This workshop invites participants into challenging territory. The activities explore the stresses that are part of the fabric of the life of our congregational community. Participants name and embrace that which sustains and grounds them, and learn how this self-knowledge can help them lead from a place of creativity and imagination, rather than reactivity. The workshop offers models to help individuals and leadership teams support and reinforce the integrity of those entrusted with leadership positions in our congregations.
In This Section
Introduction
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
This workshop invites participants into challenging territory. The activities explore the stresses that are part of the fabric of the life of our congregational community.
Opening
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Gather the group in a circle. Ask a participant to light the chalice as you or another participant read these opening words from Theresa Soto, published in Spilling the Light: Meditations on Hope and Resilience.
Activity 1: Fannie Barrier Williams
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Invite participants to listen as the participant you chose reads the story aloud to the group. Ask the group, as they listen, to consider the ways that Fannie Barrier Williams modeled leadership with integrity.
Activity 2: Navigating Moments of Crisis
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Invite participants to recall a moment of crisis in their own lives, a moment when they had some choices to make. It might be a work, family, or health crisis, or a crisis that emerged out of a commitment or goal they were pursuing.
Activity 3: The Who of Leadership
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Distribute Handout 1. Ask the four participants to each read aloud a paragraph. Then, invite participants to spend five minutes with a partner sharing responses to the handout, using these questions: What new insights did you gain?
Activity 4: What Sustains You?
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Ask participants to consider what sustains them in times of crisis. What spiritual practices or disciplines do they find helpful? What keeps them grounded and centered when they face challenges?
Activity 5: Stresses in the System
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
In this activity, participants identify issues—both internal and external to the congregation—that cause stress for those who are part of the congregation and for leaders.
Activity 6: Barriers
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
The concepts presented in this activity may be new to participants. Present the concepts, guide participants’ initial responses, and encourage participants to take time to mull over these ideas, both in and outside the context of the workshop.
Faith In Action: Leadership's Spiritual Dimension
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Consider ways to nurture your spiritual well-being. What practices help you feel centered and whole, even when you’re under stress? Consider setting aside time in your daily and/or weekly schedule for practices that sustain you.
Closing
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
This worship time offers a model for leaders to acknowledge the stresses and challenges in the congregation while lifting up what supports and deepens the congregation’s vision and mission. It is a technique to help congregational leaders intentionally hold space for creative ideas and emerging leadership.
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Consider and discuss these questions with your co-facilitator: Looking at each activity in this workshop, what worked as well as or better than you had anticipated? What did not work as well as you had anticipated?
Taking It Home: Integrity
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
Take-home suggestions and resources for participants in Workshop 5 of Harvest the Power, 2nd edition.
Alternate Activity 1: Button Pushing
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
The purpose of this activity is to raise participants’ awareness of their own stressors and to consider how they react and respond to stress.
Alternate Activity 2: Worship with Serenity Prayer
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition
This worship time offers a model for leadership groups to acknowledge the anxieties and the challenges in the congregation while lifting up that which supports and deepens the congregation’s vision and mission.
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