John Frederick (Fred) Lehr is an ELCA pastor (graduate of Lutheran TS in Gettysburg, and Drew-D.Min). He is the founder and Manager of Renewal Ministries, LLC, a ministry of training and consulting for church systems, church leaders, and church professionals with special emphasis on conflict management, change management, healthy boundaries, stress management, healthy congregations, and more. The author has suffered from many of the codependent behaviors of church leadership he describes in this manuscript. For eight years he worked at the Church Renewal Center, a specialized treatment program at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, designed exclusively for church professionals. Many of the people he worked with had problems that stemmed from their codependence. His D. Min. project was on stress management and spiritual wellness. He continues to expand his ministry as the founder and manager of Renewal Ministries LLC.
