Connect Rural Clergy
Convocation on the Rural Church
Annual three-day gathering of rural clergy to address the issues of rural ministry, encounter the ministry of the Duke Endowment, strengthen one another through fellowship, and enjoy Sabbath time away.
Courage to Serve
A 15-month program of quarterly retreats for a group of 24 clergy, designed for the personal and professional renewal of ministers by allowing them to get beyond the “what” and “how” questions of ministry to the “who” questions of identity. Courage to Serve retreats create an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual space in which leadership and life questions are explored. This program identifies clergy with talent and interest and engages them in a peer group, exploring what the leaders of this program call “life questions.” In large group, small group, and solitary setting, a quiet, focused, disciplined space is created so that the noise within us and around us subsides so that the voice of God can be heard. Janice Virtue, Executive Director of Leadership Education and Russ Moxley, Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, serve as the faculty for the program.
TRC Pastors’ Gatherings
Regular gatherings of small groups of clergy to connect, reflect, pray, and discuss the blessings, challenges, and opportunities of rural ministry.
Post-Graduate Mentor Program
We are exploring ways to connect new rural clergy with strong mentors who will help to guide them through the pivotal first five years of ministry.