Fourth Regional "Success After Seminary" Event
The Church Pension Group (CPG), in collaboration with the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF), hosted their fourth “Success after Seminary” conference March 9-10, 2018 in Berkeley, CA. CPG and ECF welcomed seminarians and their spouses/partners from over 17 dioceses and 4 seminaries and formation institutions.
CPG presented topics such as CPG’s pension plan and benefits, plus individual financial topics such as managing cash flow and debt, while ECF shared information on moving from seminary to parish life, the deployment process (resumes, interviewing and Letters of Agreement) and its strategic, leadership and financial resources for the Church.
As part of ECF’s Lilly Endowment National Initiative to address the economic challenges facing pastoral leaders, the “Success after Seminary” program is a timely endeavor designed to supplement seminary studies with financial and leadership tools and to empower future clergy for transformational leadership in the Episcopal Church.
Through the collaborative work between ECF/CPG at these “Success after Seminary” conferences, ECF has also been able to gather several key pieces of information:
- Congregations are hungry for practical tools and resources around strategy development and parish finance and administration as well as meaningful networking opportunities.
- Clergy often feel isolated, overwhelmed and under-resourced in the exercise and practice of their ministry.
- The future of the Episcopal Church is dependent on empowered, trained and resourced lay and clergy leaders with the inherent capacity to be both entrepreneurial and transformational
With these realities in mind, the “Success after Seminary” conferences address many of these personal and larger institutional concerns by helping seminarians tackle issues like personal finances and parish finance and administration. Moreover, these conferences provide opportunities to access outside assistance during the critical formation/deployment process, learn the value of meaningful networking opportunities and the need for ongoing resources and tools.
Among many other programs, including the “Success after Seminary” conferences, ECF has developed a comprehensive and holistic approach to implementing the aims and purposes of the Lilly Endowment National Initiative – alleviating some of the key financial pressures that inhibit pastoral leadership and improving financial literacy and management skills.
Our next “Success after Seminary” conference will be held in Philadelphia on September 28th and 29th, 2018.
For more on the ECF Lilly Endowment National Initiative, click here.