Pastors and church educators can hone skills at upcoming Pittsburgh Seminary events
October will be a full month of theological education designed for pastors and church educators via Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
The month will include a seminar for pastors, training for interim ministers, and a course for church educators. “Finishing with Vitality: A Seminar for Pastors” will take place October 3–4; “Interim Ministry Basic Education: Guiding a Congregation through Change and Transition—Part 1” will be held October 7–11; and “Religious Education Theory and Practice: A Church Educators Certification Elective” will take place October 21–25.
All of the events fall under the seminary’s continuing-education efforts, which are designed to meet the needs of both clergy and laity. The courses and programs aid men and women engaged in professional ministry in updating their skills and knowledge under the leadership of seminary faculty members and visiting professors.
“Finishing with Vitality: A Seminar for Pastors” will be led by David C. Rich, a retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister, educator, and consultant to pastors and congregations. The seminar will address the retirement of a pastor from his or her ministry, which is a unique and critical transition involving the pastor, spouse, staff, and congregation.
Among other things, participants will learn about developing and implementing a transition plan, which allows the pastor and congregational leadership to have more control of the transition and avoids the pastor becoming a “lame duck” by providing direction for the remaining months of ministry until the retirement date.
“Interim Ministry Basic Education: Guiding a Congregation through Change and Transition—Part 1” will be guided by Carolyn J. Jones, director of field education at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a retired interim associate executive for the Synod of the Trinity. She will be joined by Robert C. Anderson, interim pastor to several churches and judicatories.
The course, which supports the ministry of the Synod of the Trinity, introduces experienced pastors to the unique needs and dynamics of congregations during pastoral transition and/or congregational transformation. Attention will be given to the tasks of a congregation in transition and the skills and opportunities needed for those seeking to enter this specialized form of ministry.
“Religious Education Theory and Practice: A Church Educators Certification Elective” will be taught by Joyce MacKichan Walker, the minister of education at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. More details are forthcoming on the seminary website for this upcoming event.
To learn more about Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s continuing-education opportunities, go to http://www.pts.edu/continuing-education.
