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Leader Formation: Investing in Ruling Elders and Deacons

Leader Formation - Webinars

 

As ruling elders and deacons serving in local congregations across the denomination, webinars give us an opportunity to gather together virtually and in the presence of other leaders who walk alongside us on this formation journey 

Discovering Leadership: Called to Serve
A Leader Formation Webinar
November 7, 2024; 7-8:30 pm (eastern) 

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  

 

Our Presbyterian Constitution says, “some are called to ordered ministries, to fulfill particular functions.” (G-2.0101). What does it mean for ruling elders and deacons to be called to fulfill particular functions in the life of Christ’s Church? In this webinar we will explore that question by considering leadership capacities and gifts, and how those gifts are discovered. Leadership will be contemplated both from an individual outlook and a community dynamic, while probing the meaning of “sharing with others a deep life of worship, prayer, fellowship, and service.” (Book of Order, F-1.0032d.)

About the Leaders:

Daris Bultena serves as the General Presbyter and Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Tropical Florida. Daris has helped the presbytery to identify the meaning of being Vibrant Together that commits congregations and leaders to building relationships, seeking out spiritual depth, and being missional. Daris has also recently completed a term on the General Assembly Nominating Committee where he also served as its moderator.

Anna Kendig Flores is the Antiracism Coordinator for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area and co-moderator of the GA Committee on Representation. From youth ministry to worship planning to social justice, Anna has led collaboratively in congregational and national church life as both a ruling elder and a teaching elder.

valerie izumi serves the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as an assistant stated clerk in the Office of the General Assembly coordinating the General Assembly nominations process. valerie writes for Regarding Ruling Elders newsletter and co-host the Along the Road: Encounter podcast. Her longtime commitment to racial and gender justice, and to promoting racial equity is widely recognized.

Jihyun Oh is the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and was elected and installed at the 226th General Assembly. For the previous five years, she served as director of Mid Council Ministries in the Office of the General Assembly and was OGA manager of call process support before that. Ordained as a teaching elder by the Presbytery of Tropical Florida on behalf of the Presbytery of Chicago, Oh has served in several pastoral roles as well as hospital chaplain.

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Leading by Listening: Ruling Elders and Presbyterian Polity
A Leader Formation Webinar
November 16, 2023; 7-8:30 pm (eastern) 

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  

View and download the webinar resources:

This webinar was led by the Rev. Gradye Parsons, a retired Presbyterian minister living on a farm in Kodak, Tennessee with his wife Kathy. Gradye served as pastor in congregations in Tennessee and as the Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk in Holston Presbytery. He worked in the PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly and served as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly from 2008-2016. He is currently the parish associate at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. Gradye and Kathy have two children and three grandchildren. 

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Reclaiming Our Calling: Deacons & Ruling Elders and the Care of Souls 
A Leader Formation Webinar
April 27, 2023;  7:00 – 8:30 pm (eastern)

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  


View and download the webinar resources:

Are you seeking a more vibrant ministry of pastoral care that does not solely rely on the pastor? Have you ever wondered what to say when visiting someone who is navigating cancer or a chronic illness? Do you find yourself struggling between how to validate people's emotions and how to assure them of the promises of God? Join us as we explore the care of souls in a congregational context and the role that ruling elders and deacons play in that important work.

This webinar was led by Revs. Rachel Achtemeier Rhodes and Matt Rhodes. Rachel serves as Senior Pastor of Morrisville Presbyterian Church, outside of Philadelphia, and Matt has taught chaplains in Princeton as a Clinical Pastoral Educator with Penn Medicine Princeton Health. Together, Rachel and Matt Rhodes will lead a conversation about both the theoretical and practical realities of caring for one another in the church.  

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Breaking the Myth of Presbyterian Fear of the "E" Word: A Leader Formation Webinar
February 23, 2023;  7:00 – 8:30 pm (eastern)

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  

 

View and download the webinar resources:

Presbyterians have a long and rich history of evangelism. Rekindling the yearning to share the Good News of Christ’s love, we will incorporate the Yao mores of kalibu and ulongo, radical welcome, and relationship. Employing these concepts we can live into our quest to answer Jesus' call to make disciples of all people.

Register is now closed, but the recording will be posted on this page during the week following the event.  

This webinar was led by Rev. Dr. Cheni Khonje, who was born in Malawi and became a political refugee when she was less than a month old. Cheni is a nickname; her full name is Chenyangu which means "mother of the nation". She and her siblings grew up in Lusaka, Zambia and Hilversum, the Netherlands. Her mother's job with the United Nations moved the family to New York City. The Rev. Khonje received her BA from Chadron State College in Nebraska. She holds a Master's degree in Medical Microbiology from Long Island University. Her plan had been to earn her PhD in Immunology because of her interest in cancer and AIDS research, but answering the Lord's call, the Rev. Khonje graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 2007, and from United Lutheran Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry degree in May 2018. She is an avid knitter, loves cooking and football: soccer and American.

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Practicing Inclusion: A Leader Formation Webinar
October 13, 2022;  7:00 – 8:30 pm (eastern) 

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  

 

View and download the webinar resources:

Diversity. Participation. Inclusion. These are not just socially of-the-moment words, but foundational values related to our openness to the work of the Holy Spirit within the PC(USA). Creating spaces where we can listen to all who are seeking God’s will together can help us discern where God is calling and leading us in mission and ministry, but how do we create and foster those spaces? What are some things that can get in the way? In this webinar, we will talk about the impact of implicit bias, why it’s important to consider and reduce implicit bias as Christians in the PC(USA), and some tools you can use to create spaces that invite and welcome full participation of a diverse group of people in the discernment processes and governance of the church.

This webinar was by Jihyun Oh who is Teaching Elder member of Greater Atlanta Presbytery, and currently serves as Director of Mid Council Ministries and Associate Stated Clerk in the Office of the General Assembly. Prior to denominational work, she served congregations as interim pastor, associate pastor, and parish associate, and served the patients, families, and staff in the ICUs of a Level I Trauma hospital as a chaplain. Jihyun is an ICF-trained coach and a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and is passionate about helping people, and the many parts of the church, discover anew who we are becoming... and then put action behind that discovery. Part of her task in her current role is to proactively imagine ways to bridge the gap between the Church that was and the Church that is and is still becoming.

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Leader Formation: Investing in Ruling Elders and Deacons
Good Stewards of God’s Grace – A Webinar
March 30, 2022; 7:00 – 8:30 pm (eastern)

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  
 

View and download the presentations slides (pdf) and additional resources. 

Presentation - Good Stewards of God's Grace
Presiding at Baptism
Presiding at the Sacraments
Leader Formation Links & Resources
 

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” (1 Pet. 4:10). As spiritual leaders in the congregation, deacons and ruling elders have vital gifts to offer in the leadership of worship. This webinar will help to equip ruling elders and deacons for particular roles and responsibilities as worship leaders in a variety of settings, including: the Service for the Lord’s Day; services of ordination, installation, and commissioning; the extended service of communion; and other ministries of compassion and care with those who are sick, homebound, or hospitalized.

This webinar was led by the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell. David is associate for worship in the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He was an advisory member of the Glory to God (WJKP, 2013) hymnal committee and coordinated the 2017 revision to the PC(USA) Directory for Worship (part of the Book of Order). He is co-editor (with Kimberly Bracken Long) of the latest edition of the Book of Common Worship (WJKP, 2018), author of Presbyterian Worship: Questions and Answers (WJKP, 2019), and editor of the Connections Worship Companion (WJKP, 2021).
 

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During the Year of Leader Formation in 2021, ruling elders and deacons had an opportunity to join together in three webinars. The recordings of these events are found below.

Year of Leader Formation: Investing in Ruling Elders and Deacons
Deacon Ministries – A Webinar
September 16, 2021; 7:00 - 8:30 pm (EDT) 


According to our PC(USA) Book of Order, “the ministry of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service . . .” The ways that this ministry is lived out varies from one congregation to another, depending on culture, context, and needs of the church and broader community. In this third webinar of The Year of Leader Formation series, a panel of deacons, pastors, and ruling elders explored this vital ordered ministry of the church. Hear about the ways that the gifts and skills of deacons are used within congregational ministries, community impacts of deacon ministries, and the connection between discipleship and deacons. 

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Year of Leader Formation: Investing in Ruling Elders and Deacons
Parliamentary Procedure for Leaders – A Webinar
July 14, 2021; 7-8:30 pm (eastern) 

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  

 

View and download the presentations slides (pdf): 

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한국어


PC(USA) ruling elders and deacons have responsibilities as leaders in Christ’s church. Whether you serve as a moderator or as a participant, your call will involve meetings conducted by parliamentary procedure – usually Robert’s Rules of Order. Most Presbyterians have learned about parliamentary procedure through observation during meetings; during this Year of Leader Formation webinar, you can expect to learn more about the theological connections between parliamentary procedure and our Book of Order and gain skills to help you participate more confidently and effectively. You will have an opportunity during the registration process to name questions you would like to see addressed.

The webinar will be led by Associate Stated Clerk Tricia Dykers-Koenig, who served as parliamentarian for the online 224th General Assembly (2020). Tricia is Associate Director for Mid Council Relations in the Office of the General Assembly, a minister member of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve, and a Registered Parliamentarian.

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Year of Leader Formation: Investing in Ruling Elders and Deacons
Discovering our Gifts – A Webinar
April 14, 2021; 7-8:30 pm (eastern)

View the recording of the webinar in full screen here.  
 

God has gifted each of us with a variety of skills, interests, and talents. As those called to leadership in the church, particularly to the ministries of ruling elder and deacon, many of those gifts are called upon in a variety of ways. Take time to explore and discover your own talents, how they can be used to form effective teams, and ways that we work together in community as God’s children. During this Year of Leader Formation webinar, you can expect to search within yourself while also being introduced to some tools to use in your own congregation.