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Anxiety and depression are common in our U.S. and Canadian contexts. In this module, we will focus on anxiety and depression in adults. Our time together on Zoom will include instructor input, student presentations of learning, and group discussions and interaction. The instructor will share her own learnings as a person in ministry who has experienced both anxiety and depression.

• Learn about how anxiety and depression can manifest themselves in individuals, and also about panic attacks, bipolar disorder, suicide, burnout and other related issues.
• Identify both helpful and unhelpful ways of addressing the difficulties people experience.
• Examine what the Bible says about these conditions and how it can be used in helpful ways (as well as how it can be used in ways that compound problems).
• Explore how people with anxiety and/or depression can work at addressing their problems, and how church ministers and other leaders can support them.
• Discuss how pastors and other church leaders with anxiety and/or depression can manage well in their ministry context.

The current context of polarization has our congregations, communities and families railing. The world is in desperate need of skills to transform our communities. This workshop will offer tools for leaders of all kinds to effectively navigate the pitfalls of polarization in their congregations and communities through healthy dialogue skills, community-building practices and restorative justice processes.

• Learn how polarization affects how individuals and groups engage conversation on conflictive issues.
• Gain tools for understanding and approaching conflict in the midst of polarization and division.
• Learn principles and best practices for moving towards conflict and addressing divisive issues through healthy dialogue.

How do we relate to the Bible in today鈥檚 complicated religious and political environments? In a time of anti-institutional fervor across generations, what does it mean for the Bible to have life-giving influence in our lives? We鈥檒l explore these questions: 

• Does the Bible still matter for Christians today? If so, in what ways does it matter?
• Why is teaching the Bible important? 
• What are best practices for teaching the Bible effectively?
• Understand current dilemmas that leaders and congregants face in relating to the Bible.
• Gain an appreciation for Scripture as an important resource for the church today.
• Develop skills for creating enthusiastic communities of engagement around Scripture.

As Christians reading the Bible after the Holocaust, we need to examine how we imagine the relationship between our two testaments and whether we privilege one above the other. We鈥檒l explore 鈥渟upersessionism,鈥� the harmful theological claim that the church has replaced Israel as God鈥檚 covenant community and the authority of the New Testament 鈥渟upersedes鈥� that of the Old. We鈥檒l explore the question: How can we as modern Christians read our Scriptures faithfully, creatively and respectfully?

• Learn about how supersessionism has not only harmed relations between Jews and Christians but also sold short both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Scriptures. 
• Examine the historical origins of the notion of Jesus as 鈥渢he hermeneutical key鈥� to the Hebrew Bible and consider the implications of using this approach today. 
• Explore multiple methods of interpretation for reading the Bible responsibly today.

Many times when we think of church conflict, we envision major division, church splits and outside mediators. While high conflict does exist and should be addressed, churches and other groups can talk about issues we disagree on in healthy ways. By creating a culture that affirms and invites dialogue amid difference, we can address small conflicts in constructive ways before they turn into large, destructive conflicts. For this, it is helpful to learn and imagine potential structures and processes that are useful for group dialogue. Good process makes a big difference. This is something churches can do, and it鈥檚 an important and authentic way to embody the gospel of peace within our own communities.

• Learn about principles and best practices for group processes on conversations that address divisive issues
• Gain tools for facilitating and engaging in conversation across polarizing divides within their congregations and communities
• Identify mechanisms for recognizing and addressing power dynamics present in conflict
• Study biblical texts for insights into good process in the midst of conflict

Impacted by pandemic and polarization, many local churches are bewildered by how much the patterns of faith and life have changed in just the last five years. Many congregations today struggle with diminishing attendance in worship, maintaining a building, needing to reduce program and personnel structures, prioritizing faith formation programs, and finding effective decision-making processes to articulate and implement a shared vision for the future. Some have resigned themselves to a narrative of decline and expect that their churches are on their way to closing. Others are gasping in the attempt to maintain business as usual asking fewer people to wear more hats and do more work. 

In the wake of seismic social change, church leaders have an opportunity to rethink what is core to the identity and purpose of their local churches, to rediscover common practices that flow from the church鈥檚 foundational convictions, and to consider new patterns for their life and mission. The purpose of this learning module is to offer a discernment process that can enable local churches to right-size their structures, programs, and spaces to be more nimble in mission and less drained by maintenance.

Every church has a governance structure. When they are effective, they create a context for health and growth. When they are not, they create vulnerabilities. This workshop will help you understand the why and the how of effective church boards and practice effective governance in your congregation 鈥� providing a foundation for effective and engaged ministry.听

• Gain a deeper understanding of how governance rooted in Anabaptist values can support and advance the church鈥檚 mission.听
• Learn about general oversight, fiscal oversight, pastoral supervision and fiduciary/legal responsibilities of church boards.
• Understand the difference between task conflict and relational conflict.
• Learn about keys to effective decision-making that emerges out of the gifts of the community.听

• Deepen your understanding of what leadership is and how it functions.
• Engage opportunities and challenges of leadership today.
• Explore strategies for leading effective organizations.
• Gain inspiration to grow as a leader and claim your leadership.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many changes within congregations related to giving. Generational, technological and cultural changes have all radically altered the financial relationship that congregations have with their members. 

• Deepen your understanding of these changes and their impact on congregational ministry.
• Develop practices to respond effectively to the challenges they present.

• Learn how polarization affects how individuals and congregations engage conversation on conflictive issues
• Learn principles and best practices for moving towards conflict and addressing divisive issues through healthy dialogue
• Study biblical texts for insights into healthy conflict management
• Gain tools for understanding and approaching conflict in the current context of polarization and division

Maintaining healthy boundaries protects not only the congregation and congregants from clergy abuse and trauma, but also protects the pastor from burnout and misuse of their power and position. We will explore issues of power, relationships, and maintaining health. This training meets the requirements of MC USA for all pastors.

Many of us say we want an intercultural church, but are we willing and able to make room for diversity that goes beyond looking at demographics? 

• Identify the main tenets of White supremacy culture and how it harms everyone
• Explore ways to break the cycle and counteract White supremacy when it shows up in our workplaces and churches
• Learn how to move from 鈥渟ymbolic power鈥� to 鈥渟hared power鈥� in churches and organizations

Research has shown that intergenerational ministry helps people of all ages feel a sense of belonging; supports families; increases role models for children and youth; creates an environment for sharing faith and mutual support; and develops a shared vision among leaders. This module offers a coaching cohort to pastors and formation leaders who want to experience these benefits in their congregation.

• Connect with other ministry leaders for mutual encouragement and support, and learn from one another what鈥檚 working 鈥� and what hasn鈥檛 worked.
• Discuss, share and learn in a small group (eight people maximum).
• Explore best practices in intergenerational worship and faith formation.
• Benefit from structured coaching that ensures that your time together is focused, effective and theologically grounded. 
• Find strategies for addressing your own specific challenges in an hourlong one-on-one coaching session with Shana.

We鈥檒l explore how Scripture has shaped, sustained and renewed Anabaptist faith communities from the 16th century to the present and share insights about contemporary challenges of biblical interpretation. We鈥檒l learn how to use the new Anabaptist Community Bible as a resource for engaging Scripture, highlighting its distinctive features and applications. The larger themes will be relevant to Anabaptist pastors and church leaders, regardless of which Bible translation they prefer.

• Learn how to incorporate the Anabaptist Community Bible into sermon preparation.
• Gain fresh approaches for studying the Bible together in the congregation as a living text that continues to transform our lives.
• Explore ways of integrating visual art into sermons, as well as other ways of engaging Scripture.

This module explores the building of spiritual practices as a foundation for anti-racism/anti-oppression work. We will look at the ways in which our faith communities guide us in the processes of 1) building community, 2) accepting the discipline of accountability, 3) walking deeper into rather than away from racial identity, 4) doing the work with joy (because joy is resistance), and 5) recognizing the sacred in the midst of struggle.

• Deepen your understanding of leadership as a spiritual practice
• Explore practices leadership teams can do together
• Focus on practices that deepen trust in God and expand your spiritual imagination
• Tend to the diversity of spiritual longings in your congregation
• Receive a coaching session for your leadership team, included with your enrollment

• Identify your personal goals for the module during a confidential pre-course interview
• Attend five online sessions:
  • Introduction to Transitions
  • Entering an Established System
  • Ephesians: The Biblical Case for Preparing the Church for the Future 
  • Importance of the Congregation as Effective Organization
  • Looking toward the Future
• Receive three hours of individual post-course coaching  
• Identify your gifts as a potential candidate for transitional ministry
• Function with competence and confidence in many transitional ministry contexts
• Acquire the values of continuing education, support and accountability, and leadership development

Weddings and funerals can be times for individuals, families and congregations to care for one another, celebrate life, confront fears and embody the good news of Christ. We will talk about the logistics involved in planning for and leading such services and give attention to the role of the pastor in assisting the congregation to walk together through life-shaping experiences.

• Learn specific ways to get to know a couple and help them prepare for their future and their wedding.
• Gain confidence in leading the wedding rehearsal and the service.
• Explore ideas for involving the congregation and friends in funeral rituals. 
• Learn to integrate the life stories of individuals 鈥� their hopes and fears 鈥� with the good news of Christ鈥檚 abundant love. 

*This module will be offered only in Spanish with Hispanic Ministries of Mennonite Education Agency. Read about it in Spanish.

• Learn to view challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement
• Explain the biblical basis for planning well
• Gain essential tools for casting vision and planning church events
• Expand and apply skills for leading meetings and setting priorities
• Explore foundations of Christian leadership

How can we engage men to live outside the 鈥渕an box鈥�? Dominant masculinity in American culture upholds certain ideals and traits of men in ways that 鈥渂ox them in.鈥� This often limits male formation, impacts other genders, causes harm and distorts healthy sexuality. In responding to these problems, we鈥檒l explore a vision of men enjoying and extending abundant life as they follow Jesus and live into God鈥檚 shalom. 

• Identify ways to engage men in tending their formation, relationships and call.
• Provide a vision for men鈥檚 work and practical Anabaptist resources for men鈥檚 groups.
• Examine differing expressions of masculinity from an Anabaptist perspective.
• Explore ways to assist men in embracing and expressing healthy sexuality.

When a congregation is facing a pastoral departure, key volunteer transition or other type of change, it鈥檚 common for anxiety within the congregation to heighten. However, transitions also provide opportunities for a congregation to discern and dream. Following Jesus is a dynamic journey, so when we commit to following him, it requires us to learn to move through change.  

• Understand the logistics of a pastoral search process.
• Explore ways to discern next steps for an upcoming transition.
• Gain tools to foster positive relationships within the congregation during a transition.

Are you drawn to deepen your study of the Bible and strengthen your congregation鈥檚 connection to your community? Join bg真人鈥檚 Faith Formation Collaborative to learn about a new program, Orienting With the Word, that will equip congregations in Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada to read and interpret both the Bible and their sociocultural context with the goal of connecting more authentically with their communities. 

• Gain tools to assess your congregation鈥檚 cultural and social contexts.
• Participate in Confessional Bible Study 鈥� an approach to Bible study developed at bg真人 that is at the heart of the Orienting With the Word program. 
• Learn about how studying and interpreting Scripture together can equip a congregation for transformation. 

Financial pressures often create significant stress for pastors and for congregations as they seek to carry out their ministry in the world. Educating and supporting pastors in personal financial wellness can help them navigate some of the challenges of serving the church. Congregations that focus on faithful stewardship and best practices related to generosity are more likely to flourish. bg真人 and Everence are collaborating to offer this module.

• Reflect on your own financial wellness by exploring seven areas of financial planning (two sessions). 
• Gain best practices related to cultivating generosity and faithful stewardship that you can adapt to your congregation鈥檚 context (two sessions).

Within every congregation of believers are adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Every pastor and church leader needs to know how to be a positive influence in the life of a survivor of sexual abuse and how to encourage them in their path toward healing. This course will help Christian leaders learn how to relate to, resource and counsel those who have been sexually abused.

• Learn about the effects of childhood sexual abuse on adult survivors.
• Grow in your ability to nurture, resource and counsel survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
• Gain understanding of the effects of a survivor鈥檚 journey on their spouse, and grow in your ability to resource the survivor鈥檚 spouse.
• Explore the dynamics of forgiveness in relation to sexual abuse.

The world around us models extremely unhealthy ways of talking to (or yelling at) one another when it comes to conflictive issues. We say we are peacemakers, but when it comes to extended family gatherings and conversations on social media, it doesn鈥檛 always look that way. When we don鈥檛 see eye to eye, our churches divide.

We need to practice. There is a holy energy that comes when we work at conflict in constructive ways. Engaging conflict rather than running from it represents a reimagining of ministry 鈥� a completely different way to do church. Healthy practices for engaging with people with whom we disagree are fundamental skills that pastors and leaders need today. As varying voices from society call people farther apart, the church has the opportunity to become a place where the ministry of reconciliation thrives.

• Grow skills of curiosity, engagement, empathy and authenticity as you learn to engage differences in healthy dialogue
• Study biblical texts for insights into tools for dialogue and conflict management
• Practice skills of compassionate listening and authentic speaking by applying theoretical concepts to real-life scenarios of conflict and division
• Imagine possibilities for congregations and communities to learn and practice healthy dialogue for conflict management

Boards are unique and continually adjust to changes 鈥� including their members. The organizations they support are also unique, so there is not one model or set of rules for all boards to follow. Instead, following guiding principles is what brings the best outcomes. Boards that create a context for the healthy functioning of their organizations are essential as we face the challenges of leadership today. 

• Explore how decision-making bodies bring value to an organization by carrying out its responsibilities.
• Learn principles and practice applying the needed skills
• Gain perspectives into the roles of the pastor or executive director AND the role(s) of the board members

• Learn about how climate doom is a form of collective trauma.
• Gain practices of resilience to help you handle your responses to trauma, especially the 鈥渇reeze鈥� response, which makes us feel helpless and keeps us from acting.

This module is offered in Spanish only with Hispanic Ministries of Mennonite Education Agency.

Culture is everywhere. It shapes us in a multitude of ways. We initially learn from our family culture; we adapt to our work cultures; our worship aligns with our church culture; and we engage with neighbors according to our community culture, etc. In this workshop, we will learn what culture is and how it shapes us. We will also build skills for being in community with people from other cultures.

• Explore the concept of 鈥渃ulture鈥� and its influence.
• Deepen your understanding of intercultural competence.
• Gain skills for engaging with members of other cultures. 

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驴Qui茅n es mi vecino/a? Latinos/as creciendo en interculturalidad | Taller en l铆nea por ZOOM y WhatsApp de cuatro sesiones | Instructora: Alicia Maldonado-Zahra

Este m贸dulo ser谩 ofrecido exclusivamente en espa帽ol en colaboraci贸n con Ministerios Hispanos de la Agencia Menonita de Educaci贸n.

Como latinos y latinas en Estados Unidos y Latinoam茅rica, siempre estamos interactuando con personas que son de una cultura distinta a la nuestra. En los Estados Unidos es com煤n relacionarse no s贸lo con personas de cultura anglosajona, sino que tambi茅n con personas de todo el mundo, incluidos varios pa铆ses de Am茅rica Latina. En Latinoam茅rica es ya tambi茅n una realidad que en todos nuestros pa铆ses hay personas inmigrantes.

En estas interacciones con nuestros vecinos y vecinas nos vamos dando cuenta que nuestras distintas culturas nos moldean de m煤ltiples maneras. Inicialmente aprendemos de nuestra cultura familiar, nos adaptamos a nuestras culturas laborales, nuestro servicio religioso o 鈥渃ulto鈥� se alinea con la cultura de nuestra iglesia, etc. Es por ello que c贸mo lideres y lideresas de nuestras iglesias debemos aprender qu茅 es la cultura y c贸mo nos moldea en nuestras relaciones. Este aprendizaje debe tambi茅n incluir el desarrollo de habilidades para trabajar y estar en comunidad con personas de culturas distintas a las nuestras.

Los resultados previstos del m贸dulo son que los y las participantes:

• Entiendan la noci贸n de 鈥渃ultura鈥� y c贸mo esta nos influencia.
• Comprendan la importancia de la competencia intercultural. Es decir, la importancia de saber trabajar y relacionarse con personas de distintas culturas.
• Desarrollen habilidades para relacionarse con personas de otras culturas.

Si tiene preguntas por favor comun铆quese con la Directora adjunta de MEA 鈥� Ministerios Hispanos:
Violeta Ajquejay-Suastegui
Tel茅fono y WhatsApp: +1-574-312-8611
E-mail: VioletaA@MennoniteEducation.org

Situations of change increase the risk of conflict just as conflict increases the demand for change. Riding the wave of change is challenging for individuals and groups alike 鈥� especially when multiple changes are layered on top of one another.

• Explore the realities of the change curve, the conflicts that change generates, and the implications of change for both leadership and organizational life.
• Grow in understanding the realities of change and how it impacts conflict.

Conflict in the congregation is one of the most difficult experiences pastors and lay leaders will encounter while in ministry. Conflict can destroy congregations. Done well, however, engaging differences can be a sign of vitality, energy and spiritual maturity. 

Drawing from biblical, theological, practical and spiritual sources, this course will explore the possibilities and pitfalls of courageously engaging in differences within congregational life and in building congregational cultures that nurture the tender balance between honesty and kindness and that generate faithfulness and joy.

This is not a webinar about AI (that鈥檚 soooo 2023), Zoom worship (2020) or how social media is destroying the fabric of society (ongoing). Rather than examining any particular technology, we鈥檒l enter into a way of thinking about technology broadly, learning how to make it more transparent (see-through) so that we can be more explicit and intentional about using it.

• Grow in understanding how to see through technology 鈥� identifying something true underneath the surface, considering how we use technology to engage with our worlds, and exploring implications of how humans and technology interact.
• Practice using a deceptively simple framework to shape decision-making around introducing, sustaining or embracing technology in congregations, organizations and communities.

Learn about the Doctrine of Discovery and what we can do collectively as church bodies to respond to the harm it has caused. Otherwise known as the 鈥渓aw of colonialism鈥� that emerged from European Christian powers in the 15th century, the doctrine continues to impact Indigenous Peoples and the earth today. In this module, we will explore ways to seek justice and healing as Jesus鈥� followers. 

• Learn about the Doctrine of Discovery and its impact on Indigenous Peoples and the earth today.
• Grow in understanding biblical and theological frameworks of repentance, reparations and reconciliation in response to the Christian Church鈥檚 involvement in colonization.
• Gain familiarity with resources and tools that support a community鈥檚 journey toward justice with Indigenous Peoples 鈥� including land acknowledgment statements, Bible study guides, worship resources, and best practices for respectful relationship building. 
• Learn how to draft a community/congregational plan for reparative action in response to the Doctrine of Discovery

While the classic presentation of Anabaptism as focused on following Jesus has led many people to deepen their faith, it also has fostered inward-looking legalism. Over the centuries, however, many Anabaptists have understood discipleship as an expression of life in the creative, transforming Spirit of God. Recovering this understanding of life in the Spirit can equip Anabaptist leaders to portray belonging as participation in a grace-filled, open-ended tradition and to imaginatively approach topics such as understandings of gender, global church relations and Christian witness.

• Learn about understandings of the Spirit of God in Anabaptist history.
• Practice telling stories of Anabaptist faith that begin with the Spirit.
• Explore ways to apply these stories imaginatively to crucial topics facing the church today.

From the first ordinations of Mennonite women to now, the experiences and challenges that women in ministry face largely overlap and yet are also particular to their contexts. What is unique about the challenges women face in church leadership? How can we better advocate for gender equity in faith communities? 

• Learn about groundbreaking research.
• Analyze power dynamics in churches.
• Learn from participants鈥� experiences and case studies.
• Strengthen tools and resources for supporting women in ministry.
• Discuss how women in ministry are depicted in popular media.

The Western church has much to learn from our sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the world. In this module, we will explore the ways in which the West has mass-exported its worship practices and how we can move towards a true cross-cultural exchange of worship songs and rituals that will be both equitable and mutually edifying. 

• Understand some of the complexities of cross-cultural worship in light of colonialism and globalization.
• Gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for Christian worship songs and practices from around the world.
• Incorporate songs/practices from non-Western church contexts into your own church contexts in ways that respect and honor the Indigenous cultures.