Tuesday - June 2, 2009
8:00-10:00 am PDC Meeting
9:00-11:00 am
Pre Conference Seminar:
Healing the Wounded Congregation
This workshop will focus on healing steps for congregations following betrayals of trust, sudden losses, and old patterns of dysfunctional communication. Using materials from her books, Healthy Disclosure and Preventing Sexual Abuse in Congregations, Rev. Dr. McClintock will help participants to respond to the needs of wounded churches by creating transparency in their own leadership and transparent systems within congregations. Attendance fees are included in registration.
Rev. Dr. Karen A. McClintock is a clinical psychologist and a member of the clergy in the United Methodist Church. A nationally known lecturer and consultant on sexuality issues in the church, she currently is in clinical practice and is an adjunct professor in the psychology department at Southern Oregon University. She is also the author of Sexual Shame: An Urgent Call to Healing.
9:00-11:00 am
Pre Conference Seminar:
Best Practices in Transitional Ministry For Judicatories
In this workshop, Hall and Hand will present an overview of current options that strengthen transitional ministry practices in the SEPA Synod of the ELCA. They will present a number of original and powerful tools that (1) get to the heart of the Core Identity of Systems, (2) present a new Theological Model for Ministry that helps congregations plan for the future, and (3) World Café Events that help to guide congregational systems through transformational processes.
Attendance fees are included in registration.
Revs. Larry Hand and Vicki Hall. Ordained pastors with both administrative and interim experience, “Hand and Hall” have worked with various expressions of the larger Church, including the Greater Phoenix Synod/ELCA and their ecumenical partners, the Interim Ministry Guild of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
9:00 am-3:00 pm Registration
10:00-11:00 am PTS Meeting
11:00-12:00 First Time Conference Attendees Q&A
1:00-1:15 pm
Conference Welcome and Devotion
With Rev. Nancy Miller & Dr. Todd Farley
1:15-2:45 pm
General Session
Keynote - Rev. Dr. Karen McClintock
Creating A Shame-Free Congregation
Just like ordinary families, most congregations have secrets going back one or more generations. Those secrets are surrounded by shame and even when the secret is told, the shame may not be healed. How do we open up old secrets, and how do we heal that shame? Clergy in interim ministries are often asked to be loyal to old secrets. Yet our willingness to lovingly speak the truth can replace that shame with transparency and safety. Join us to learn how a shame-based church can become a place of joy, vibrancy, growth, and grace.
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
To Touch or Not to Touch: Dilemmas in Pastoral Care
Every congregation has within it the usher who hugs too much. Is this okay, or is it harassment? In pastoral care a person may start crying – is this a time to touch? In this funny and interactive workshop participants will learn the infamous side hug, role play hug judo, explore their own touch preferences, and improve their multicultural sensitivity in the areas of personal touch boundaries.
Rev. Dr. Karen McClintock
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
What are Successful Churches Doing to Stay Successful?
Growing, thriving mainline churches do not happen by accident. They are mission driven, entrepreneurial in spirit, and adaptive to the changing environment of their communities and of the times. This workshop, taught by a successful practitioner, will explore these and other characteristics of successful churches.
Rev. John Sabatelli a native of New York, is a graduate of the City University of New York and the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. Ordained in 1971, He has been the Senior Pastor at Christ Church in the City of Baltimore, MD since 1983.
Pastor Sabatelli received a Doctorate of Divinity Honoris Causa from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for his outstanding leadership and faithful commitment not only to Christ Church, but also the wider church community, including the Delaware-Maryland Synod and the ELCA.
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
I'm a Techno-phobe, Where do I Begin?
If you know your church’s communications systems needs to leave the 1950's behind, but you don't know where to begin, begin here.
A few simple pointers on communications technology basics for a church that has little to no budget and few or no technology people.
Rev. Michelle McNamara is currently the Interim Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Huntley IL. She has been a minister in the United Church of Christ since 1994. In addition to using her intellectual gifts to assist congregations in slowly moving technologically into this new century, Rev. McNamara uses her artistic gifts as potter and painter to work with churches in theology and the arts.
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
Congregational Grief: Beyond the 5 Stages
The publication of Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross of On Death and Dying in 1969 was such an important book that her 5 stages of grief is not just foundational for the vast majority of other grief research and understanding, but the stages have even entered into the popular culture itself. They still operate as the basic understanding of how congregations deal with grief. But a closer look at congregations in grief, especially in light of a systems approach, reveals that the 5 stages of grief are not completely adequate. We will re-examine the 5 stages, look at some of the systemic factors at work in a grieving congregation and offer suggestions that have been used in congregations to work through a grieving situation.
Rev. Doug Stenby has been an Interim Pastor in the Northwest Washington Synod (Seattle) of the ELCA since 2001 and is in his fifth interim in this Synod, although he also has interim experience in North Dakota.
He has served as Interim Coordinator of the NW Washington Synod for two years and is a graduate of Northwestern College and Luther Seminary (1984), both in St. Paul, Minnesota. Rev. Stenby has served on the North Dakota State Critical Incident Stress Management team.
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
Creative Preaching
Come participate with a lecture that has been presented at the National Academy of Homiletics, Princeton and Fuller Theological Seminary.
The workshop examines the way we use creativity in preaching, especially as it relates to gesture, posture and dramatic expressions. It is designed to help all preachers become more aware of what they are communicating through their body. It also examines the use of creativity in preaching: i.e. the use of the arts to illustrate or capture the sermon's meaning.
Dr. Todd Farley received his arts training in Paris, France under the tutorship of the legendary Marcel Marceau. In 1985 he developed the program which would lead to the founding of Mimeistry (www.mimeistry.com). Dr. Farley received his Ph.D in Theology and Culture and served as Fuller's Artist in Residence and the Director of the Institute for Dramatic Arts.
Dr. Farley serves as the interim senior pastor at the Second Congregational United Church of Christ in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
3:00-4:00 pm
Workshop:
Confronting Criticism
Everyone receives both constructive and destructive criticism throughout their lives. In this workshop, participants will name varying forms of criticism and then we will provide some tools to disarm the critics. The class seeks to enable interim pastors and others with the disarming tools needed to reverse the critical mindset and to make whatever criticisms might come less threatening and more productive.
Rev. Nik Donges is ordained in the Disciples of Christ denomination and has been a minister for 38 years. A graduate of Ashland University and Lexington Theological Seminary. He has a long-standing interest in both music and psychology. A consultant and trainer, Rev. Donges is an expert in teaching listening skills.
4:15 Denominational Meetings
6:00-7:00 pm Welcome Reception
Free Evening / Dinner on Own
7:00-9:00 pm
Judicatory Dinner
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Karen McClintock
Judicatories deal with past and present knowledge about clergy. Personnel matters are extremely complicated due to the fact that confidentiality may, in fact, be secrecy. What can be said about the past, and what can’t? What are legal and ethical limits of information sharing? The concepts of need to know and fiduciary duty will be explored in this lecture.
Wednesday - June 3, 2009
6:30-8:00 am Breakfast - IMN Package
8:30-9:45 am
Worship
Interfaith in Difficult Times
This extended worship service is a celebration of our Judeo-Christian community. We will worship together as an interfaith community, interweaving the stories and practices of Judaism and Christianity with an emphasis on our common themes and directions. Worship leaders will be of both traditions.
Our preacher will be Dr. Walter Jacob.
10:00-11:30 am
Workshop:
Writing Mindfully: Exploring the Sacred Ordinary
Using songwriting, creative writing and discussion, this workshop explores the idea of writing with a spiritual current and the different ways this energy is expressed. A Carrie Newcomer workshop acknowledges that there is great value in an ordinary life, lived extraordinarily well, that there is power and healing in the telling of a story and encourages the use of unique voices. In a supportive and nurturing environment Carrie gives students new practical tools for creating more exciting and effective songs while encouraging them to "push their edges" and to reach inside themselves and into the world a little further and a little deeper.
Carrie Newcomer. A good friend of IMN, singer, songwriter and teacher. Carrie Newcomer is well-known to our members. She will perform at the Wednesday night banquet and at the closing worship service on Thursday. Her theme? “The ordinary life lived extraordinarily well.”
10:00-11:30 am
Workshop:
Interim Consulting
This practical new cooperative program between IMN and Center for Congregational Health helps train intentional interim ministers to organize and offer their special expertise and experience to clients on a part or full-time consulting basis.
Dr. Chris Gambill is a Senior Consultant for The Center for Congregational Health, Dr. Gambill has recently served as the Baptist campus minister at Appalachian State University and has served as a pastor, interim pastor, youth minister and foreign missionary. He is an Intentional Interim Minister and a trainer for the Interim Ministry Network. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and just received his Ph.D.
10:00-11:30 am
Workshop:
Media Basics: A Tool Kit for Interim Clergy
This workshop will cover a number of topics designed to help a church open up its doors more to the wider community. Often an interim pastor steps into a church that is either in conflict or which has fallen into stagnation and recession. In the process many churches have lost their energy and are far less evangelistic and welcoming. The presenter, The Rev. Dr. George Martin, was the founder and Executive Director of the Church Ad Project (www.churchad.com), which produced print ads for churches to use. He teaches about ways for the church to use media tools to welcome people, to promote service ministries, and to share the church's story. In each of the five interims he has found ways to help each church look at the way it interfaces with the wider community. This workshop will explore issues of advertising, signage, web-site design, public relations and it will also introduce the idea of event evangelism.
Rev. George Martin has done five interims since 2000. Having been the Executive Director of the Church Ad Project and author of four books related to evangelism and church growth he has conducted seminars throughout the Episcopal church in more than 40 dioceses. He served as President of TMEC (Transitional Ministry in the Episcopal Church) from 2005 to 2007 and is currently on the board of the Interim Ministry Network.
10:00-11:30 am
Workshop:
Judaism and Jewish Identity
In a time of interfaith tensions it is especially important important for various faith communities to understand one another. In this workshop Michael will give an introduction to contemporary Jewish identity, belief and practice. He will also discuss the differences between the various Jewish denominations/movements.
Rabbi Michael Remson ordained in 1973, has served both settled and transitional congregations. He has been active in interfaith activities and is one of the founders of the DuPage Interfaith Resource Network. Rabbi Remson has devoted considerable time over the years to teaching at colleges, churches and schools in Illinois and Wisconsin.
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch - IMN Package
1:30-3:00 pm
Workshop:
Reading In or Reading Out: A New Look at Some Ancient Texts
The early Jewish sages understood that there is often a fine line between exegesis and eisegesis. They taught that there are 70 ways to understand any biblical passage. In this workshop Michael will look at some biblical texts to see if they necessarily mean what most people, and most clergy, think they mean.
Rabbi Michael Remson
1:30-3:00 pm
Workshop:
How to do Successful Management in a High Maintenance Facility.
Successful programmatic and corporate churches require excellent management and administration not only to insure good stewardship of the church's fiscal resources and property, but to prevent and/or handle conflicts that will arise due to staff and laity having different priorities and foci. Issues related to the above centering around communication and transparency will be explored in this workshop.
Rev. John Sabatelli
1:30-3:00 pm
Workshop:
Quick Response Ministers
Ministry in transitional settings where there has been the added trauma of sudden death or unexplained departure of previous leadership adds extra layers of anxiety and reactivity. It also requires additional skills for the transitional leader.
In recent years practitioners have begun to talk of first response or crisis response interim ministry as the means of intervention in deeply traumatic episodes of congregational life. The focus of this workshop will be conversational, as participants share their experiences, cite the skills they utilized and explore areas for development of a national cadre of interventionists whose life situation would allow them to be on site within a matter of days. Issues of deployment, contracting, temporary housing and self-care, among others, will be addressed. If you have served as short term interim practitioner in a severely traumatized congregation, you are invited to join this conversation.
Harris Schultz. is retired after 40 years in active ministry, the last 15 in service to eight transitional congregations small and large. In retirement he continues to teach interim ministry in several Presbyterian educational sites and is a member of the APIMS council and editor of “The Bridge” , APIMS' quarterly newsletter.
1:30-3:00 pm
Workshop:
From Depression to Discernment: Tailoring Appreciative Inquiry for Spiritual Renewal
Like the current economy, many of our religious organizations are depressed and do not feel hopeful about their futures. Learn how to adapt the Appreciative Inquiry model, integrating spirituality with other tools, to bring organized, values-driven renewal into a variety of transitional scenarios faced by interim ministers. This exciting presentation will include benefits realized and limitations experienced in actual case studies.
Rev. Sharon Kiesel is a Disciples of Christ intentional interim minister who serves Disciples and UCC churches in Ohio. She integrates twenty-two years of business and military experience in strategic planning and administration into her calling, as well as a Master’s degree in Systems Management from USC.
1:30-3:00 pm
Workshop:
Interfaith Efforts through a European Perspective - What Can we Learn ?
The homogeneous societies of Europe look at dialogue very differently. We can learn from them and they from us.
Dr. Walter Jacob. Walter Jacob is President of the Abraham Geiger College in Berlin, the first rabbinic seminary in continental Europe since the Holocaust. He is the author, editor, and translator of thirty-eight books and hundreds of articles in the fields of Jewish law, ethics, and Bible. He served as rabbi of the Rodef Shalom Congregation, Pittsburgh, PA for forty-two years and is now its Senior Scholar.
3:15-4:15pm Open Space
4:15-5:15pm IMN Annual Membership Meeting
6:30
Banquet and an Evening with Carrie Newcomer
Thursday - June 4, 2009
6:30-8:00 am Breakfast - IMN Package
8:30-10:30 am
Workshop:
Aspects of Narrative Leadership
This seminar explores the principles and strategies of effective narrative work in the practice of effective interim ministry. The frameworks for narrative work come from a 3 year research initiative at the Alban Institute on “Narrative Leadership,” which explored how local pastors and congregations use story retrieval, cultivation and reframing to advance their ministries. The frameworks for interim work focus on the five developmental tasks at the core of interim work and expand these vis a vis narrative strategies to become as collaborative and dynamic as possible. The presentations and small group work will focus on the creative interface between narrative leadership and interim ministry. This “narrative reframing” of the developmental tasks of interim work refocus that work as truly “adaptive leadership” in the sense Ron Heifitz talks about. How can narrative strategies improve the interim period as a time of deep learning to face new, adaptive challenges?
Rev. Larry Goleman is a Research Associate at the Alban Institute who coordinates the Narrative Leadership, Transition into Ministry and other projects. He is ordained in the PCUSA, has served as a theological educator in Asia and the U.S. and was recently a researcher and co-author of the Carnegie Foundation's study of theological education: “Educating Clergy.”
8:30-10:30 am
Workshop:
Making the Quantum Leap with Successful Results!
Great pastors can make wonderful intentional interim ministers, but it is not a given. Making the “Quantum Leap” of success from pastor to intentional interim minister requires more than just being able to understand church; it requires a pastor to understand church system dynamics, facilitate the intentional interim process and know what’s happening within herself/himself.
In this one hour session you can hear about coaching, the benefits of coaching and how coaching can fit into the intentional interim process and take you to the next step of intentional interim ministry.
Rev. Melissa Clodfelter is the Coaching Coordinator for The Center for Congregational Health. Rev. Clodfelter is an ICF certified coach and has been coaching ministers with the Center for over 4 years. Rev. Clodfelter is also Director of Vocational Formation at Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
8:30-10:30 am
Workshop:
Natural Disasters
This presentation will focus on the way churches can play an essential role in helping members prepare for and recover from disasters. Topics will include: stages of disasters and disaster recovery, ways churches can prepare its buildings and its members for potential disasters, creating communication systems to stay connected during and immediately after a disaster, supporting the immediate physical and safety needs, participating in community recovery, how immediate clergy and church response can assist with the long-term emotional recovery and how clergy and churches can support the process.
Rev. Bill Livingston is a graduate of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. Rev. Livingston has conducted numerous workshops with emphasis on church growth, stewardship, racial reconciliation, conflict resolution and applying systems theory to congregations.
8:30-10:30 am
Workshop:
Managing Conflict by Managing Yourself
This workshop offers interim ministers some skills and ways of thinking about conflict that allow the minister to remain grounded in faith and confident in self. Topics include: healthy ways of being in conflicted situations, roles and boundaries of the interim minister, understanding one's strengths, limitations, and blind spots, and knowing when and where to call for outside assistance.
Rev. Bill Peterson is a Professional Transition Specialist and member of the IMN faculty, currently serving as an Interim Minister. He Holds a BS in Physics, a M.Div., MSW, and an Ed.D. in Professional Continuing Education, as well as specialized training in other church topics.
Rev. Gail Anne Benson is a Professional Interim Minister with 11 years' experience as Interim Minister in a total of 5 churches. She is a Healthy Congregations trainer. She holds a BA degree in Education, an M. Div., and specialized training in Conflict Management, and other church-related topics.
8:30-10:30 am
Workshop:
First Time Interims Q and A Session
10:45-12:00 noon
General Session – Keynote
Rev. Larry Goleman
12:00-12:45 pm
Closing, Sending Worship/Communion Service
Rev. John Keydel and Carrie Newcomer
12:45 Adjourn
1:30-4:30 pm
*Post Conference Seminar
Expanded Narrative Leadership
Rev. Larry Goleman
A three-year study at Albans examined how local pastors and congregations advance their ministry through story retrieval, cultivation and reframing. The seminar will expand the five developmental tasks through collaborative and dynamic techniques/ Narrative reframing help to refocus the interim developmental tasks to adapt to unique situations.
Additional Registration and Fee will apply.
6:00-9:00 pm IMN Faculty Meeting
Friday - June 5, 2009
8:00-12:00 IMN Faculty Meeting
Program is subject to change without notice
