Six Essential Relationships for Ministers
Monday, September 24th | 2:30 PM – 5 PM
Presented by the Ministering to Ministers Foundation
Facilitated by Dr. Charles Chandler
Each year, ministers and spiritual leaders experience conflict or separation from their church ministry position, bringing chaos to ministers and their families, the congregations they serve, and the communities in which they are located. It can take a lot of time for congregations to recover and heal from such conflict. Some never recover.
Ministers and their families often are the most deeply affected, especially ministers’ spouses and children. Almost half of ministers who leave a spiritual community do not go back into ministry.
A major step for ministers in preparing for a healthy ministry is prevention through health promotion. Developing relationships is a high priority for healthy ministers. This workshop focuses on six relationships that can make a significant difference. Though there can be no guarantee that a minister will not face conflict in congregational ministry, these relationships can help the minister emerge in a healthier state even when the congregation-minister relationship cannot continue. These relationships can help ministers become healthy and remain healthy even when surrounded by conflict. Clergy health is the minister’s responsibility.
Let us help you explore a path toward producing a healthier and happier life and ministry!
About Dr. Charles Chandler
Charles Chandler earned a B.A. degree from Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, and three degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky: Master of Divinity, Master of Religious Education, and Doctor of Ministry.
Dr. Chandler was pastor of seven churches in Kentucky, Illinois, and Virginia. He also served on the board of trustees of Carolina Graduate School of Divinity, Greensboro, North Carolina (Quaker).
Dr. Chandler was the founding Director of the Ministering to Ministers Foundation (MTM), an organization which seeks to serve as advocates for clergy and their families in all faith groups who are experiencing personal or professional crisis. Although he retired effective January 17, 2017, he continues to advocate for clergy and is a friend to many.
Self C.A.R.E. for Licensed Unity Teachers
Monday, September 24 | 2:30PM – 5PM
A Roundtable facilitated by Rev. Lynn Tranchell | LUT and Eastern Region Church LUT Representative
This is a time of connection and enrichment for Licensed Unity Teachers, LUT Candidates and those on the path to becoming. Please join us for an exploration of what self care looks like in the context of connection, alignment, renewal and enrichment. Bring with you your ideas and supporting materials for self care strategies to share.
About Lynn Tranchell
Lynn Tranchell is a Licensed Unity Teacher at Unity of Buffalo and a Certified Transformational Life Coach. She helps people design and manifest a life that’s in harmony with their Soul’s purpose, so you can become who you have come here to be. Lynn has a passion for learning and brings that learning back to share with her community. She has worked in and out of the corporate world and has had her own consulting business for over 20 years. Lynn brings her expertise in these areas to help LUTs and LUT Candidates at any stage of the process connect and informs them of events and policies affecting them and help with any questions and resources.
Healthy Boundaries
Wednesday, September 26th | 11 AM – 1 PM
Facilitated by Rev. Pat Bessey | Eastern Region Ministry Consultant
As individuals and as spiritual leaders (ministers, LUT’s, spiritual leaders), clear and healthy boundaries – around time, relationships, communications, professional roles, organizational structures, expectations (ours and others’), professional best practices, and yes, around ethics – are essential to successful, fulfilling lives and ministries. And while each of these arenas may seem separate – the truth is, when it comes to healthy boundaries, they often overlap, conflate, intertwine, undermine – and bottom-line – are all interconnected.
Healthy boundaries are essential to good self-care; functional relationships; effective management; constructive boards; compassionate communication; and ethical/integral behavior. And if/when we’re lacking or slacking in our boundaries – it can show up as conflict, drama, crisis, betrayal, chaos, and ethical challenges.
This workshop is designed to help us both identify what constitutes “clear and healthy boundaries,” as well as explore the potential pit-falls and preventive remedies including:
- our spiritual/emotional/physical self-care
- our own light and shadow expressions
- our ego-triggers
- our capacity to balance overlapping and complicated relationships and roles, and
- our clear understanding of and adherence to the Code of Ethics underlying healthy, fulfilling lives and ministries.
This two-hour presentation fulfills the Ethics requirement for ministers and spiritual leaders and is open to all who wish to explore and expand Healthy Boundaries in their life.
About Rev. Pat Bessey
Ordained Unity Minister since 1996, Rev. Pat Bessey is also the Lead Minister at Unity of Greater Portland, Windham, Maine as well as the Ministry Consultant for Unity Worldwide Ministries Eastern Region since 2010. A Business and Life Coach, and Certified Peace Worker with Unity Worldwide Ministries, Rev. Bessey has been the keynote speaker at numerous conferences and consistently leads workshops on team-building, communications, vision/values, and leadership. In 2015, Rev. Bessey was the Recipient of the Charles Fillmore Leadership Award. She resides in Casco, Maine with her husband Rev. LeRoy Lowell.
Undoing Unconscious Bias
Thursday, September 27th | 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Facilitated by Rev. Michele Synegal
Our unconscious biases unknowingly preclude us from creating and maintaining an atmosphere of inclusivity within our spiritual communities and in our personal lives at all levels. To truly inculcate “oneness” we must identify, then uproot any assumptions, feelings and attitudes about people; based on characteristics that in any way make us separate. Including interactive exercises, discussions and development of strategies to overcome unconscious bias on the personal and organizational level, this workshop promises to assist participants in recognizing and reducing bias and action planning and accountability for the future.
This two-hour presentation fulfills the Diversity/ Inclusivity requirement for ministers and spiritual leaders and is open to all who wish to explore and expand their understanding and practice of diversity and inclusivity in their life.
About Reverend Michele K. Synegal, MCS
President, Training & Development Consultant, Management Dynamics, Inc.
Chair, Diversity Inclusion Commission, Centers for Spiritual Living
Reverend Michele K. Synegal began her career on a path that was new and provocative—Diversity & Inclusion. Having earned her Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies, from the Holmes Institute and Bachelor’s degree in Human Relations/Organizational Behavior, University of San Francisco, her goal was and still is, to assist her many clients in developing and implementing strategies to improve productivity, innovativeness and, create cultures of inclusion for all employees. The emergence of the diverse workforce required more sophisticated leadership skills. These changes lead her to establish a Leadership Development Institute for future leaders. For more than 25 years, her consulting firm has successfully worked with private and public-sector companies to achieve their business objectives.
