual director and professional problem solver offering covenantal leadership support at Spill the Tea. I have decades of experience in clinical work and ministry, crisis response, and community-based mental health advocacy and leadership.
My academic background includes advanced theological degrees, a D.Min. from Andover Newton at Yale Divinity School (formerly Andover Newton Theological School), and both an M.Div. and M.A. from Princeton Theological Seminary. I have also earned a graduate certificate in Spiritual Direction from St. Catherine University.
On a personal note, I love to paint with oils on canvas outside somewhere beautiful. I currently live in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with my wife, Erika, and with Morgan the Dog. I have dysautonomia and POTS, and Celiac, and an implanted pacemaker along with some other accessories allow me to continue in ministry as a disabled person grateful for access to healthcare.
What is your church experience, Rachael?
I was the founding pastor of a new church start, and I have led the formation of a multi-church campus. I served as the full-time clinical chaplain at a state psychiatric hospital for many years. I have served as an interim pastor and an associate pastor. As pastor of Living Table UCC in Minneapolis, I co-organized a national, interfaith online vigil on May 28, 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.
I’ve worked as a social worker and as a pastoral counselor in private practice. I’ve been on staff at a large (2k member) church, and I have served a church with weekly attendance of about 30. I’ve supervised contextual ed students and CPE interns in both parish and clinical settings.
I’ve mentored Members in Discernment and newly ordained clergy by request of the Committee on Ministry because of the members’ particular support needs. Some years back, I was the first community-based youth chaplain for a region, responsible for leading the local interfaith ministry, and I was terminated from that call when I came out as queer (in the 1990s).
I have served on local and national boards of directors for organizations focused on mental health and ministry, and a statewide suicide prevention council. I’m a sought out conference presenter on mental health and faith. I wrote:Lifesaving Church: Faith Communities and Suicide Prevention (Chalice Press, 2018).
Today, I am regularly contacted by ministry colleagues when they are experiencing either a personal or a professional crisis. And as my wife says, when the fat hits the pan, people who have my number tend to call me first and their loved ones second, and I hold that trust to be sacred.
What if I don’t use all of my hours?
I want to strongly encourage you to use your hours. Because a retainer reflects a covenantal relationship, I hope that you will allow me to help support your ministry, as well as the well-being of you and the people in your care. I never want you to have any unused hours at the end of a month.
If you ever have a whole month during which there is no one who needs spiritual care, no crisis to debrief or respond to, no member in discernment or newer clergy person who could use additional mentoring, and no other staff or committees who need support or care of any kind?
Then let’s discuss what groups could benefit from mental health training, or what other non-crisis use of our time can best support your ministry.
While your hours cannot be stored up for the future if unused, hopefully you will always use them.
What if I need more hours?
The hourly rate reflected in the retainer can be multiplied, pending my availability. Since $500 retains me for six hours a month, $1000 retains me for 12 hours a month. And because contracts are month-to-month, you can retain me for more time in the following month to help with a short term project, and then fall back to your regular six hours after.
Existing retainer clients have priority on my calendar, so please reach out if you’d like to inquire about more hours rather than using the website scheduler for this.
Do I have to commit to anything?
Retainers are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime by not paying for the following month. Pay by the 25th of the month to retain my support for the following one. Our first hour-long conversation is free. Let’s chat and see whether this might be a good fit for your needs.
How It Works
This is how we get started.
We have a one-hour onboarding process to strategize how you can get the most out of this relationship.
First we meet!
There is no charge for this meeting, and you should do a bit of homework to make the most of it. Come prepared to discuss the 2-3 primary areas in which you expect to need support initially, including any current situations you want to discuss. This meeting is to ensure that we are a good fit, and to answer any questions. We will also do a bit of dreaming and brainstorming together.
Let’s talk! Note: All meetings take place via Zoom.
Next, review terms.
There is a month-to-month contract, which you receive after we first meet. This is a covenantal relationship, one of mutual trust and accountability.
Ready? Sign up!
Request a no-cost consultation to get started and to begin daydreaming together. Clients on retainer by the 25th of the month have access to Rachael’s support beginning the first day of the month that follows.
Options
Individual or Organizational Care
Individual Spiritual Direction
$100
/ hour
The client here is an individual seeking one-on-one support.
Benefits can include:
- A steady companion for navigating transition or change
- Space to reflect on your ministry without urgency or crisis
- Conversation that keeps you grounded in your own values
- Support for discernment and sharing about your ministry
- Time set aside for your own spiritual well-being
Covenantal Leadership Support
$500
/ month
The client here is an organization on a monthly retainer for up to six hours of support. Benefits can include:
- Confidential brainstorming and guidance for complex leadership decisions
- Professional support for clergy care and supervision
- Mental health training for boards and committees
- Help assessing congregational readiness for major transitions
- Assistance preparing leaders for difficult meetings or conversations
- Regular individual spiritual care to help sustain you and your team
An Example
How might a denominational leader use their 6 hours a month?
Your usage can vary wildly, or it can be fairly consistent month to month. Here is a fictionalized example of a one-month log of monthly retainer services:
- Debriefing a personnel crisis (1 hour)
- Meeting with your legal counsel and the regional committee responding to a personnel crisis, to help devise a response (2 hours)
- Consulting with a denominational leader about a church interested in forming a shared campus with another denomination (0.5 hour)
- Discussing ordination requirements with a member in discernment who is struggling (0.5 hour)
- Meeting with the pastor of the church considering a shared campus (1 hour)
- Spiritual care visit with a clergy person experiencing complex grief (1 hour)
The world needs you doing what you do, and we are here to help.
Let’s chat!
Start Here
Schedule your no-cost dreaming and brainstorming session today, and be ready for covenantal support at your fingertips next month.
Testimonials
What Others Have Said
Rachael has been supporting individuals and denominational leaders for decades. Here are some brief accounts from a few of these partners in ministry.
Rachael’s natural capacity to nurture is compelling. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe since 1989 when we were at Princeton and I felt fully confident entrusting her with the care of my first child. Whether accompanying people through crises or, as more recently, offering guidance to someone navigating a complicated caregiving situation involving a minor child, Rachael attends to people with both clarity and courage, and a grounded pastoral insight.
Last month, she helped my friend’s family create a detailed health and safety plan that honors the emotional weight and layered realities involved. Rachael provides a steady presence that gives space for healing and practical next steps. I am grateful for the tender, professional care she continues to extend to those seeking healing and wholeness in difficult times.
Rachael is smart, compassionate, non-judgmental, and honest. Her capabilities have helped me grow in my faith journey. When I have needed sound, spirit-based advice, Rachael has been a wonderful partner in prayer.
I trust Rachael. Over the years, I have called on her to guide me both personally and professionally through discernment. Rachael has a calm presence and listens deeply. Her guidance is thoughtful and intentional. She speaks the truth from love, which both uplifts and challenges me to think deeply.
Rachael’s gift for listening deeply and compassionately encourages and supports me. She helps me to sift through the noise to the heart of my experiences so I can live into my values.
Sarah Griffith Lund
Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice, UCC
“Rachael is a wise, hopeful, and caring soul. She is intelligent, compassionate, and has a wonderful sense of humor. All of this, combined with her rich professional and personal life experiences, makes Rachael a treasured conversation partner.”
Christa McCutcheon
Clinician, Cape Cod, MA
“Rachael has been an advisor, a motivator, and a reliable touch point for reflecting about life. She is tough and she is real, and she is steadfast in her values and beliefs which has taught me a lot and helped me to grow. My mother was my world, and when she passed away, Rachael helped my sister and me figure things out. We had no one else, and helping us through that time was one of the most meaningful things anyone has ever done for me.”
Carlos Jauhola-Straight
Pastor, First Congregational Church, Pelham, NH
“While contemplating where God was calling me, and also trying to unpack my past, Rachael’s gifts of nonjudgmental listening and open questions allowed me to do deep spiritual work with authenticity and faithfulness. Her ability to meet me in my spiritual journey, and to sit with me in the long night of the soul with great compassion continue to support my spiritual walk. I am forever grateful for Rachael’s accompaniment.”
Carolyn Egan
Retired Nursing Education Coordinator, Concord, NH
“I am grateful to have spent many hours with Rachael discussing my spiritual battles. Having a daughter die from leukemia, I spent years being angry. Rachael helped me sort out the unanswerable questions and grief with compassion and a gentle guidance that was both supportive and therapeutic.”
Lou Rochford
Mental Health and Housing Advocate, Northern Vermont
“Rachael has been deeply supportive, holding space in a way that has allowed me to recognize the Holy Spirit in my own journey. As a neurodivergent person, I often make meaning and express experiences in ways that aren’t easily understood. With Rachael, I’ve felt seen, held, and honored.”
Christopher Macdonald-Dennis
Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Salem State University, Salem, MA
“Rachael helped me understand my unconventional call to ministry. She was a wonderful guide for me in my discernment process. She accepted me unconditionally both emotionally and spiritually, something I was not used to at all.”
Rachael’s compassionate presence and active listening have guided me in negotiating difficult life transitions and painful losses. Through caring discernment, she has been instrumental in helping me to ‘un-box God’, allowing me to be more attentive to the voice of Spirit. This has helped me to recognize and accept certain gifts that I was afraid to own. In embracing these gifts, I’ve learned to accept myself and bond deeper with Spirit.
Rachael’s exceptional organizational insight and expertise have been a tremendous asset to me and my congregation. When our church sought to enhance support for individuals with mental health challenges, she thoughtfully delivered comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention training to our congregational leadership and church members. This education has had a significant influence on our entire community. I deeply value Rachael’s accompaniment and wise ministerial guidance.