It’s been an interesting academic year for conversations about educational matters. Between an online course on models of education, diving into curriculum assessment at the seminary, teaching a course on philosophy of education, consultations with faculty and school administrators about curriculum and learning, leading several teacher workshops, attending a conference for academic deans, and engaging in conversations with parents about their children’s education, three things at least are evident:

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The new job has taken me out of the loop of what used to be a steady study of Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST). I’ve missed being regularly engaged in study and discussions about the theory and its application with others who are working on the theory. I continue to do coaching and consultations that keep me in those conversations, but the regular study has taken a hiatus. But that has not been a bad thing. Distance can bring perspective. Being away from the routine has allowed me to take stock of my views on BFST.

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It is not a stretch to realize that churches are probably the longest standing user of volunteer services. From teaching Sunday school classes, staffing committees to operating the various mission efforts churches are almost completely dependent upon unpaid volunteers. That is why the future of program and ministry leadership in churches is in jeopardy.

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I’ve just received in the mail a copy of Learning the Way, by Cassandra Williams (Alban Institute, 2009). I was asked to write the forward to this book. Here is an edited version:

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One of the first dollars I made for a job was knocking through a wall in a New York City brownstone. I used a sledgehammer and it took me an entire day. I was paid a dollar, but in the form of a silver 1922 Peace Dollar and I was 12 years old. Not a bad deal for a 12-year-old, especially since I’ve still got that coin and given how its value has increased over the years.

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I recently attended a denominational meeting where my I.D. badge noted the name of the church of which I’m a member. That information triggered a conversation when someone reading the name of the church asked me how I liked my church (it was an odd question, but as it turns out, a good conversation starter).

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Pastoral transitions can be anxiety-ridden times for congregations. Congregations that go through an interim period without pastoral leadership need to navigate transition without an organization’s chief resource: its leader. That transition involves many challenges, including, disruption of homeostasis, a shift to inward-focused tasks, and a leadership vacuum.

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On a few occasions I’ve engaged in the exercise of writing my own obituary or epitath. The exercise was prompted in seminars or workshops, and on one occasion as part of my orientation as a hospice chaplain. Kierkegaard said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” That’s helpful to keep in mind. Which reminds me of the story about a priest, a rabbi, and a minister…

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This is the season I enter my period of Lenten Literary Purgatory. Specifically, this is the time when doctoral dissertations start coming in requiring hours of reading academic writing by anxiously ambitious graduate students. Academia has its perks, but this isn’t one of them.

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At a recent workshop with clergy on Bowen Family Systems Theory and congregational leadership one lingering question came up. When dealing with the concept of cutoffs among clergy, it has become inevitable that someone will bring up the matter of denominations that require their clergy to move every three to four years.

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