Session 1: Baptism
Have you thought about your presence on the S/PPRC as a ministry? This session encourages committee members to understand their work as being a ministry in response to their baptism and to approach their responsibilities to the pastor and the congregation through this lens.

Session 2: Mission
The mission of the S/PPRC is to work in partnership with your pastor(s) toward fulfilling the larger mission of the United Methodist Church: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We’ll examine ways that your committee approaches this work.

Session 3: Discipleship
In this session, we will explore the nature of Christian discipleship in response to baptism and the S/PPRC’s role of partnering with your pastor(s) to support vibrant, mission-focused ministry in your local congregation. 

Session 4: Sacred Bundle
Each church has its own traditions, taboos, symbols and artifacts that constitute local church culture. But unless they are named, they remain hidden to a new pastor. We’ll discuss the S/PPRC’s role as narrator or interpreter of your church’s unique character. 

Session 5: Truthful Naming
In this session, we will explore basic tools that will equip your committee to deal responsibly with conflict arising in your congregation and “speak the truth in love.”

Session 6: Stewardship of the Pastor
How does your congregation care for its pastor? It’s a demanding role, filled with obligations to the congregation, the community, and the larger United Methodist connection. We’ll explore ways that the S/PPRC can foster a supportive environment that promotes the well-being of the pastor, and consequently, the growth of the church. 

Session 7: Covenant for Ministry
In its final gathering, your committee will discuss ideas from previous sessions that you would like to see reflected in your work as a committee.  You will begin the process of constructing a covenant (or amending an existing one) that reflects the journey you will have taken during this study. This document is specific to your parish setting and is designed to complement other assessment tools your committee may use.

When will Pastor & Parish be available?
The timing for release of Pastor & Parish is not yet determined.  Once it is ready, we will offer training sessions at a variety of points throughout the year so that committees can participate when it is most convenient and the curriculum will be of most use.  While we hope to offer Pastor & Parish more broadly in the future, it is not currently available to churches outside of North Carolina.

Who should participate?
Pastor & Parish is designed for staff-parish relations committees, but our hope is that it will foster conversations that enhance the overall work of the church. Therefore, we encourage other key leaders within the congregation, such as the chairs of Church Council or Nominations, to join the group in completing the program. Though the pastor is encouraged to participate throughout if time allows, we recommend that clergy not miss the first and final sessions.

Who should lead the group through the program?
Each church should designate a layperson within the congregation to be trained as a facilitator of the program. Ideal candidates include lay speakers, or other laypersons who are not members of the S/PPRC, although the SPRC chair or the lay leader could fill this role. We strongly discourage pastors from serving as facilitators, as one goal of the program is to build leadership capacity within the church.

What is required?
We will provide access to the videos, participant workbooks, and a facilitator guide free of charge. We hope that each participating committee will complete the entire seven-session program.

Should we incorporate this program into our regular S/PPRC meetings?
Please plan to gather at a separate time, ideally weekly. Pastor & Parish is meant to be a formational activity, filled with prayerful reflection about your committee’s service to the church. The Sunday school hour may be the ideal “set-aside” time for this study to take place, emphasizing the formational aspect of this ministry, as well as the practical training. We hope that you will apply these learnings when you gather for regular S/PRC meetings, but it would do a disservice to both activities to try to combine the two.  

Should you have additional questions, please contact the Clergy Health Initiative.

The resources below delve deeper into the topics introduced in Pastor & Parish:

Session 1: Baptism

• Book, Bath, Table and Time: Christian Worship as Source and Resource for Youth Ministry, by Fred P. Edie
• Temptations and triumphs of ministry, by Kenneth Carder
• A spiritual life, by Allan Hugh Cole Jr.

Session 2: Discipleship

• The spiritual life of the leader, by Janice Riggle Huie
• A pilgrim people following a living God, by Michael Jinkins

Session 3: Mission

• Power for good, by Mary Alice Casey
• The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship, by Scott C. Jones
• The end, by L. Gregory Jones
• Rock solid, by Sally Hicks

Session 4: Sacred Bundle

• Traditioned innovation: A biblical way of thinking, by C. Kavin Rowe
• Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, by Christine D. Pohl

Session 5: Truthful Naming

• Circle Manners
• Reconciling All Things: A Christian vision for Justice, Peace and Healing, by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice
• The tie that binds, by Jeremy Troxler
• Love made me an inventor, featuring Maggy Barankitse

Session 6: Stewardship of the Pastor

• Expectations of Pastoral Leadership: A Reference for Pastors and Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committees (Sixth edition under the 2008 Book of Discipline).  Produced by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.
• Center for Congregations
• Making transitions, by Bob Wells
• Leading the follower, by Bob Wells
• Living prayer and leadership, an interview with Sarah Coakley

Session 7: Covenant for Ministry

• Watching Over One Another in Love: A Wesleyan Model for Ministry Assessment, by Gwen Purushotham