This course in Church Leadership and Family Systems at the London Mennonite Centre is designed to enhance the ability of participants to function as mature leaders within their churches. It will provide a safe forum for processing challenging situations in ministry, while also facilitating reflection on a way of thinking about the human condition which has implications for all aspects of life. Following a successful course in 2005, Bridge Builders is pleased to welcome the return of the course in 2006.

Since the publication of Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue, by Dr Edwin Friedman, church leaders have found an understanding of Bowen family systems theory a valuable tool for understanding congregational systems. Dr Murray Bowen understood families as emotional systems impacted by two key factors: the level of anxiety within the system and the level of differentiation of family members. As a student of Bowen, Friedman saw the relevance of Bowen’s ideas for congregations and their leaders.

With today’s rising level of anxiety in society and its resulting impact on families, such anxiety will impact the church with increasing intensity in the years ahead. The resulting heightened pressures in congregations and the increasing demands which that places on clergy make it vital that leaders step back occasionally from the fray to assess their own capacity for managing themselves in a calmer, more differentiated way.

Presenter

Richard Blackburn is Executive Director of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, Chicago, USA. He has broad experience as a trainer, mediator, and consultant with conflicted churches and their leaders. The congregational mediation model he has developed represents a transformational approach, placed within the context of Bowen family systems theory. For several years he participated in Edwin Friedman’s Postgraduate Clergy Seminar in Family Emotional Process and the Georgetown Family Center’s Postgraduate Program in Family Systems Theory and Its Applications.

Meals and Accommodation

A main meal and refreshments will be provided each day. Participants will need to arrange their own accommodation and other meals. Contact the London Mennonite Centre if you need help in finding accommodation.

Cost and Application

The cost for the course is £295. Precedence is given to participants sponsored by their church or organisation. Those on low incomes can apply for a bursary of £50, but these are limited. Training materials and a copy of the book Extraordinary Relationships by Roberta Gilbert (required course reading) are included in the price, as are refreshments and a main meal each day.

Spaces are limited to a maximum of 16, so do apply early. To apply, download flyer and application form, print out the application and mail it, with a cheque for £100, to

Bridge Builders
London Mennonite Centre
14 Shepherds Hill
London N6 5AQ

The balance of the fee is due eight weeks before the start of the course. Once accepted, the £100 deposit is non-refundable. The full fee is owed if a place is cancelled within six weeks of the course start date. Cheques will not be banked until acceptance onto the course.

Programme Overview

Tuesday 22 May 2007
11:00-11:15 Opening worship
11:15-12:45 Opening session on Bowen Family Systems Theory
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-6:30 3 sessions on Bowen Family Systems Theory
6:30-7:30 Dinner

Wednesday 23 May 2007
9:15-9:30 Opening worship
9:30-12:45 2 sessions on Bowen Family Systems Theory
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-5:15 2 sessions of Family of Origin Groups

Thursday 24 May 2007
9:15-9:30 Opening worship
9:30-12:45 2 sessions on Emotional Process & Congregational Systems
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-5:15 2 sessions of Congregational Case Study Presentations
5:15-6:15 Optional informal party

Friday 25 May 2007
9:00-9:15 Opening worship
9:15-10:45 Session on Emotional Process and Congregational Systems
11:15-12:45 Congregational Case Study Presentations in smaller groups
12:45-1:00 Closing time in large group
1:00-2:00 Lunch

Download the flyer and application form for this course (in pdf format)