2025 Tool Kit Workshops


2025 Tool Kit Workshops

The Saint Paul Area Synod’s 2025 Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders (Saturday, Feb. 22 at Shepherd of the Valley in Apple Valley) offers nine workshops that cover a variety of topics related to the life of a faith community. These sessions are geared toward lay leaders such as council and committee members, church staff and anyone else from a congregation who’s interested.

Be sure to review the workshop descriptions 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.

Session 1 | 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Presidents & Vice Presidents: Leading a Church Council

Leading a church council can be daunting! This session is for all church council members and it is geared toward how to lead a council and congregation through normal times and not so normal times. This session will discuss trust building, discipleship, governance, management, strategy, constitutions, running meetings, making decisions and more. Come and learn together, connect with one another, and dive into lay leadership!

Jim Buckley is the president of St. John’s in Lakeville. Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer is the assistant to the bishop for lay leadership and equity initiatives.

Decision or Discernment?

We each make hundreds if not thousands of decisions every day. Most we make without even realizing we are engaging in a process of decision making. Some decisions, however, weigh heavier and take longer to make. Discernment is the fancy word the church uses to describe an intentional process of inviting the Spirit to join you in making decisions. Join us in learning hands-on tools for listening to the Spirit as you make personal choices or decisions together as a faith community.

Deacon Krista Lind serves as the assistant to the bishop for vocational formation and oversees the synod’s candidacy process and assists leaders as they mature in their understanding of vocation.

Robert Two Bulls headshot

Understanding the Opioid Crisis: From Epidemic to Settlements

Your congregation can play a vital role in opioid response advocacy and community support! Learn about the origins of the crisis, its societal impacts, and funding opportunities at the state and local levels through opioid settlement councils. Attendees will gain practical insights into emergency interventions, learn how to promote inclusion in opioid response and apply for resources to support local efforts. Pastor Seth Perry will also share success stories from grant recipients, including his own project.

Seth Perry is the pastor at Elim, Scandia, and prominent mental health advocate as a speaker and content creator. Sean Young-Stephens is a Washington County public health expert who specializes in opioid settlements. Josephine Igwacho is an opioid settlement council member and psychiatric nurse practitioner, veterans affairs. Russ Hanes is from the Invisible Wounds Project, a grant recipient.

Seth Perry headshot

Embodied Practices for Social Justice

Whether or not we are consciously aware of it, our nervous systems carry the effects of systems of supremacy, often manifesting as deeply ingrained patterns of protection and disconnection. These patterns show up differently depending on where we are situated within those systems, but none of us is immune to their impact. By becoming curious about these patterns, we can develop practices that help our bodies find a greater sense of safety during moments of stress and overwhelm. This, in turn, allows us to reconnect with our capacity for connection and live more in alignment with our values. As we deepen our awareness of and connection to our bodies, we also cultivate a stronger sense of connection to spirit, creation, our power, and our humanity.
Join us for a brief exploration of how an awareness of our stress responses and a few somatic (or embodied) practices can support a more faithful embodiment of our commitment to liberation.

Rachel Svanoe Moynihan is a somatic coach and embodied antiracism leader. She formerly worked with the Center for Leadership & Neighborhood Engagement.

Seth Perry headshot

Grief in the Church System

Grief is something that we all encounter but this is particularly true within a congregation. The church is where we gather to pray our goodbyes and to offer our support for those who remain. In this workshop, you will be given a few tools to navigate times of heightened anxiety within the system. It may sound boring or even challenging but give it a whirl; we don’t have to live our life feeling overwhelmed by grief or change, especially within the church.

The Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson is a certified Daring Way and Rising Strong Facilitator, which focuses on Dr. Brene Brown’s work , and is a speaker on Bowen/Friedman Family Systems Theory and Grief in the Family System. She served as an adjunct professor at Luther Seminary (2020-2024) and is currently a seminary student coach as well as senior pastor at All Saints in Cottage Grove.

Seth Perry headshot

Session 2 | 12:45 -2:00 p.m.

The Joys and Challenges of Shared Ministry

With shifting demographics within our churches and in the wider community, many of us are asking the question, “Where is God leading us?” Some churches are considering partnering with each other to share staff and other resources to minister more effectively. Come hear about two such churches that formed the Crossroads Parish ministry in the northern suburbs of St Paul. Learn from their seven-year experience of blending ministries while remaining in two separate buildings.

Pastor Cassie Nault and her team will be honest about the joys, growth, and challenges they have experienced along the way.

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 are 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.

Keri Clifton headshot

Healing Nature Trails

Many of us find healing by being out in nature, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. Healing nature trails offer elements like labyrinths, nooks, transition bridges and suggested tools like breathing exercises to help us tie back to a deeper relationship with creation. Perhaps your congregation is in a setting where you could explore the possibility of creating its own healing trail. Learn how to take the healing trail concept and incorporate it in your own setting to nurture physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.

Steve Yahr, a member of Living Waters, Lino Lakes, has received extended training on walking, leading and creating healing nature trails. He’s worked with his congregation on creating its own healing trail.

Introduction to Centering Prayer

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. Centering Prayer is a receptive, deep method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of the experience of God’s presence within us. It presents ancient Christian teachings in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts new light on them. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Christ. Through the regular practice of Centering Prayer, many people discover the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, self-control. Several congregations in the synod have started centering prayer groups. The workshop will introduce you to the practice and discuss how your congregation might start a Centering Prayer group.

John Keller is a retired ELCA pastor and a certified presenter of Centering Prayer. He is a co-coordinator of Minnesota Contemplative Outreach and has been practicing Centering Prayer for 10 years.

Registration

The registration fee for Tool Kit is $20 per person, which includes any materials and lunch. There is no charge for those attending only a conference assembly. Online registration will close at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 19. On-site registrations will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m.

If you are registering multiple people from your congregation as a group, please note that you need the following information for each person: first and last name, email address, registration type (conference assemblies, tool kit or both), food allergies/dietary restrictions, preferred pronouns, and tool kit workshop choices for morning and afternoon.