Bethany House of Studies

Serving Area Ministries 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Richard B. Monson, Administrator
Assisted by Kris Swanson, PMA and Sharon Custer, PMA Coordinator

Civilizing Your Congregation:

A Systems Approach to Embarking on a New Ministry 

If you are beginning a new ministry or embarking on a new phase in ministry, this educational program may be for you. This seminar will explore important conflict management leadership theories from respected experts. It will utilize Ed Friedman’s book, Generation to Generation, Pete Steinke’s book, How Your Church Family Works, and Ron Richardson’s book, Family Ties That Bind, as well as other resources.

What this Colloquium Will Help You to Do:

• Become aware of the health and disease processes at work in your congregation.
• Become a mature, non-anxious leader.
• Stay connected in the midst of conflict.
• Focus on issues and processes and not personalities.
• Be a good steward of self in helping situations.
• Deal with difficult people by using the six fundamental steps of coping: Assess the situation; Stop wishing the difficult person was different; Get some distance between you and the negative behavior; Formulate a coping plan; Implement your plan; Monitor the effectiveness and modify where appropriate.
• Administer an anxious church in an anxious age.
• Become more self-regulated and less reactive to the angst present in your congregation.
• Deal with congregations that are emotionally stuck and are captive to the need for togetherness.
• Move your congregation from being clergy-focused to mission focused.
• Assist in developing a covenant involving the pastor, staff, mutual ministry committee, and congregational council.
• Manage yourself in the face of conflict.
• Cope with conflict in the future.
• Work with the Mutual Ministry Committee to define its role and process.
• Apply an ounce of prevention instead of a pound of intervention in dealing with church controversy.

Class Structure:

•                Lecture
•                Review of Readings
•                Case Consultations

This discussion group will hold half-day sessions held on a monthly basis.   The number and schedule of gatherings will be determined by the class. Rev. Richard Monson, D. Min., will serve as leader.   Rev. Richard Monson served as Director of Pastoral Care at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, from 1992-1999. In the past five years, he has served as interim pastor and taught ethics, religion, and philosophy at Bethany College, Kansas Wesleyan University, and Kansas State University- Salina. He also remains active in church consulting.

Seminar Location…at a convenient location to be announced
For Additional Information or to Register contact:

Richard Monson
871 Pioneer Road
McPherson, Kansas 67460
Phone: 620-241-6003
E-Mail: monsonrb@aol.com

Recommended Action:

Kansas Interfaith Power & Light: Congregational Covenant. Download: Congregational Covenant   

 Check back regularly for additional information about courses offered by Bethany House of Studies.
For more information about Bethany House of Studies please contact, Dick Monson (Monsonrb@aol.com), Administrator; Kris Swanson, PMA, (bethanypma@ks-usa.net, 785-227-2167); or Sharon Custer, PMA, (sncuster@cox.net, 620-653-4575).