SPE Project Spotlight:
The College of Pastoral Leaders, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
When pastors first approach the College of Pastoral Leaders at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary about forming a “cohort group”—a six to eight-member peer learning group-- they typically start out telling College officials what they think the College wants to hear.
They talk about wanting to better their pastoral skills or develop new lectionary resources or tackle some new technique at professional self-improvement, says the Rev. Janet Maykus, principal of the college
“But then we talk to them more,” she says. “And we ask them ‘Is this what you really need? Does this excite you? When you’re sitting alone thinking ‘X is what I want to do,’ is this it?”
Almost invariably, the applicants then come back with new and creative ideas for their cohort group far different from what they initially proposed, says Maykus.
“That’s been the great part, seeing what people come up with for their proposal,” says Maykus. “They’re coming up with really clever ideas. What’s becoming more and more apparent to us is that people who go into ministry have a real creative edge to them. They like to write or listen to music or put people and programs together in different ways.”
One of 63 Sustaining Pastoral Excellence projects funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the College currently sponsors 13 cohort groups with a total of 68 participating ministers. Located from New Mexico to New England and representing faith traditions ranging from Presbyterian to Pentecostal, the groups are taking widely divergent approaches to peer learning.
Pilgrims in the Land of Enchantment, a cohort group of Presbyterian pastors in New Mexico, for example, is looking among other things at self-nurture and the development of authentic friendships. As part of that effort, group members are teaching each other about their favorite interests, from backpacking to Native American spirituality at Taos Pueblo.
In Syracuse, N.Y., a group of eight Hispanic Pentecostal pastors is working together to improve pastoral care to the Hispanic population they serve. In San Antonio, Tex., seven Presbyterian pastors whose churches are in demographically changing neighborhoods are trying to find ways to help their congregations reach out to their surrounding communities. In their work together, the cohort members will consult with congregations in Guatemala and Nicaragua to find out how they handled similar community transitions with even fewer economic resources.
Cohort members are also finding a creative outlet in the College’s new publication, Communitas. Launched in December, the 36-page magazine contains the major presentations from the College’s 2004 annual conference along with reflections and other writings from cohort members. The next issue, which will contain similar material from the College’s 2005 conference held in February, will be published in December.
(Two excerpts from the first issue of Communitas –a talk on pastoral excellence by the Rev. Kevin Armstrong and a cohort reflection by the Rev. Greg Rickel—are available on the SPE Web site).
The College printed 10,000 copies of the first issue and received an outpouring of grateful responses from recipients, says Maykus.
“I was surprised at the chord it struck with so many people,” she says. “It made me realize that there is a lot of scholarly writing out there about how to do your work and how to be a pastor, but there isn’t a lot by people for people. It seemed to resonate in specific and important ways.”
Ultimately, Maykus says, the College’s work and that of the overall SPE program is about empowering pastors to help each other overcome the routine of day-to-day ministry that can sap and destroy creativity.
“We’re not necessarily telling people to go out and have fun,” she says. “But we are telling them to find the joy in ministry, to invite the mystery of the Spirit into their lives, to enjoy themselves and figure out where that comes from and how it happens.”
