In This Issue
Intentional Interim Training
Reboot Youth Ministry Initiative
What We’re Hearing from the Church
Portico’s Pre-Retirement Seminar
ELCA Synod Assembly Video
Upcoming Events
Intentional Interim Training
This training is helpful not only for pastoral leaders seeking to explore new vocational paths but also for improving leadership skills for congregational change.
The basic curriculum is designed to introduce clergy and lay professionals to the practice of intentional interim ministry. Although focusing on Lutheran theology and polity, the training is open to all lay leaders and clergy desiring and/or called to this special ministry in congregations during a pastoral transition.
Phase I will be in person, August 12-15, at Briarwood Leadership Center.
Phase I (Planting) is a residential week ‘focusing on the theory, theology, leadership skills, and congregational systems related to intentional interim ministry
Phase II will be over time and completed individually.
Phase II (Cultivating) is a six-month experience in a parish or institutional setting, ideally in a leadership transition, in which the participant in this program “puts into practice” the material learned in Phase I.
Phase III will be in person, February 10-13, 2020, also held at Briarwood.
Phase III (Harvesting) is the second residential week, in which, through a group process, you will share one of your critical incident reports, review material learned in Phase I, and learn more about the dynamics of congregations in pastoral transition, and your leadership skills and needs. You will also discuss the biblical and theological connections in this special ministry.
Led by Paul Svingen, Tim Drom, and Susan Baldwin. Click here for promotional copy that includes biographies.
Registration with full payment of only $1,195 per person due by Wednesday, June 26. This incredible pricing is for all 3 phases, including meals during Phases I and III, as well as the Insights Inventory, and is heavily subsidized by the Briarwood Leadership Center and the NT-NL Synod, ELCA.
Housing on-site at Briarwood is available at an additional cost of $105/night single occupancy. You can book this when you register.
Minimum of 16 registrants required to hold training. Registrants will be notified by Monday, July 1.
Reboot Youth Ministry Initiative
Applications are now open through July 10 for churches interested in participating in the Reboot Youth Ministry Initiative, a program designed to strengthen congregational ministries with youth through programmatic innovation.
The program originated with a five-year, $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Perkins School of Theology announced in December. Co-directors of the grant are the Bart Patton, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Education, and Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, Associate Dean, Office of External Programs.
Reboot will select and resource a cohort of 18 congregations within a 300-mile radius of Dallas without a paid full-time youth worker. These 18 congregations—the “Starter Cohort”—will undergo a discovery process to determine the viability of ministries with youth in their communities and will be introduced to current innovation models for youth ministries. From this cohort, 12 congregations will be selected as the “Innovation Cohort” to apply for resources provided by the grant to build and sustain an innovative model for congregational ministry with youth.
The final objective is to share the findings, including processes, youth ministry models and stories derived from the cohort congregations and other project participants through public venues including online and print resources, the Perkins School of Youth Ministry, and a Finale Innovation Lab Symposium.
According to Patton, the project’s co-director, the rapidly changing face of youth ministry in both rural and urban congregations was the impetus for this project. “Youth ministry is at a significant juncture right now,” said the veteran of more than two decades as a youth worker. “It’s our hope that this new endeavor will provide useful resources to congregations as they navigate ministry with adolescents in their communities.”
Shifting the focus from a full-time paid youth worker to a more comprehensive model in which the entire congregation sees itself as the center of ministry with youth is the key to this innovative project, according to Dr. Pope-Levison.
To be eligible, churches must be within 300 miles of Dallas, must not have a full-time paid youth minister, and be ready to innovate. Churches of all denominations and non-denominational churches are eligible.
For more information about the initiative, visit the website at smu.edu/perkins/reboot or contact staff at reboot@smu.edu.
What We’re Hearing from the Church
In fall 2018, faculty/staff teams from Luther Seminary visited a dozen ELCA synods across the country to listen to local pastors, lay leaders, and synodical staff. The key question was: what do leaders need to know, or know how to do, to be faithful and effective in a rapidly changing world? Read the results here.
Portico’s Pre-Retirement Seminar
Retirement takes planning. Whether it feels light years away or just around the corner, Portico’s Pre-Retirement Seminar can help plan members prepare. And it’s coming to First Lutheran Church in Temple, Texas, on September 24.
In the morning, learn how to invest for your future in the midst of current financial goals. In the afternoon, discover ways to create a sustainable income in retirement. Join for the morning, afternoon, or both.
Invest in some peace of mind knowing what to focus on – and when – to navigate the path ahead.
Learn more and register by August 24 at PRS-TX.eventbrite.com
Questions? Call Portico at 800.352.2876
The event is also listed on the Education Calendar on myPortico.
Bishop Gronberg will be participating. To promote good stewardship, we set a minimum attendance of 30 for these seminars and will cancel if interest is low.
ELCA Synod Assembly Video
If you missed it at our NT-NL Synod Assembly and in our NT-NL Weekly News, or if you would like to view it again…
Upcoming Events
Here are leadership highlights:
Jun. 8: Public Witness Team monthly meeting, Arlington, TX
Jun. 8: MEF Board meeting, Arlington, TX
Jun. 8: Discovering Hope: Building Vitality in Your Congregation, Arlington, TX
Jun. 8: East Texas – North Louisiana WELCA “The Gathering”, Mabank, TX
Jun. 9: “Transforming Discipleship: Faith, Love and Hope after Empire”, Dallas, TX
Jun. 14-15: “All Times and All Places Praise the Lord” Workshop & Hymn Festival, Fort Worth, TX
Jun. 22: Worship Together Summer Experience, Richland Hills, TX
Jun. 29: Better Conversations workshop, Arlington, TX
Jul. 13: Public Witness Team monthly meeting, Arlington, TX
Aug. 5-10: ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Milwaukee, WI
Aug. 10: Public Witness Team monthly meeting, Arlington, TX
Aug. 12-15: Intentional Interim Training, Argyle, TX
Aug. 17: WELCA Annual Women’s/Girl’s Retreat, Grand Prairie, TX
Aug. 31: ELCA Generosity Project workshop, Keller, TX
For a complete list of upcoming events in, and important to, our Synod, you can access our Calendar of Events online.