Science, The Church and Mental Health
(offered in Partnership with Science for the Church)

In October 2022, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll indicated that 90% of American adults say we are experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States. Our churches are often on the frontlines, led by clergy and lay ministers, in providing care during this crisis. And it is taking a toll on us. One-in-five Americans have been diagnosed with mental illness and, according to recent research, trauma symptoms are higher for clergy right now than with post-deployment military personnel.
Please join presbytery and church leaders in the Synod of the Covenant and any other interested church leaders to join with Science for the Church for a three-part webinar series on how the church might better understand and address our current mental health crisis.
All registrants will receive a bibliography of science-related resources on faith and mental health (articles, books, videos, podcasts) as well as Science for the Church’s weekly newsletter.

Introduction to Boundaries Training
(Offered in Partnership with LeaderWise)

Not-Your-Average Boundaries Training is tailored to focus on strategies to foster mental health, emotional resiliency, and well-being. While we still cover the requirements—“Don’t sleep with a parishioner unless you’re married to them” and the like —we believe the best prevention is to encourage clergy to take steps to manage their stress in order to maintain balance and perspective when temptation arises.

The Leader’s Table
(Offered in Partnership with The Missional Church Network)

The Leader’s Table is a four-part series empowering pastors and other church leaders to think differently about Christian ministry.  The increasing division and violence around us, the great speed with which technology is changing our world, and the steady decline of mainline denominations as a visible and viable expression of Christian faith, point to an unraveling of cultural presumptions and expectations.  Seminary education and training has not prepared pastors and other cultural leaders for this moment.  To understand how to lead now, we must dig into how God’s story for the world works itself out in times of huge disruption.  More importantly, we must do this together, in Christian community, to discern God’s call.

Participants will be divided into cohorts of 12 and meet every two weeks via zoom four times for ninety minutes.  Each cohort will practice Lectio Divina, discuss videos from missiologists such as Alan Roxburgh. 

Dates: Introductory Webinar:  May 10, 2023, 10:00 to 12:30 by zoom

Cohorts:  9/13/23, 9/27/23, 10/11/23, and 10/25/23, 10:00 to 11:30 by zoom.  (You do not need to have attended the introductory webinar in order to participate.)

Childhood Sexual Abuse Prevention Training

(offered in Partnership with LeaderWise)

According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. And over 90% of these cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by someone who is known and trusted by the child or the child’s family. Our children are vulnerable. . . even in the church – numerous reports of child sexual abuse have been reported in churches throughout the country.

This child abuse prevention training has been developed to protect the vulnerable and prevent future abuse in the church by increasing knowledge and awareness about child sexual abuse. Through interactive dialogue, participants will learn healthy ways to talk about abuse in the communities they serve. In addition, this training is designed to equip leaders to assess their current environmental risk factors for “blind spots” and create action steps to reduce the potential for abuse and to respond in faithful and ethical ways in the event that abuse is discovered in their context.

This training is designed for both teaching and ruling elders, and satisfies the requirement for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training discussed at the 2022 General Assembly.

Dates: September 11 and 14, 2023  6:00 to 8:30 pm by zoom

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcOCtpjguHNZpuQP8aalhJgv7HILa86bE

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Cost: Free for participants (covered by your presbytery and the Synod of the Covenant).