Tentative dates: April 23, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. EDT And April 30, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. EDT

2 sessions at $20 per person

Limited to 10 participants 

Bill Ireland, Course Instructor

How has the virus tested you? What have you learned about yourself and your faith during these tumultuous days? Join us for a guided conversation about the ways this season has stretched you.

In response to the pandemic, labs are rushing to create a fast, reliable test to confirm the presence of the virus and to allow health officials to track its spread. The virus has already imposed its own testing on ministers and congregations. This webinar provides an opportunity for ministers to reflect on the ways the virus tested them and also anticipate how the lessons learned might serve them in an uncertain future. This webinar is not a collaborative on best practices. Instead, it offers guided conversation around ministers’ growth in response to the pandemic.

Part 1: Outbreak! Quick take: how did the virus force you to adapt?

• Worship

• Pastoral care

• Keeping community together

• Administration

In light of the ways you were forced to adapt, what did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about your congregation? Be as specific as possible. Identify your biggest challenge. What pushed you out of your comfort zone? In making these changes, what excited you? What drained you? What do those things tell you about yourself? How has this experience made you more resilient? More willing to risk?

Part 2: Mutation

The adaptations you were forced to make have now been encoded into your ministerial DNA and also that of your congregation. What kind of expectations do have been created? Which do you embrace? Which do you wish to tamp down? Assess your capacity to live with uncertainty. Let’s talk about the value of non-strategic planning. Ministers are usually competent in identifying a goal or objective for their church and crafting specific steps to meet that goal. The uncertainty around COVID-19 makes planning difficult if not impossible. What steps can you take to create flexible plans?