In the Ballou Channing District?
It’s time to register for the Healthy Congregations ™ training our district is offering starting next month. I will be facilitating this event with Ballou Channing District Executive, the Rev. Bill Zelazny. If your congregation is planning on attending, please email me so I may reserve your space and order accompanying training materials.
Details and online registration
Training dates
Saturday, November 12th
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
Overview
The two workshops in this series are for lay and ordained congregation leaders who want to develop an understanding of the congregation functioning. These workshops, developed by the Healthy Congregations organization, look at the congregation as a system. Instead of seeing separate parts, the congregation is seen as interrelated parts and interactions. No one part promotes health or illness in a system. Everything contributes for good or ill. The congregation is seen as a whole unit in need of care by the leadership.
Congregational leaders are the chief stewards. They set a mood and tone for the congregation. They are accountable for setting a direction, taking stands, staying connected to others, encouraging participation, and attending to the ongoing interplay of many conditions and forces. Leaders aware of system dynamics are essential for congregations to successfully navigate the social, cultural and religious changes that are coming upon us.
Therefore, these workshops center around the stewardship of the congregation: how leaders care for, respond to, and guide the congregation’s life. These workshops designed to help participants:
- Gain a renewed sense of purpose and mission
- Cultivate strong leadership capacities push their congregations to new levels
- Learn how to develop healthy patterns of living together in community
- Learn to focus on strength, resources, and options for the future
- Boost confidence in responding to challenges and opportunities
- Reflect theologically about relationships
- Move the congregation toward healthy functioning
Material to be covered include: creating healthy congregations, healthy congregations respond to anxiety and change; leadership in healthy congregations, healthy congregations develop generous people.
Both professional and lay leaders are welcome at these workshops. A team approach is used to explore issues, deepened insights and develop plans to take home. Therefore, teams of three or people are required to attend and all team members are expected to be present for both sessions.
Cost is $150 for a team of three which covers both sessions. Additional team members can be accommodated for $55 per additional member. It is strongly recommended that both current and upcoming congregation leaders as well as the minister and religious education staff be included in the team.
Peter Bowden 