Early Ministry Institute 2022
May 23rd-26th

Early Ministry Institute is a three-year program designed to encourage and support pastors, chaplains, and CRE’s in their first call.

It is designed to assist them in gaining skills in specific areas that are often omitted in traditional seminary education. The context of EMI is to center on God’s call to us and to reflect how Christ is part of our ministry, to consider the ongoing life of the congregation, and to take a look at the church as it interacts with the surrounding world.

What is EMI and why it matters?

EMI Objectives

To encourage participants, individually and as a community, to reflect intentionally upon God’s role in their lives and their ministry.
To provide an opportunity for those in their first parish to discuss with each other and with more experienced pastors certain issues of ministry.
To introduce new pastors to human and other resources available in the Synod of the Northeast.
To provide a time in a relaxed setting when participants can reflect together on their experiences, their successes and their disappointments

2022 Program Overview

With the understanding that all change brings conflict, on Day 1, Monday, we are reminding our pastors of the need to be equipping themselves to manage the anxiety in themselves and in their churches through acting thoughtfully and not reactively by giving an overview of Family Systems.

On Day 2, Tuesday, we have scheduled a plenary presentation on “Leading Change” in the morning followed by cohort groups (small group work to process the teaching) and then again in the afternoon to talk about “Good Conflict” with another 2 hours to process. The goal is to equip pastors to deal with conflict which is an essential part of leading change. Topics that might be addressed include:

What is healthy conflict?

How do we equip our lay leaders for managing themselves in healthy conflict?

How do we teach good conflict techniques?

When do we call for help?

On Wednesday, Day 3, we turn to “Adaptive Leadership” and “Good Leadership Asks Good Questions.”

Adaptive Leadership would be addressed in the morning plenary session. Adaptive Leadership not only gets a church unstuck, it invites a deepened relationship with God. How do we discern where God is leading? How do faith leaders encourage both peace and an adventurous spirit within ourselves and within our churches?

And finally, Asking Good Questions is one of the keys to good leadership. Adeptly used, questions can foster ownership, get churches unstuck, focus their energy, and help the pastor avoid the trap of coming up with all the answers and therefore taking all the blame. But what makes for a good question? Asking good questions is an art but it can be honed with practice. This seminar would introduce pastors to this helpful art and exercise.

IN 2022 EMI WILL BE HELD AT THE
HONORS HAVEN RETREAT AND CONFERENCE CENTER
2022 DRAFT AGENDA

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