Church Planting and Redevelopment Second Tuesdays: March 2024

We invite you to join us during our monthly, online connection points. On “Second Tuesdays,” we invite a conversation partner to explore topics related to new ministry, church planting and/or redevelopment. On “Third Thursdays” we host a ProAction Cafe, designed to help leaders clarify their idea and refine action steps.

March’s Conversation Partner: The Rev. Abbott Bailey
Rooted in Wisdom, Patterned for Possibility

So do not be conformed to this world,
rather be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may determine what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and mature.
(Romans 12:2, translation by the Rev. Wilda C. Gafney)

Are you, like me, sometimes like Paul? Doing the things you don’t want to do and not doing the things you want to do? We are all patterned to perceive and respond in ways that serve and don’t serve, that reflect our deepest values and commitments and that betray those same values and commitments, that move us toward possibility in ways big and small and that diminish our hope in what is possible at all. Gathering at the intersection of neuroscience, the wisdom of our ancient tradition, and contemporary adaptive strategies, we’ll explore practical tools for shifting the internal chatter, narratives, and patterning that trip us up and rooting more deeply into the Spirit-inspired wisdom of our spiritual practices. We’ll see how renewing our minds in these ways can support us in meeting the inevitable challenges of ministry and embracing dynamic change with joy, oriented toward possibilities beyond what we could ask for or imagine for ourselves and for the church.

Abbott Bailey (she/her) is a dual-ministry priest, ordained in 2005, who has served in both diocesan and parish roles as canon, rector, associate rector, school chaplain, and co-executive director of an Episcopal Service Corps program. As a coach and consultant, she companions clients in invoking deep wisdom while engaging practical approaches for navigating complex dynamics with freedom and creativity.

Contact Steve Matthews for questions or more information.