The Presbytery of San Francisco
“Healthy Pastors for Healthy Congregations”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Project Description:
The place and the role of the presbytery and the congregation in nurturing and sustaining pastoral excellence across diverse contexts for congregational ministry provide the foundation for this project by the Presbytery of San Francisco. Its purpose is to engage and enable the Presbytery in developing and testing a non-regulatory approach by its elected (committee) and employed (staff) leaders to working with congregations and their pastors in:
• designing what will eventually be a comprehensive, contextual, and developmental program of congregational nurture, support, and sustenance
• identifying the knowledge, ways of being in relationship, and skills essential to competent and wise pastoral leadership of congregations
• tailoring approaches to nurturing the gifts delineated above in congregationally-oriented, contextually-attentive, and culturally-sensitive ways of engaging in on-going pastoral formation, spiritual disciplines, and ministry skills development
• determining the roles and resources which congregations and presbyteries can offer in service to such nurture and sustenance, and enabling them to build the capacity to fulfill their roles.
Focusing upon the newly-ordained, upon those racial ethnic pastors committed to serving racial ethnic congregations, and upon the long term or “veteran” pastors in new church development, redevelopment, or urban congregations, this project will seek to sustain “Healthy Pastors for Healthy Congregations” through the development of a program which:
• Begins with enabling the transition of newly-ordained pastors into their “first call” congregations
• Continues throughout their ministry by engaging pastors in call-sustaining or call-renewing, ministry context assessing, and new skill-building activities
• Engages pastors in on-going self-assessment and enables their shaping and tailoring intentional plans for professional development
• Grounds on-going development of pastors in the ministry of the congregation (rather than the ministry of the pastor as an individual minister) through intentional consultation with lay leaders in identifying the knowledge about congregations, the disciplines of self-care, and the skills in leadership necessary for the nurture of pastors
• Attends to the distinctive ethnic and cultural factors affecting the ways racial ethnic pastors practice ministry.
Rationale:
Within the Presbytery of San Francisco:
• 26 pastors in their first five years of ministry have expressed the need for assistance with transitioning into their first call and for skill development in areas not learned in seminary.
• 14 pastors involved in new church developments, re-developments or urban congregational development have expressed the need to exchange knowledge beyond basic survival in order to sustain their sense of call to ministry and ability to lead churches in changing communities.
• 26 of 81 congregations are racial ethnic; pastors have expressed the need for fresh ways of conceiving and practicing culturally relevant ministry.
• Membership of over 29,000 in 82 congregations and new church developments.
• Having one of the highest number of first call pastors and being one of three presbyteries asked to pilot a first call program by the denomination.
• Caring for one of the highest number of candidates for ministry in the denomination (90).
• Being one of the most racially diverse presbyteries in the denomination.
• Theologically diverse membership.
Project Activities:
This project will progress through the following steps:
• 1. Ascertainment of post-seminary and long-term ministry pastoral formation and skill development needs.
• Research in and development of responses to those needs in partnership with denominational offices, theological seminaries, and other presbyteries..
• Assessment of findings and translation into programs as a supplement to denominational and other training opportunities.
• Reorientation of Executive Staff around resourcing the following program tracks:
• Newly-Ordained Pastor Support Program.
• New Church Development/Redevelopment/Urban Pastor's Enhancement Program.
• Racial Ethnic Advanced Pastoral Skills Seminar.
• Synthesis of program tracks into an integrated developmental approach to nurture and support.
The three broad outcomes of this project will be:
• For pastors within the Presbytery, a reorientation of their relationship with the Presbytery from one that is merely ecclesiastical (membership) to one that is nurturing and sustaining
• For congregations of the Presbytery, a reframing of their relationship with Presbytery from one that is merely oversight-oriented (and perhaps financial support-based) to one that is ministry-affirming and ministry enhancing
• For the Presbytery staff, a reorientation of roles and responsibilities from presbytery program-based to congregation and ministry-based needs and priorities.
Criteria key to evaluating success of this project include:
• Completion of the five-year program by all participants.
• Continuation of mentoring and peer support groups beyond the project.
• Increased number of pastors continuing in ministry beyond first five years.
• Increased participation in the Racial Ethnic Seminar.
• Increased number of congregations capable of adapting to changing communities.
Funding:
• Pre-project feasibility year funded by several denominational sources.
• Proposed project to be 5 years duration (2004 – 2008).
Post-project funding by Presbytery, denomination, and possible endowment.