The Development Center
Learning Groups
Developing and Using Your Pastoral Authority
A Small Learning Group for Clergywomen
Do you wish that you could:
- Be taken seriously when you speak?
- Feel respected and effective in your ministry?
- Garner the resources needed for a project or program?
- Not be exhausted from saying "yes" to everything?
This leaning group is for clergywomen who want to develop and use their Pastoral Authority. [LEARN MORE]
The Authority of the Pastor
A Small Learning Group for Pastors and Rectors
This may sound familiar:
- You are a Pastor or Rector and have a nagging feeling that things are "all right"; but not good enough.
- You know your congregation with its abundant personal and material resources has what it takes to respond authentically and creatively to God's activity in the world but this is not happening.
- You may have arrived with a vision that has not materialized and are beginning to wonder if it was more about your ego than God's purpose.
- You may have even tried some best practices for missional activity and church growth and discovered that best practices do not transplant well. You have come to realize the limitations of technical fixes.
- However, you remain clear that you belong as a leader of this congregation and that ministry is not about staying alive but thriving. You are ready to dig deep within yourself to discover how your unique gifts and talents may be of more service to God and the Church. You have a deep longing to discern God's call to your church and its purpose. You are genuinely curious about God's ongoing activity in the world and how you can lead and manage to align ministry with it. In other words you are ready to explore God's purpose for your congregation and how to gain genuine Pastoral Authority.
This leaning group is designed for pastors or rectors of complex congregations who are the senior leader or a very seasoned associate. They lead churches that have serveral clergy or programmatic staff besides directors of music. [LEARN MORE]