Abuse Prevention Training

I am pleased to announce that both de Cristo and Grand Canyon presbyteries now offer multiple, online, training courses in sexual misconduct prevention and child, youth and adult protection. These courses are offered through the presbyteries’ association with Hugh Wood / Insurance Board and are available for all members of both presbyteries. One’s church does not need to have insurance through HW/IB to utilize these training opportunities.

As part of the services provided by HW/IB, these training courses promote safety awareness and safe practices for individuals and congregations toward ensuring the protection of our most vulnerable members. Moreover, they are easy to use! Carolyn McBurney, the office manager for the shared staff, is the program administrator for the online courses, and all anyone who wants to participate needs to do is contact Carolyn with a request to take a course. I was Carolyn’s guinea pig to make sure the process was seamless, and the process went something like this:

• I made a phone call to Carolyn at 602-468-3820 (although I could have emailed her at carolynmcburney@gmail.com ).
• I received an email with a link to a website, a login name, a password and instructions.
• I followed the instructions (about three steps).
• I took one of the courses (timed at 20 minutes).
• The training course automatically sent an email to Carolyn indicating my successful completion.

It was that simple. It is as necessary as it is simple.

Because protecting our children and preventing sexual predation is the work of entire communities, I have proposed to the Commissions on Ministry within both presbyteries that their respective Sexual Misconduct policies be revised to include a requirement for annual training either at a face-to-face workshop or through the online courses. I believe we need “200% accountability,” by which I mean the expectation that everyone learns, grows and stays current with best practices (100% accountability) and that each of us expects the same of everyone (200% accountability). The final form of the policy revision and requirements are yet to be approved, but given that training is simple, straightforward and available to all, there is no excuse not to fulfill our due diligence as presbyters, candidates, youth workers, Sunday School teachers and nursery attendants.  Information will be available at the August 15 presbytery meeting and in the “Clerk’s Corner” on the Presbytery website.

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

P.S. Churches interested in utilizing the Presbytery to conduct background checks, may do so at a 50% discount for churches enrolled with the Insurance Board. Those churches not enrolled may participate, but will pay the full rate.  An application form will be available on the Presbytery website.  Complete the form and mail or fax to the Presbytery office (never email something containing social security numbers.) Your church will be billed for each check. 

The Three-Legged Stool -Leg Three: Missional Formation

The image of a three-legged stool is often offered as a metaphor for healthy, well-balanced Christian formation. As I discussed the last two weeks, our August 15, combined presbyteries meeting at Mission del Sol in Tempe, will be supported bythe three legs of spiritual formation, congregational formation and missional formation. Having discussed spiritual and congregational formation, today I would like to describe the workshops offered for missional formation. In a sense, we are describing a kind of trinity of foundational relationships: Communion with God (spiritual), Community with one another (congregational), and Compassion for the world (missional).

There are seven workshops offered in the area of missional formation, a combination of “big picture” perspective seminars and “local” descriptions of how sister churches are involved in the world for the sake of Jesus.

• Missional Ministry: Nuts and Bolts - Ken Page will look at ways to build bridges of blessing into our communities. What needs to happen to build mission that is relational and not just “Big Brother/Sister” offering a helping hand?
• Understanding The Changing Shape of Community - EneyasFrietas will describe the amazing transformation occurring at Urban Connect (Historic First) and new lenses through which one can see community; it’s not always what we think it is.
• Media: How an Image Based Culture is Reshaping How We Do Church - Jim Toole will describe the earth shattering concept that how we communicate dictates how we can think, or at least how we actually will think and what that means for churches trying to reach the world!
• Mission Partnership: Our Native Congregations - Martha Sadongei, Judy Wellington and Custer Lowe will discuss ways to be in partnership with our native congregations. How can a congregation do mission together with Native congregations in ways that help and serve?
• Sanctuary Movement - Alison Harrington and Eric Lederman will discuss the why’s and how’s of the sanctuary movement and its transformative impact on their congregations.
• Agua Fria Food Bank - Members of the Presbyterian founded food bank in the west valley will talk about food scarcity and how congregations can be involved in serving the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
• Florence Project - Members of Grand Canyon’s Peace and Justice Network will discuss the plight of prisoners, especially immigrants in detention centers, and how we can fulfill our call to visit those in prison.

To register for the August meeting and to reserve your place in one of the workshops, click here.

For a complete list of workshops click here

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

The Three-Legged Stool Leg Two: Congregational Formation

The image of a three-legged stool is often offered as a metaphor for healthy, well-balanced Christian formation. As I discussed in last week’s missive (link here), our August 15, combined presbyteries meeting at Mission del Sol in Tempe, will be supported bythe three legs of spiritual formation, congregational formation and missional formation. Last week I began with spiritual formation, for our relationship with the Lord is foundational for all things in our faith. Today I would like to describe the workshops offered for congregational formation. In a sense, we are moving from a personal relationship with Christ to our corporate and communal relationship.

 

There are nine workshops offered in the area of congregational formation. These workshops.

• Developing Congregational Leaders for Action: led by our keynote speaker, Steve Easom, this workshop will describe lessons Steve learned about leadership development from 35 years of pastoral ministry leading single pastor and multi-staff congregations. Steve’s passion is helping ruling elders launch ministries that serve the ministry and mission of the congregation.
• Congregational Renewal: will help congregations understanding the promise and possibilities for church renewal and give insight about ways to discover clear, compelling, Christ-focused mission.
• Church Life Cycle and Renewal: the prelude to Andy’s workshop described above, will ask the question, “How do we know when renewal is needed?” The short answer is “If you are asking the question, the answer is yes!”
• Handling Conflict: will provide tools for avoiding the potholes of problem personalities and how to overcome the obstacles of obstinate souls found within the church...yes, even churches have difficult people...sometimes...so I am told.
• Scripture Reading Practicum: will develop skills and offer tools for making the reading of Scripture the high point of a worship service that it is supposed to be and can become.
• A New Look at Your Benefits: Clayton Cobb, our Board of Pensions representative, will discuss new proposals for extending insurance coverage to lay employees to help you attract, retain and care for staff.
• Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Training: A representative from Praesidium, the leading abuse prevention provider, will discuss the new, online training programs available to help educate and protect our congregations.
• Risk Assessment: Mary Lammermeier from Hugh Wood / Insurance Board will discuss the most common liability risks for churches and how to minimize and manage risk.
• Clerk’s Tool Kit: Bob Schulz, our Stated Clerk, will train up clerks in all things decent and orderly - the Presbyterian Way!

To register for the August meeting and to reserve your place in one of the workshops, click here.

For a compplete list of workshops click here

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

The Three-Legged Stool: Leg One: Spiritual Formation

The image of a three-legged stool is often offered as a metaphor for healthy, well-balanced Christian formation. Like a three-legged stool, Christian formation needs to stand solid on multiple points of contact. The legs of the stools are described in various ways: (a) prayer, study and service, (b) worship (reach up), pastoral care (reach in) and evangelism (reach out), or (c) justice (ministries of God the Creator), spiritual formation (ministries of God the Redeemer) and care (ministries of God the Sustainer). For our August 15, combined presbyteries meeting at Mission del Sol in Tempe, the three legs of the stool are spiritual formation, congregational formation and missional formation. Today I would like to describe the workshops offered for spiritual formation.

There are seven workshops offered in the area of spiritual formation. These workshops cover areas of theological discourse to practices of prayer, from educational training of children to training of adults, from discernment to discipleship, and from helping the sheep we are called to shepherd to becoming the shepherds we are called to be.

·   Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith: a panel discussion on what constitutes the core of our Reformed convictions regarding what we believe as Presbyterians. All church officers vow to “sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith.” Do you know what they are?

·   Christian Discipleship 101: in a new apostolic era in which many do not know even the basics of Christian faith, what does it look like to train up disciplined followers of Jesus?

·      Praying the Labyrinth: a labyrinth is a tool for prayer and an invitation to immerse into contemplative reflection upon the face of God. Do you long for such an experience?

·   Twelve Steps as Path of Formation and Discipleship: not only for addicts, the twelve steps are rooted in biblical faith and historic Christian practice, which is to say the steps also apply to each of us who are not addicted to substances per se but to our own sinful ways!

·     Forming Leadership Teams into Communities of Discernment: elders make lots and lots of decisions, but are we guided by God’s Word and listening to God’s Spirit? What does the need for spiritual discernment call for in the midst of crazy-hectic meeting agendas?

·   Growing in Grace and Gratitude: grace and gratitude are touchstones of Presbyterian faith, life and identity; learning how to invite children to live into these touchstones is the focus of this workshop presented by a representative from Presbyterian Publishing.

·   Understanding Addiction: every church suffers from folks caught in the web of addiction, and our common call is to help them find new life and abundant life in Jesus. How can you be part of the healing journey for a brother or sister?

This event is open to anyone interested!

For a complete list of topics, click here.

To register for the August meeting and to reserve your place in one of the workshops, click here. 

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

Reflections on SCOTUS

The Supreme Court has ruled and social media is ablaze. Did your pastor discuss the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality or did s/he talk about something else, anything else, “Please don’t make me talk about it again from the pulpit”? Each pastor and each congregation must choose its own way forward in the cultural conversation toward the goal of making it a Christian conversation for those of us who call upon the name of Jesus.

            As I pondered what to write this week, I realized that I lean into the latter camp described above: Please…! Confessing this sentiment, and confessing, too, my tendency to seek cooperation and collaboration as sacred values within the Body of Christ, I have prayerfully considered how I would respond. There is already a flood of information out there – how many posts, links to stories and rainbow colored photos did you see on Facebook? – andI do not presume to speak the definitive word but would like to share the following as resources for conversation.

            Resource #1: Our Challenging Way  This is a theological reflection produced by the Theology and Worship Unit of General Assembly and is co-authored by a well-known evangelical (Charles Wiley) and well-known progressive (Barry Ensign-George). In their paper, Wiley and Ensign-George discuss the unique challenge we have set ourselves upon as a denomination by allowing for a radical freedom of conscience regarding marriage equality. These two theologians write in understandable language to address such questions as “Is [this way] Reformed,” “Can a denomination do this,” and “Why accept the challenge”? They also get a bit wonky, for a brief time, and address the concern about the “Kenyonization” of marriage equality (ask your pastor). The pdf can serve as a good conversation starter and is found here: http://www.presbyterianmission.org/site_media/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/our_challenging_way_6_november_2014.pdf

            Resource #2: A Thought Exercise on Gracious Inclusion–  This thought exercise comes from two pastors in National Capitol Presbytery, Don (an Inter-Varsity evangelical) and Jim (a Sanctuary Movement progressive). These two colleagues observed the dysfunctional “dialogues” with their presbytery, their own contributions to the dysfunction, and wondered if there was not a better way. Over a meal at a presbytery meeting, they shared an idea: what would happen if we pitted the worst of “my” argument against the best of “your” argument? Such conjecture reverses the usual course of things in which we argue against “the straw man/woman” by trumpeting our strengths while heckling our opponents’ weaknesses. Don and Jim made a covenant with each other: they each committed to listening for the very best in one another, the most faithful, cogent, biblically-grounded, Spirit-inspired arguments, while being honest about the fragile nature of some of their own convictions. Hmmm. This is another good conversation starter.

            Resource #3: The Convergence of American and Presbyterian Freedom  It is not lost on me that this letter will be published the week of July 4^th, and I am cognizant that our American democracy is patterned in much of its political form and thought culture on our own Presbyterian faith, of which a central conviction is that “God alone is Lord of the conscience, and faithful, intelligent Christians will sometimes disagree. Therefore, mutual forbearance and respect in matters of conscience should be adhered to.” Many are the instances in which great American leaders diverged in their opinion: Hamilton vs. Jefferson, Lincoln vs. Douglas, Kennedy vs. Nixon, and now Roberts vs. (a different) Kennedy. As our nation has endured, so shall we: by God’s grace. May we heed the words attributed to St. Augustine, who wrote: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe