By Ruth Perkins Lee This article was first published in Faith & Leadership on March 8, 2022 (https://faithandleadership.com/peer-groups-pastors-can-create-healthy-ecosystem-support). In 2019, my husband and I visited Muir Woods National Monument, an old-growth redwood forest on California’s northern coast. I had long been fascinated by the concept of the interconnected growth and root system of redwoods that … Continue reading
By Layne Smith Of Abraham Lincoln – He welcomed arguments within the cabinet, but would be “greatly pained,” he warned them, if he found his colleagues attacking each other in public. What can be learned from Lincoln’s success in keeping this disparate team together? (p.222) Of Theodore Roosevelt – Throughout his political career, Roosevelt’s conception … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed I am so relieved that heading into Advent and Christmas 2021, the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. We can put aside the difficulty and the different look of last year’s holiday observances and go all out, with all of our people back in the pews! Record scratch. The reality is that … Continue reading
By Rhonda P. James-Jones In July 2018, I was asked to attend the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute (CRSI) offered through Transforming Chaplaincy. Chaplains are invited to this institute for a myriad of reasons. Two drew me in—“providing leadership to chaplaincy quality improvement projects”[1] (QI) and “chaplaincy-related DMin projects”[2]. We discussed the importance of engaging in research, explored … Continue reading
By Layne Smith When will we be able to gather safely in person with friends, colleagues, coworkers, and extended family members? So many of us are “Zoomed” out. We dread looking at the screen with everyone in a little box. We long to regain some sense of normalcy in our lives. We miss the touch, … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Working at home is hard. Being on Zoom for multiple hours a day makes us want to tear out our hair. The fatigue that comes from seeing our own camera view and adjusting our faces accordingly is real. Don’t be so quick to kick video calls to the curb once we can … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Back before Christmas, the website Masterclass was offering a two-for-one membership deal. The opportunity to learn about any subject I could imagine was more than my inner nerd could pass up. I can virtually sit at the feet of experts in the arts, sciences, athletics, history, and more. A neuroscientist is currently … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed Recently a member of one of CBF’s peer learning group reached out to his fellow members to share his appreciation for community that PLG offers. Below is an excerpt from that email, shared with permission. Hi my peer learning group friends! How are you doing? I miss you. I miss your laughter. I … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed By now you have not only become acquainted with and even proficient at Zoom, you are likely Zoomed out. That is understandable. Still, online meetings are the best way to build and maintain relationships during this season of social distancing. That includes your peer learning group connections, which is likely more vital … Continue reading
Earlier this month the peer learning group regional directors (Steve Graham, Layne Smith, Fran Patterson, and Laura Stephens-Reed) met with CBF staff Ruth Perkins Lee and Dihanne Moore to discuss how best to support and encourage our PLGs. Here is what groups and conveners can expect in the coming months: A beefed-up resource list. We … Continue reading
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