Leading Congregational Systems Workshops

Overview

Pastoral ministry can be challenging. Dealing with criticism, conflict, resistance to change, and instinctive unhealthy behaviour that impedes growth and adaptive change in a congregation.

What if you could learn how to lead through these challenges with greater calmness and confidence?

Leading congregational systems utilises Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) as a way of understanding how congregations function as an emotional system. It offers a powerful framework for understanding the anxiety that circulates through your congregation whenever anything upsets the status quo. Rather than blaming individuals, it seeks to address the underlying causes of dysfunction and anxiety in the system, and teaches how leadership can either contribute to, or diffuse that anxiety.

With this knowledge, pastors can learn how to be less reactive, make principle based decisions, navigate conflict, and facilitate change.

The 2.5 day workshop will include three teaching sessions on Bowen Family Systems Theory.

To apply the teaching, the majority of the time will be spent in cohorts of 4 who will meet with a facilitator. Each participant will have the opportunity to present their family genogram and two critical incidents from their ministry.

Particpants will be given access to a library of resources and will be expected to do some pre-reading and prepare their family genogram and critical incidents in preparation for the workshop.

What is Bowen Family Systems Theory?

For a brief overview of Bowen Family Systems Theory watch the first 3:22 of this video here.

What will the teaching sessions cover?

• Leading in an emotional system – the problem with anxiety (e.g., tunnel vision, blaming others, reacting to perceived threats etc)
• The 8 core concepts of Bowen Theory
• Common reactions to anxiety e.g., fixing others (overfunctioning), fretting (triangulation, side taking, project making, combating, opting out), fight (conflict), flight (emotional or physical distance), freeze (underfunctioning)
• Family of Origin – roles we take on in our families to manage anxiety, that we bring into leadership/ministry
• Becoming a self-differentiated leader

Testimonials

“Leading Congregational Systems has been a game changer for me. I have recognized that my level of anxiety and stress in my role as Senior is unsustainable and I was unsure how to move forward. Family Systems theory and the accompanying workshop has given me new skills of interpretation and understanding of good leadership that has already impacted not only the church, but my mental wellbeing. I highly recommend that every pastor should participate in it.”

“I wish I could have attended a workshop like this much earlier on in my pastoral ministry. The workshop has helped me understand the dynamics of church as an interconnected system rather than as a group of individuals. We were equipped with valuable tools for responding to challenging situations in a well differentiated manner in order to reduce anxiety in the church.”

“This course gave me more confidence in my ability to lead, especially during times of hightened anxiety or conflict. I gained a greater understanding of people and how we relate in a system. I found it very beneficial to step out of the day to day and take a bird’s eye view of things. I came away with a different perspective on some specific scenerios on my life. I found the time we spent in smaller cohorts very useful and was greatly encouraged by the support from our cohort facilitator.”