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| Community Organizing for Missional Living |
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Community organizing is all about relationship building, a crucial component of effective ministry. Come to this course and learn new skills for getting to know the wider community context in which your congregation is situated. Develop your leadership in bringing people together to work for change. Increase your abilities in power analysis and effective strategizing. Discover how community organizing is a powerful approach to living out one's faith in the world.
The core of this course is the Industrial Area Foundation's acclaimed national leadership training and is co-sponsored by Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Office for Congregation Based Organizing.
The main training will be offered Monday, June 11, through Friday, June 15. Seabury is offering additional wraparound sessions for theological reflection on the Sunday before (June 10, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.) and the Saturday after the main training (June 16, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). These extra sessions include worship opportunities and are required for DMin and other students taking the course for academic credit or CEUs. The wraparound sessions are optional for everyone else.
The training will be led by Michael Gecan of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) national staff, Gerald Taylor, IAF Southeastern Director, and Chicago Metro IAF staff. “Effective congregational ministry and the struggle to achieve social change take place in the world as it is—not in an academic setting, not in the world as it should be,” says Gecan. “To make a difference, leaders need an understanding of the concepts and practices of organizing. What is power? How is it built and maintained? How can people organize for power without falling into the same patterns of many of those who now have it and abuse it?”
Attendees generally represent a wide variety of religious traditions and include a mix of Seabury students, clergy, volunteer leaders, some professional community organizers, and social justice workers.
Read more about this course.
Dates: June 9-15, 2013. Weeklong Intensive 3 credit or CEU hrs. Masters or DMIN
Location: Seabury
Syllabus: Syllabus 2013 Community Organizing For Missional Living
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