A Synod consultation among Speed Leas of the Alban Institute, the Leadership Discipling Team and Synod leadership determined that a high priority for the Leadership Discipling Team (LDT) should be the creation of “local communities of nurture and support” for rostered leaders. In 2004, the LDT clergy members--Victor Berg-Haglund, Paul Bodin (chair), Gail Cromack, Mark Holmerud, Nancy Nelson, Arden Strasser and Bill Wong--and the LDT lay members--Margaret McLean and Tom Stoffregen–attempted to define the relevance and meaning of the phrase “local communities of nurture and support.” It was determined that the best way to determine what constituted a “community of nurture and support” was to ask rostered leaders directly.

With assistance for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) of San Mateo, the LDT developed and sponsored a day-long event for rostered leaders in all regions of the Synod.
The hope was to create an atmosphere of safety and to foster willingness for rostered leaders to communicate at a deeper level. Discussion during the first half of the day centered on the PBS documentary The Congregation. The second half of the day focused on two case studies developed by the LDT. This design was intended to facilitate personal reflection on the challenges of ministry that might be addressed through communities of nurture and support. Members of the LDT were trained by the PCRC to facilitate these events. To encourage personal disclosure in a safe setting, a strict code of confidentiality was established. No “sign-in sheet” was provided although demographic data was collected. Participants used only their first names on name tags. Although discussions were recorded on newsprint, no personal attributions were a part of those recordings. In addition, each group of participants agreed to a covenant of confidentiality at the beginning of each event. Synod staff members were requested to refrain from attending any of these events.

A total of five Listening Posts have been completed -- Foster City, Davis, San Rafael, Fresno, and Morgan Hill. A total of 49 rostered leaders participated—48 clergy, 1 Associate in Ministry (18 women, 31 men). The average participant age was 50.5 (range 32 – 76). The average years in ministry was 17.5 (range 3.5 – 50).

Over the course of the day, there were three opportunities for participants to disclose what things mattered to them. These were the most prevalent areas of concern:

Ever-changing world
o Racial and ethnic diversity
o Post-modernistic view of the church
o Competition with secular culture (particularly in CA)
o Spirituality vs. religion
o Church is out of touch with contemporary life

Support for both the pastor and the pastor’s family
o Family needs vs. congregational needs
o Communication challenges e.g., how does the pastor share congregational concerns with family?
o Who is the family’s pastor?
o Who is the pastor’s pastor?
o “Spouses get leftovers.”
o Balancing work, health, family

Lack of support
o From Synod
o From Congregation
o From Congregational leaders
o A feeling of “disconnect” with the Synod

Conflict Resolution/Management

Pastoral Identity/Health
o Support systems for pastors
o Boundaries
o Having personal needs met solely in the parish
o Importance of self care
o Importance of prayer life
o Spiritual formation
o Confusion of public/private role
o Publicly, it is difficult to be honest and to be yourself
o Is personal/pastoral authenticity desirable? To what degree?
o Where and how to get support?
o Isolation
o Male/female power

Finally, participants were asked what they would like to see happen within the Synod to address the concerns about and the challenges of ministry. There was marked support for the following:
A “pastor for the pastors”
o “I wish I had a pastor.”
o “I need someone to be my pastor and my family does too.”
More clarity/support/ADVOCACY from the Synod on:
o Salary guidelines
o Letter of Call negotiations
o Sabbatical leave policies
Continuance of Listening Posts to provide a safe opportunity to talk with colleagues
A desire to develop “our own groups” – not ones that come from the Synod
Intentional, trained interim ministry
Establishment of and training for congregational Mutual Ministry committees

The themes highlighted above wove their way through every Listening Post and, thus, merit careful attention by the LDT and the Synod. The needs are clear. The challenge remains to develop “communities of nurture and support” to meet these voiced needs of our rostered leaders in the SPS.

Finally, a surprise: we developed this process to uncover and identify the unmet needs of rostered leaders. What we didn’t expect was that the event itself would meet the most prevalent need: “Just to be asked. Just to be heard. Just to be listened to.”

Summary prepared by:
Mark W. Holmerud, Margaret McLean, Nancy Nelson
On behalf of Leadership Discipling Team, September 21, 2007