Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley
The Saint Paul Area Synod's 2023 Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders offers 10 workshops that cover a variety of topics related to the life of a faith community. These sessions are geared toward church staff, council and committee members and other lay leaders. Be sure to review the content below to decide which sessions you wish to attend - you'll be required to make selections as part of the registration process!
We hope your congregation will send many participants so you have representation at each of the sessions and can share what you learned with others! Download a PDF of these workshop descriptions and presenters.
Click here to return to the main event page with the day's schedule.
Governance, Management and Decision Making for Presidents & Vice-Presidents [Part 1]
In congregational leadership, the roles of the council president and vice-president have unique opportunities and challenges. Council presidents and VPs, from the newly elected to the most seasoned, are encouraged to attend this forum to receive template materials and discuss in both small and large groups critical topics of common interest and concern. These range from the basics of running an effective meeting and delegating to more complex themes such as pastoral support, conflict resolution, and setting up a process for evaluation. As part of the registration process, please share your input on relevant discussion topics. Each part of the forum will focus on different topics to best utilize this workshop time, so please plan to attend both Part 1 and Part 2 (before and after lunch).
Dave Webb is a former superintendent for South St. Paul Public Schools and the current president of the council at Shepherd of the Hills in Shoreview. Dave is the author of Homerun Leadership: Your Guide to Better, Faster Team Decisions. He loves helping other leaders thrive in their callings.
No More 'Next Time': Effectively Interrupting Harm & Negativity in the Moment
This engaging session is designed to provide concrete tools to support all bystanders in speaking up or responding immediately and effectively when microaggressions, bias, or other negative and uncomfortable moments occur in personal or professional spaces. We will use research, personal stories, videos, and participant participation in the important work of providing an inclusive environment where people feel equipped to recognize and respond. Concepts such as bias, microaggressions, allyship, color blindness, and intent vs impact will be discussed. Participants will leave feeling prepared to recognize and speak up in the moment, instead of waiting for the next time, or until it's too late.
Seema Pothini is the director of ally management at Humanize My Hoodie. Seema is an educator who is passionate about racial equity and creating inclusive learning environments.
Understanding Implicit Bias
All of us are inundated with information to help our brain make faster and safer decisions. However, those gut reactions can cause us to make judgements about others that aren't accurate. Come learn what implicit bias is, how we can spot it in ourselves, and what it looks like to work through it. This will be a hands-on experience focused on equipping all with skills to use moving forward…not a guilt session!
As the director of strategic partnerships with Faith and Prejudice, Anna Stamborski supports the creation of strategic relationships in order to build strong coalitions across the country. Anna is a certified restorative justice educator, mediator, licensed public teacher, and qualitative researcher of congregations. She holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and degrees in Education and Spanish (BS) from the University of Wisconsin.
Becoming an Effective Treasurer
The materials covered will provide a basic lesson on budgets, expenditures, cash flow, and balancing the books while keeping good stewardship of your congregation's financial resources in mind. Treasurers and financial administrators encouraged to attend.
David Laden is the comptroller at Como Park Lutheran, St. Paul, serves as synod council treasurer, and is a member of the synod's Finance Committee.
Governance, Management and Decision Making for Presidents & Vice-Presidents [Part 2]
In congregational leadership, the roles of the council president and vice-president have unique opportunities and challenges. Council presidents and VPs, from the newly elected to the most seasoned, are encouraged to attend this forum to receive template materials and discuss in both small and large groups critical topics of common interest and concern, from the basics of running an effective meeting and delegating to more complex themes such as pastoral support, conflict resolution, and setting up a process for evaluation. As part of the registration process for your input on relevant discussion topics. Each part of the forum will focus on different topics to best utilize this workshop time, so please plan to attend both Part 1 and Part 2 (before and after lunch).
Dave Webb is a former superintendent for South St. Paul Public Schools and the current president of the council at Shepherd of the Hills in Shoreview. Dave is the author of Homerun Leadership: Your Guide to Better, Faster Team Decisions. He loves helping other leaders thrive in their callings.
Hybrid Ministry: What Is It & Why Do It?
Lutheran Church of Peace in Maplewood recently called a part-time pastor of hybrid ministry. As we tell people about that call many ask: What is hybrid ministry? And why call a pastor to that ministry? This workshop will describe the what and why of hybrid ministry from one congregation's perspective. Participants will learn how experiments during COVID opened imagination, why to invest in this emerging ministry, and what is at the core of this ministry.
Watch Pastor Terri's session preview.
Terri Elton is the dean of academic affairs and professor of leadership at Luther Seminary. She is also pastor of hybrid ministry at Lutheran Church of Peace in Maplewood. Terri has served at the Saint Paul Area Synod and at Prince of Peace in Burnsville.
Graceful & Effective Advocacy
Faith-based advocacy on issues around poverty, hunger, care of creation, and other concerns should be a reflection of our faith values. Yet in a society in which individuals increasingly identify first by political party, how do we express these values in our advocacy without being partisan ourselves? How do we avoid triggers and keep disagreements from becoming hostile engagements, rather than grace-filled exchanges? How can we share perspectives and viewpoints while respecting the views of those with whom we disagree ? And how can we most effectively advocate our positions with our legislators in ways they can hear us? A combination of separate workshops on "Graceful Engagement" and "Effective Advocacy," this session will offer tools to examine interaction styles, messaging, and effective ways to connect with legislators.
Tammy Walhof has served as director of Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota since 2014. Previously, she served as Regional Organizer (Upper Midwest and Plains) and Senior Organizer at Bread for the World for 19 years. Her passion for justice has led her to volunteer with low-income families in the U.S., work for six years in development in Latin America, travel to various African countries, and work in advocacy for more than 20 years. Tammy is a graduate of the Dordt College and Binghamton University (NY).
Peer Ministry SKILLS
LOVE: we preach it, teach it, sing it… seldom do we give the actual SKILLS to live it. Peer ministry is about livable, doable, repeatable relational skills. We are most known for our work with high school youth but, we also have relational skill training for middle school, young adults, upper elementary and yes, even adults! We’ll explore the whats, whys and hows of peer ministry leadership through some interactive experiences. Come consider starting a program or weaving the skills throughout existing programs.
Lyle Griner is a peer ministry leadership director. He is a writer, trainer, speaker and a connoisseur of “Aha” moments as soulfully curious participants wrestle with the nuances of faith and life. Lyle works across the country to help congregations of all denominations develop people as peer ministers, living their faith every day, everywhere, in every relationship.
The Power of Calling
How would our lives and our congregations be different if more of us lived out of a deep sense of our meaning and purpose in life? This is what would happen if we discovered and embraced God’s “callings,” both individual and corporate. While calling or vocation is central to Lutheran theology, it is an oft neglected gift to empower our individual lives and our life together. Come and discover how creating a culture of calling changed one congregation, and how it can empower yours.
Watch Pastor Jeff's session preview.
Jeff Marian has served as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville for over 14 years. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown boys and live in Lakeville. Originally from Philadelphia, Jeff has served congregations in Rockford and Gurnee, Ill., and Columbus, Ohio. He is an avid cyclist, a voracious reader and a bourbon enthusiast. He is also a certified leadership coach for both the church and business communities and owner of Marian Coaching, LLC.