Leadership Development

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Leadership Development Work Group Chair through 5/2007: Jamie Schultz leadership@ptcaweb.org Other members: Julia Carlson Dennis Benton Alan Youel Jan Snell Scott Stapleton To find out about serving on a committee or Work Group, visit our Nominating page.

Members listed below at left. For more information on the Leadership Development Work Group, visit our work groups page.

Presbyterian Women's Spring Gathering: Open our eyes April 14

Caring Connection for solo pastors | Youth Connection

2007 Book: The Practicing Congregation: Imaging a New Old Church

Continuing Ed | Seminaries | Other Organizations

'Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church': videos and news

Resource Center

2007 Book
The Practicing Congregation:
Imaging a New Old Church

New: comments moved to a blog!

The monthly columns and your opportunity to discuss this book are now available at www.ldwg.blogspot.com. Click the link and join us!

	Complimentary copies of the book have been given to all PTCA clergy members, church educators and youth directors on church staffs, and church administrative assistants. If you did not receive one, please contact Associate Executive Presbyter Deb DeMeester at debd@ptcaweb.org or 612-871-7281, ext. 14.
	PTCA members' Reflections on the book run in "PTCA In Print," one chapter per month.
Here in PDF format are the reflections:
One Church's Experience	by the Reverend Scott O. Stapleton, LDWG member
Introduction	by the Reverend Julia Carlson, LDWG Chair
Starting with the February 13, 2007, chapter 5 reflections, the monthly columns and your opportunity to discuss this book are now available at www.ldwg.blogspot.com. Click the link and join us!

Questions or comments?

Feel free to contact any of these Leadership Development Work Group members:

--Alan Youel, 612-866-8752, alanyouel@msn.com
--Associate Executive Presbyter Deb DeMeester, 612-871-7281, ext.14, debd@ptcaweb.org

April 2006

For two decades, "The Caring Connection" has provided pastoral care to solo pastors by locating volunteers to give a Sunday to lead worship in their pulpits. This offers a "time away" independent of vacation or continuing education time. A month's notice is asked of each pastor requesting this service.

Volunteers are recruited from non-parish, multiple staff, and retired clergy. They offer a break of from one to two Sundays per year, if requested, to the fifty solo pastors in our presbytery. Any given volunteer is rarely requested to provide a Caring Connection Sunday more than twice in a year.

If you would be willing to have your name added to the list of volunteers, please fill out the below card and return it to the Presbytery office, or notify us by e-mail at sgoodsp@ties2.net.

If you don't have Acrobat Reader to view, print the following documents, you can download Reader for FREE from the Adobe website or ask the PTCA office (website@ptcaweb.org) to mail you a FREE installer CD.

Please PRINT and mail in the following signups, requests. Thank you.

Clergy Volunteers' Caring Connection letter, signup

Solo Pastors Caring Connection letter, requests for assistance

Meeting plans for three one-hour gatherings, for use with General Assembly's "Peace, Unity, Purity" task force videos

LDWG invites you to participate in this theological conversation

Video 1	'Peace, Unity, Purity' - Using video 1, three meetings
Video 2	'Who is Jesus Christ?' - Using video 2, three meetings, handouts

More information is available through the task force's webpage.

OGA Advisory Opinion #18, Constitutional Musing #11

The Office of the General Assembly has issued an Advisory Opinion (#18) and a Constitutional Musing (#11) on the action of the General Assembly concerning G-6.0108 and the adoption of the amended report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church.

If you don't have Acrobat Reader to view the following documents, you can download Reader for FREE from the Adobe website or ask the PTCA office (website@ptcaweb.org) to mail you a FREE installer CD.

Read the Advisory Opinion or the Constitutional Musing online.

Either scroll down or jump to specific sections:
Seminaries | Other Organizations | Opportunities
The below links were updated April 3, 2003

There are numerous opportunities provided around the country for pastors and other church professionals to continue to gain and hone skills needed in the ministries to which they are called. These change regularly, especially those offered through the various institutions and governing bodies of the church. Immediately following is a list of contacts for Presbyterian seminaries and other regional seminaries that serve our Synod as a beginning. Regionally, the CHARIS center in Moorhead, Minn., offers continuing education across the state of Minnesota and the Omaha Seminary Foundation sponsors events, most notably the annual School for Pastors at Hastings, Neb. The annual Synod School provides classes that would be appropriate for continuing education. Nationally, the Alban Institute provides the longest list of events. Other organizations provide more specifically focused training. And our denomination provides various events each year, from the Redevelopment Conference, to the Theology Convocation, to the Peacemaking Conference - AND events at the three conference centers related to the denomination (Ghost Ranch, Stony Point, and Montreat).

Seminaries

Luther Seminary - St. Paul, Minn.	United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities - New Brighton, Minn.
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary	Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Columbia Theological Seminary	Princeton Theological Seminary
University of Dubuque Theological Seminary	San Francisco Theological Seminary
Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary	Union Theological Seminary - PSCE
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary	North American Baptist Seminary - Sioux Falls, S.D.
McCormic Theological Seminary

Other organizations that provide Continuing Education

Interim Ministry Network An ecumenical organization that provides training for interim ministry. The denomination also endorses interim training provided by several governing bodies. Contact Donna Cook at 888-728-7228, ext. 5751, for more info. The Alban Institute 7315 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 1250W Bethesda, MD 20814 800-486-1318, ext. 227 or 229 An ecumenical organization that provides training and consulting services to churches and their leaders. Memberships are available to individuals and institutions which provide reduced fees and tuition. Online resources, a journal, and books and other publications are some other benefits of membership.	North Central Ministry Development Center New Brighton, Minn. 651-636-5120 Midwest Ministry Development Service Chicago 708-343-6268 Columbus, OH 614-442-8822 Kansas City 913-621-6348 Both Centers provide developmental vocational counseling services for church professionals. They also offer programs, workshops, and consulting services related to coaching, boundaries, pastoral counseling, retirement planning, outplacement, and other career issues.
CHARIS Ecumenical Center Concordia College 901 8th St S, Moorhead, MN 56562 218-299-3566 An ecumenical organization based at the college (which is ELCA). Northern Plains Presbytery has membership on their board. They ordinarily offer programs at locations across northern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota.	Omaha Seminary Foundation 402-397-5138 The Foundation provides scholarships, grants, and sponsors several educational programs for clergy. The result of the closing of the seminary a number of years ago, they serve a 13-state which includes all of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies.
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center 1263 S Highland Ave Ste 1N Lombard, IL 60148-4527 LMPC offers a number of training programs around issues related to personal and congregational health. Their mediation training is nationally respected.	Ghost Ranch Abiqui and Sante Fe, N.M. The Ghost Ranch Program catalogs are mailed to every PC (U.S.A.) congregation. They offer programs year-round, but do extensive programming in the summer. Life Long Learning Opportunities - site sponsors include PC (U.S.A.)
Stony Point (near New York City) Stony Point is a good home base, especially for those who want to experience the UN and they will partner with the denomination's UN office to coordinate a personal experience.	Montreat (N.C., near Asheville) Brochures for Montreat-sponsored conferences are mailed to all PC (U.S.A.) congregations. In addition to summer youth programs, they offer a variety of conferences, some of which are "traditional," including one on worship and preaching.