On March 5-7, Copper Creek Church in Champaign, Illinois, welcomed SOLT for the COM/CPM Summit! We learned about the church’s mission, approach to ministry, and some even went down the slide in their indoor playground!
We were grateful to have Corey Schlosser-Hall, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Director of Rebuilding and Vision Implementation, as our plenary speaker. Days were filled with workshops, plenaries, worship, and fellowship.
A few photos from the summit:
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- Corey Schlosser-Hall led three plenary sessions.
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- Rebecca Blair leads a workshop for COMs
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- Eric Heinekamp leads a workshop on conflict.
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- Thanks to Scott Keeble for hosting us and keeping us caffeinated!
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- Closing worship
Select Plenary & Workshop Handouts
Plenary Handouts
Presenter: Corey Schlosser-Hall, Deputy Executive for Vision & Innovation at the Presbyterian Mission Agency
Two Loop Life Cycle for Congregations
Future Mindset Questions
How Proposed Amendments Will Change COM/CPM Responsibilities
Presenter: Elissa Bailey, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Great Rivers
Click here to view the slide kit.
Many of our presbyteries have already voted on the 33 amendments and most are headed toward the direction of passing. But what will this really mean for COMs and CPMs? How will our committees assist our congregations and those called to ministerial service with these changes? This class will discuss what the amendments mean, and what they don’t mean, and how we can work together in supporting our presbytery committees and the presbytery as a whole.
COM FOR NOW
Presenter: Rebecca Blair, Lead Presbyter for Transformation and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois
All of us are now experiencing the dimensions of generational change and cultural transformation, especially in this pandemic season, at an accelerating pace. For COM—the group charged with serving as pastor, counselor, and advisor to ministers and congregations in this shifting context—understanding the dynamic nature and implications of such cultural change for our work together is essential.
This changing cultural landscape points to God’s unfolding vision for God’s kin-dom, a vision embodied in contemporary and varied forms of relationship. In this interactive workshop, we will explore the ways in which cultural change impacts the work of COM and offers us opportunities to imagine and reframe proactive, generative, life-giving processes that speak to God’s new thing in our midst.
Managing Conflict in the Church
Presenter: Eric Heinekamp, Transformational General Presbyter & Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Blackhawk
Click here to view the slide kit.
Click here for the handout.
Congregation leaders and members are facing increased pressure due to general trends towards religion in society and the impact of the pandemic. Lower attendance, decreased giving, and shrinking programs can cause anxiety in congregations. This friction is increasingly causing conflict within a congregation and between the congregation and its pastor. This workshop will address 3 topics: trends in church conflict, how to prevent conflict, and how to handle conflict when it arises. We will use a case study model and group discussion to talk about the role of the pastor and the COM in handling conflict.
A RICHLY DWELLING WORD: Ministry Formation for Congregational Leadership by Ruling Elders
Presenters: Donna Enerson and Jennifer Burns Lewis
Responding to the need for trained ruling elders and others for preaching, worship leadership and more, and to the desire of ruling elders and others who are responding to a call to lead, the Presbytery of Wabash Valley has been at the work of training ruling elders for service for more than 20 years. Come and learn more about our recent and ever-evolving Ministry Formation Program, now in its seventh year as an online and in-person experience for intrepid people and the CPMs and COMs who encourage them. You can learn more about the program here.
Overview of the Ministry Formation Program 2022-2024
Cohort 3 Oct 22 meeting
Not Every Church Transitional Time is Alike! So How Do You Figure Out Good Matches?
Presenter: Beth Wagner, Transitional Interim John Knox Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis
Not every church transition is alike, and neither are transitional interim pastors. So how does COM figure out what type of interim will work best for our many different transitions? One of the keys is to spend some time figuring out where the church is on the church life cycle and that will help determine the skills and needs the church might need during their transition.
Click here to view the slide kit.
The Courage of the Body: What COMs and CPMs Need to Know About Trauma
Presenter: Christina Berry, Head of Staff, First Presbyterian Church of Sterling, IL
This is a workshop of basic information about trauma and how it affects the lives of our pastors, candidates for ministry, and members of our congregations, and us as individuals. We will learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the statistics and long term effects, and behaviors and research around the subject of trauma. We’ll discuss how to respond to someone who reveals a traumatic past or childhood event, and how “The past is not the past. The body remembers. The wounds do not simply go away.” (Shelly Rambo) For CPMs and COMs, how to listen and respond to revelations of trauma will be the main takeaway. This is a deep and intense subject and we will barely scratch the surface. We’ll share resources for more in-depth work and study. Presenter Christina Berry brings three gifts to this work: a personal experience of trauma, childhood and adult; previous education and work as a psychotherapist; seventeen years as a PC(USA) minister.
VIDEO — Different Drummers: Trauma Informed Congregations – YouTube
View the handout: SOLT COMCPM Handout
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