In their upcoming workshop “Creating and Sustaining Healthy Congregations,” presenters Peter Steinke and Ana Hernandez invite people from across the diocese to join them in the work begun April 4-5 at their first workshop, “How Your Church Family Works.”
Judy Cariker, Trinity, Fort Worth, attended the April workshop in the midst of preparing for Trinity’s first all-parish retreat the first weekend in May. “I thought our time with Peter Steinke was wonderful! …. Peter told us we needed to go on a journey together, and to be better connected we needed to play together. Our retreat was our attempt to live out that message. Everyone had an opportunity to come together and get to know each other on a much deeper level. The energy was amazing! (Not only at our retreat but at the Growing In Faith Workshop.) We need to pay attention to these two pieces of advice as a Diocese. We need to go on a journey and play together to finally get to know one another. For so many years we were trained to keep to ourselves. If we are to survive as a church we need to truly become a family.”
Judy added, “Some other pieces of knowledge gained – the characteristics of leaders:
- Good leaders don’t just react, they have patience and take time to process events.
- Good leaders plan for the future.
- Good leaders provide immunity. They separate good from bad behavior to help prevent disease within the community.
- Good leaders maintain the institution while allowing and promoting innovation.
- Good leaders must be agents of hope.
“I am looking forward to the next workshop in June. Every church that wants to move on into the future should not only attend but step out in faith and work through this process.”
Online registration is now open.