Center for Pastoral Effectiveness NW

12/26/2018

Clergy are often pulled into “triangles” in the church. Sometimes they are seen as the ”savior” to assist the other two persons, group, etc in the triangle to deal with the conflict. At other times they are the person the other two members of the triangle focus on so they don’t have to deal with each other. Of course getting two people to stop fixating on you is really tough. They will work hard to triangle in others to bolster their story. Gets pretty heavy for the clergy, their spouse, their children, their leadership team, etc. So how do we deal with this triangle stuff? This is what we address at The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies.

As you begin planning your continuing education for the coming year, you might want to consider The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies. Now in its sixth year, over 220 clergy have attended The Center from five different denominations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, Iowa, and Kansas. It is most popularly described as “the most valuable continuing education experience I have every attended.” There are SIX Three-Day retreats scheduled over eighteen months. If you are interested read on.

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors: Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

09/13/2018

Clergy are often seen as “the problem” that needs to be exorcised form the church. It is often scapegoating on the part of the church. The scapegoating phenomenon is so common in the church. In fact, when the “problem clergy” issue develops in a church system and all of the attention is focused on that person, it usually means there are deeper, more basic issues being ignored by the church. The scapegoating is a great way for the church system to eliminate looking at themselves. So how do we as clergy deal with this? This is what we address in The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness.

07/27/2018

A lot of clergy are so good at disguising or hiding their anxiety, that they even have difficulty recognizing themselves in the following article. “Anxiety is not a nice feeling. IT is basically a fear of the unknown which is worse than an ordinary fear of some specific thing. Anxiety leaves you feeling vulnerable and powerless. Most people will do anything in order to avoid it. So we all learn to behave in a certain way to avoid feeling anxious, even if that creates other uncomfortable feelings. We will feel depressed or paranoid, for example than to feel anxious.” (Family Ties That Bind, p.15) Some clergy become very passive and powerless, others become aggressive and exert power and most of the time in unhealthy ways. Clergy find themselves in anxious systems all of the time. Our people want us to take away their anxieties. Meanwhile their actions raise the anxiety in the whole church system. And unfortunately, the person who can make you feel anxious is in control.

So how do we, as clergy, address this anxiety? Actually, how do we even get in touch with our anxiety? Because if we don’t we can become dangerous to ourselves, to our families, to our churches. This is what we address at The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies.

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

Sign Up: Center – Track l
To sign up or for more information, visit the web site www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or contact Rev. Bill Selby, [email protected] or Rev. Derf Bergman at [email protected].

07/27/2018

Gather 8 colleagues together who are committed to the Center Process and let us know!

06/22/2018

Named by most clergy who have attended as “the most valuable continuing education experience they have ever had.” The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness is 20th year and the 100th Center series of retreats this summer with the first in Oregon-Idaho. The Center was created to Maintain Ministers in Ministry. Interested? Read on.

There is a little book you might like to read, Ministry is a High Calling, Aim Low by Kurt Schuermann. It has a lot of family systems in it. On page 18 you will find this quote, “There are people who haven’t liked anything that has happened in the church, ever. Why they continue to show us to be miserable is a deep and profound mystery.” Perhaps you have a few in your church. These people tend to really show their faces whenever we, as clergy, try to make some changes at the church. These changes, of course, were what we were “hired” to by those who “hired” us. These same changes could get us “fired” just as easy. But it isn’t so much about what they are saying this is really important. It is how we can learn to respond to their reactions. This is NOT EASY, however. It takes an incredible effort not to strike out at these adversaries, or hide out in your office, or find others in the church to whom we can tell about what happened. Uh…. lets say that NONE OF THE ABOVE is the healthy answer. So what do we do? This is what is addressed at the Center.

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors: Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

Sign Up: Center – Track l Portland Area

To sign up or for more information, visit the web site www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or contact Rev. Bill Selby, [email protected] or Rev. Derf Bergman at [email protected].

06/05/2018

Derf Bergman, Affiliate Mentor, grew up in Central Illinois, a child of the Central Illinois (now Great Rivers) Conference of the Methodist (now United Methodist) Church. His early family life revolved around school (his father was a high school teacher/administrator) church (his mother a Sunday School Superintendent and youth leader), the Illinois River (fishing and hunting), and the extended family farms near Perry, Illinois. He grew up mostly in Bath, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois for a time but eventually drifted to Missoula and the University of Montana in 1978. He has remained a Montanan ever since except for stopovers in Massachusetts and Wyoming.

His interest in Family Systems Theory dates to the 1990's when he read “Generation to Generation” by Edwin Friedman. Naively, he thought, “I think I’ll try out some of these differentiation and non-anxious ideas.” The reactivity from his staff was immediate and robust. In the first week of immersing himself in systems theory he discovered two important truths. First, systems theory is not an idea but a complete change of thinking and behavior concerning relationships, church, family, self and—well— just about everything about life. And second, systems theory is not a technique to try but a lifelong process of learning and change. His life and ministry have been a journey of growth in the ensuing years.

He became involved in the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness in 2009. Since then he has experienced accelerated evolution and learning and a more complete understanding of pastoral ministry and success in the parish. He accepted the invitation to become an Affiliate Mentor for the Center in 2016.

Derf holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Montana and a Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies and Administration from Boston University. He has applied several times to be President of Red Sox Nation. All these attempts have failed, so he is content and at peace for now to cheer for the Red Sox and Celtics from afar. He is a history buff, gardener, and bicycler. He plays several musical instruments, one or two of them competently. He and his wife Jay (a Montana transplant from San Francisco) have three grown sons Micah and Isaiah, who live in Portland, Oregon and Jonah, who lives in Billings, Montana. Micah and his wife, Sorcha, have a daughter, Aubrey. Jay and Derf share their home with Jeannie, a Kelpie with a minor anxiety disorder.

06/05/2018

In the words of a recent participant, Rev. David Hiester in Brigham City, UT, “I have found the Center profoundly helpful in my understanding myself, my relationships, my congregation, and the potential that exists within me to impact the all of them by focusing on my own health. Whatever you think the Center is about, chances are you're mistaken. It's been better than I could have imagined, and I think you'll find it the same!”

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors: Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

05/23/2018

Thank you to all who liked our page! Be well.

Maintaining ministers in ministry.

05/23/2018

Burnout and exhaustion are such pervasive ailments among clergy that the need for this work is great. The Center accomplishes this journey toward pastoral and congregational health by offering an in-depth understanding of the role of the leader, creating healthy boundaries, avoiding triangles, and growing in self-differentiation.

The work, however, is not simply theoretical; it is practical and applicable in a variety of settings: churches, institutions, families, and neighborhoods. I have been greatly helped by this work, and my church has grown stronger for it. I no longer shy away from conflict. Tough issues and difficult people no longer paralyze me. I have learned how to successfully develop appropriate working boundaries. I am more energized and enthusiastic about ministry than I have been in years. Rebekah Simon-Peter, Pres. MM-MinistryMatters™ Casper WY.

What is the Center? It is a program, which focuses on Family Systems in the Church. Yes, there are several resources available which also focus on Family Systems, but what makes The Center unique is that it is neither a therapeutic nor academic model, it is a “pastoral” model. Everything we do together enables clergy to be healthier leaders of their church.

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors: Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

Sign Up: Center – Track l
To sign up or for more information, visit the web site www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or contact Rev. Bill Selby, [email protected] or Rev. Derf Bergman at [email protected].

Rev.Bill Selby, creator of the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies is the Center's . Bill's professional background includes engineering, higher education, and pastoral ministry. He has studied and used Family Systems theory since the 1970s. Ordained in 1974 in the South Indiana Confere...

05/23/2018

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies
After almost 20 years, resource finally coming to Oregon-Idaho

As you begin planning your continuing education for the coming year, you might want to consider The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies. Approaching its 20th year, over 800 clergy have attended from five different denominations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, Iowa, and Kansas. It is most popularly described as “the most valuable continuing education experience I have every attended.” This will be the first Center in Oregon-Idaho. There are SIX Three-Day retreats scheduled over eighteen months. If you are interested read on.

Burnout and exhaustion are such pervasive ailments among clergy that the need for this work is great. The Center accomplished this journey toward pastoral and congregational health by offering an in-depth understanding of the role of the leader, creating healthy boundaries, avoiding triangles, and growing in self-differentiation.

The work, however, is not simply theoretical; it is practical and applicable in a variety of settings: churches, institutions, families, and neighborhoods. I have been greatly helped by this work, and my church has grown stronger for it. I no longer shy away from conflict. Tough issues and difficult people no longer paralyze me. I have learned how to successfully develop appropriate working boundaries. I am more energized and enthusiastic about ministry than I have been in years. Rebekah Simon-Peter, Pres. MM-MinistryMatters™ Casper WY.

What is the Center? It is a program, which focuses on Family Systems in the Church. Yes, there are several resources available which also focus on Family Systems, but what makes The Center unique is that it is neither a therapeutic nor academic model, it is a “pastoral” model. Everything we do together enables clergy to be healthier leaders of their church.

Center Designed by a Pastor for Pastors: Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

Sign Up: Center – Track l
To sign up or for more information, visit the web site www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or contact Rev. Bill Selby, [email protected] or Rev. Derf Bergman at [email protected].

Rev.Bill Selby, creator of the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies is the Center's . Bill's professional background includes engineering, higher education, and pastoral ministry. He has studied and used Family Systems theory since the 1970s. Ordained in 1974 in the South Indiana Confere...

05/18/2018

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies.
After almost 20 years this resource is finally coming to Oregon-Idaho.

As you begin planning your continuing education for the coming year, you might want to consider The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies. Approaching its 20th year, over 800 clergy have attended from five different denominations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, Iowa, and Kansas. It is most popularly described as “the most valuable continuing education experience I have every attended.” This will be the first Center in Oregon-Idaho. There are SIX Three-Day retreats scheduled over eighteen months. If you are interested read on.

What is the Center? It is a program, which focuses on Family Systems in the Church. Yes, there are several resources available which also focus on Family Systems, but what makes The Center unique is that it is a “pastoral” model. It is continuing education, but is it far more than educational. It is therapeutic but not therapy. Everything we do together enables clergy to be healthier leaders of their church.

Why consider the Center? First, the high quality of the experience. But an important second is that there is a lot of anxiety across the country and your region is no exception. Terrorism, the war, economics, water, sexual issues, political discourse, 2nd Amendment arguments, the changing face of the small town as well as the city, you name it, all add anxiety to the country. These anxieties ALWAYS end up impacting the church and especially the life of clergy, personally, professionally, and their families. It is absolutely imperative that clergy reflect on how they can deal with this anxiety because, much of the time, the anxiety gets focused, even fixated, on the clergy. How do we manage ourselves so that we can stay the leader of self, for family, for the church?

The Center is designed by a Pastor for Pastors. there are Six Three-Day Retreats to provide time to integrate this way of thinking both professionally and personally. The Six Retreats span three calendar years which makes three years of continuing education funds available. Each Retreat is 3 Days which provides just enough time to really “get away” from the stress of ministry.

Sign Up: Center – Track l
To sign up or for more information, visit the web site www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or contact Rev. Bill Selby, [email protected] or Rev. Derf Bergman at [email protected].