Being in Relationship:
2023 Pastor2Pastor Focus
Step One:
Take more time than you think you have to sit quietly and rest in the delight of the Lord... "Let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24
Step Two: Re-evaluate and act on the P2P Focus Framework
Building Relationships
Daily and weekly quiet time with the Holy Spirit
Sabbath/Soulcare/Selfcare resources
Engage a trusted close friend (preferably outside of PGA) with whom you authentically can answer the question "How are you?"
Networking Opportunities:
*"Now This is Interesting" newsletter features new expressions of love and light providing connectional opportunities
Quarterly Clergy Gatherings - regional in person lunches
P2P Team - here to listen and pray with you
Step Three: Committing to a time for trusted peer group, aka Cohort
The Pastor2Pastor Connection newsletter (comes out on 15th of each month) offers new opportunities each month.
The GRIT Cohorts and Toolkit makes it easy to start your own.
Cohorts for pastors and (separately) ruling elders are included in the Vital Congregations Initiative. If your church is not signed up yet for this initiative, check with your PGA consultant for more information.
Johnson C Smith Theological Seminary is offering several amazing cohort learning opportunities in 2023. Check out the website jcsts.org for more offerings.
Ongoing webinars, seminars, events and cohorts:
Union Seminary Leadership Institute
Additional SoulCare Resources:
· Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero
· How God Changes Your Brain Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman
· Pastor Take a Sabbath Each Week by Pastor Rick Warren
· Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
· Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller
· Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann
· Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a NonStop World by A.J. Swoboda
· Your Brain is not for Thinking (article) by Lisa Barrett. November 2020 In stressful times, this surprising lesson from neuroscience may help to lessen your anxieties.
Tools:
· Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting by Marva Dawn
· Lectio Divina Journaling (link)
· Sabbath in the Suburbs: A Family’s Experiment with Holy Time by MaryAnn McKibben Dana
· If you have children, make it a family day and have each child select the theme for the day. Great resource for young families too busy to have a sabbath.
· This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems by Wendell Berry
· The Trauma Pastoral Care Series (video series) by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. No time for all of the series? Take four minutes and hear an excellent framework for you own SelfCare for Clergy.
· A commitment to personal rituals can sustain clergy, even during a pandemic article by: Matt Bloom Professor, Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame
· Faith and Leadership A learning resource for Christian leaders and their institutions from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
A Day Apart at the Calvin Center in one of the Conference Lodge rooms overlooking Lake Calvin. 1-2 nights are available at no costs to pastors and their families (subject to availability). We are also available for day spiritual retreats where you can come canoeing, fishing, hiking or walking the prayer labyrinth.
If there is a group at Calvin, food can be provided at a discounted cost, otherwise you will need to provide your own. You may also find a number of dining options within 15-20 minutes of campus.
Contact Marilyn@calvincenter.org for more information
If you are new to Soulcare/SelfCare, begin here:
Overview: Soulcare/Selfcare for Pastors (presentation)
Why is this important for me? (Link)
Take a few minutes for self assessment
Make a commitment to take one next right step.
Sabbath - resources to left
Grit Cohort (below)
More suggestions (Link)
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GRIT Cohorts
Pastors/Validated Ministers/HR GRIT Cohorts
Consider convening or joining a GRIT Cohort:
GRIT Cohorts are self-selected and self-directed groups of 3-5 peers sharing covenant time together around the cornerstones of Grief.Resilience.Innovation.Truth.
Step 1: Use this GRIT Convener Toolkit to help your discernment
Step 2: Choose
Convene your own group
Join one being created
And finally, Contact Jane to create your own cohort or join an open cohort
Ongoing Cohort Opportunities:
Soul Metrics
Rev Dr. Paul Burns, creator and founder of Soul-Metrics facilitated retreat for the Presbytery Staff using The GPS Spiritual Inventory, A Christ-Centered Approach to Spiritual Health.
New Essentials of Spiritual Health cohort begins almost monthly meeting weekly for 12 weeks. Check the website.
Paul describes, "We will go through each of the nine metrics of the GPS through my curriculum 'The Nine Essentials of Spiritual Health.'" The cohort will be made up of ministry leaders from around the country. The cost is $600, but the coupon code GRACE gives $100 off, making it $500/person. It includes 11 group sessions and two coaching sessions. Feel free to share the coupon code with your Presbytery. There are new cohorts starting with a limit of 10 per cohorts."
TFE- Ministry Leader Formation Cohorts
The Theology, Formation and Evangelism Department of the Presbyterian Mission Agency is offering several excellent free cohort opportunities for 2023.
For a complete list of cohorts: TFE-Ministry-Leader-Formation-Cohorts