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- Lunch & Learn for Leaders | The Endemic Church - The Reality and Possibilities for Ministry Now and Over the Next Few Years: Thursday, September 15th from 12:00-1:00 PM (REGISTER)
- Leadership Academy Foundations | Basics for Treasurers: Thursday, October 6th from 7:00-8:30 PM (REGISTER)
- Momentum | Community & Conflict Transformation: Thursday, October 20th from 7:00-9:00 PM (REGISTER)
- Lunch & Learn for Leaders | The Benefits of Coaching: October 20th from 12:00-1:00 PM (REGISTER)
- Lunch & Learn for Leaders | Introduction to Christian Contemplative Practices: Thursday, November 17th from 12:00-1:00 PM (REGISTER)
- Engaging Christian Contemplative Practices: Series starts Wednesday, January 18th from 7:00-8:30 PM (REGISTER)
- Writing Pastors, Writing Faith; Creativity as Spiritual Practice - An Affinity Group for Clergy: Series sta rts Thursday, January 26th, 2023 (REGISTER)
- Noteworthy Offerings:
- New Life for Old Church Buildings: Tuesday, September 20th from 2:00-3:00 PM (REGISTER)
- 2022 Justice Summit: Saturday, September 24th from 9:00-4:30 (LEARN MORE)
- Building Church Differently, Partners in Building: September 29th-30th (Register)
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Why Contemplative Practice?
By Rev. Matthew Carriker
What are the benefits of contemplative practice? First, check out the “Tree of Contemplative Practices” to see how many rich and diverse contemplative practices there are.
Second, look at the tree’s roots, labeled communion, connection, and awareness. Spiritual practice starts not so much with WHAT we do, as with HOW we do it. Contemplative practice is less about what we DO and more about what we are BEING.
This was one of the most important lessons I began learning in college. Working for peace in the world isn’t separate from inner peace work. The more I integrate peace and compassion through spiritual practices, the better equipped I am to be a positive change agent in the world. Similarly, the more engaged... (CONTINUE READING) (4 Minute Read).
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BUILDING A LEGACY:
Learning, Discerning, and Leaning In
Fourth in a Series of Blogs Focused on Church Legacy by Charles Kuchenbrod
Resources can get trapped or “locked up” in declining congregations. Institutional maintenance takes up more and more time and energy from fewer and fewer people, leaving little resource for community engagement, mission, and outreach.
Support for staffing and facilities takes up more and more funds from a smaller and smaller budget, leaving little funds for faith formation, discipleship development, mission and outreach.
Facilities that are larger than needed and poorly configured to meet current needs literally lock up assets... (CONTINUE READING) (2 Minute Read).
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Pastors Ask, "Does What I Do Even Matter?"
It’s happening. The wave of people leaving pastoral ministry is gathering momentum. For some it’s because they are so dang tired. For others it’s because they’re being nudged to use their gifts and energy in other spaces, whether that’s a different kind of ministry, another field altogether, or unpaid-yet-no-less valuable labor (e.g., caring for young children or aging parents). I think that underneath all of these faithful responses to leaving a congregation, though, is a question that is both practical and existential:
Does my ministry matter?
Pastors are asking this because as they were preaching God’s command to care for one another these past two years, God’s people were fighting about whether... (CONTINUE READING) (2 Minute Read)
Fall 2022 Lunch & Learn Schedule
The Center for Transformational Leadership is pleased to announce the new Fall Schedule for its hallmark Lunch & Learn for Leaders series! Beginning in September, join us on Zoom the third Thursday of each month for an hour-long session of learning facilitated by experts in various areas of church practice. These "snapshot" sessions pack important information into an introductory presentation, followed by Q&As.
Our Fall 2022 schedule includes the following sessions:
Leadership Academy Foundations:
Basics for Treasurers
Thursday, October 6th from 7:00-8:30 PM
During this 1.5-hour workshop session, featured speaker Jeff Swanberg, CPA, will share best practices as well as his extensive expertise in the area of church finance. Participants will explore ways to improve financial reporting, review the role of the Treasurer, and have opportunities to raise tax and payroll questions. Breakout sessions will be led by an expert leader in church finance from each denomination (Rev. Karen McArthur, Jeff Swanberg, CHECK WITH MARTHA ON SUSAN'S LAST NAME)
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Momentum: Community & Conflict Transformation
Thursday, October 20th from 7:00-9:00 PM
What prevents your congregation from moving forward? Do you ever feel conflict is keeping your congregation from flourishing? Churches often are locked in the “basement” level of communication – precariously hovering between conflict and compromise. This workshop explores how to create a path forward, organize your structure for momentum, “navigate the nonsense” in churches, and avoid bad habits that undermine effective communication. Led by the esteemed Rev. Doug Bixby, this workshop seeks to uncover hidden pathways to higher levels of communication that promote community and creativity in ministry.
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Writing Pastors, Writing Faith:
Creativity as Spiritual Practice
An Affinity Group for Clergy
The craft of writing is a powerful tool to understand ourselves, the world we inhabit, the faith we live, and the God we hope to know. Writing creative non-fiction (memoir, essays, personal reflections) will form the heart of this group. We’ll work on a writing prompt in preparation for each gathering. (i.e., What scares you? Describe a childhood encounter with God. Who was your first spiritual mentor?). Each meeting will include craft discussions, sharing our written pieces, and playing with the art of language and rhetoric. It will be fun! This is for writers at any level of proficiency. The main thing is to have a love for words and the power these bring to our lives.
This affinity group for writers will meet for 6 monthly zoom sessions, beginning January 2023, from 9:00-11:15 AM. Dates for this series are: 1/27/2023, 2/24/2023, 3/24/2023, 4/28/2023, 5/26/2023, and 6/23/2023. The series will culminate in a day-long retreat September, 2023.
The cost for this program is $300 per participant. Space is limited, so register soon to secure your seat!
Facilitator: Leading the workshop is the Reverend John Hudson, a longtime syndicated online and print newspaper opinion columnist, blogger, and Collegeville Institute alum and resident scholar. Hudson has served churches throughout New England for thirty years as a United Church of Christ pastor. His work has also appeared in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, USA Magazine and Bearings Online.
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