“Healing the Heart of Democracy”
A Conference for Emerging Leaders in the Progressive Christian Movement
featuring Parker J. Palmer & Marcy Jackson from The Center for Courage & Renewal
July 16 – 18, 2012

The Progressive Christian movement today is a multi-faceted groundswell of Christian people who believe the politicized Christian right in the United States does not speak for their own gospel-centered faith and practice.  One of the hallmarks of Progressive Christianity is its firm conviction that religion has a vital role to play in secular politics, while also maintaining that no single religious voice can speak for a tradition and that no religious tradition may claim a place of privilege in public discourse.  Progressive Christians live and move and have their being in a world filled with people of many different religious traditions, and none at all, without operating under the assumption that our way of being deserves special priority in the public square. We lament that this has not always been how Christians have been experienced by others, and we commit ourselves to active engagement in public conversations about the common good without assuming that we have the final word on how God is moving in the world today.

This challenges much of what many of us have been taught in the congregations where we were baptized and confirmed, as well as in the seminaries and divinity schools where we were prepared for public ministry.  Some have been formed in traditions that have actively or passively rejected involvement in American democracy.  Others have been taught that, in order to be effective in the civil realm, they should carefully remove the language of religion from their faith-based public advocacy.

During this year, when the United States will select a president, people both inside and outside of worshipping communities are wondering how people of faith bring their values, commitments and convictions to the work of democracy.  However, the work of establishing and maintaining a healthy democracy does not begin or end with the task of electing representatives to govern us.  It begins and ends in the heart, “that grounded place in each of us where we can overcome fear, rediscover that we are members of one another, and embrace the conflicts that threaten democracy as openings to new life” (Parker J. Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy).  Thus, the work of democracy is about more than simply who is elected to any given civil role, it is about rejoining role with soul, as well as understanding that we all have a role to play in healing the heart of our democracy.  This is work for which the church is particularly well suited, and work to which progressive Christian leaders are called.

For this reason, the Plymouth Center for Progressive Christian Faith is proud to announce that the 2012 Emerging Leaders Institute will be led by Parker J. Palmer and Marcy Jackson.  Parker J. Palmer is the author of many books, most recently Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit (Jossey-Bass, 2011), and the founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal.  Marcy Jackson is co-founder and senior fellow at the Center for Courage & Renewal and has been facilitating retreats using the Center’s “Circle of Trust” model for people from a variety of backgrounds and professions for more than 15 years.  Together they will be working with the 2012 cohort of emerging leaders to explore how each person’s leadership in the parish can stay authentically connected to their passion, integrity and unique personhood.

The 2012 Emerging Leaders Institute will be accepting a limited number of applicants this year so that all who are selected will be able to work closely with and learn from these highly sought after retreat leaders.

Qualifications of Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders will be chosen for the 2011 Institute based solely on this application.  Those selected to participate will be responsible for travel to and from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (or Plymouth Congregational Church). All remaining costs will be borne by the Plymouth Center, including meals, lodging, and transportation to/from the retreat center once in Minneapolis.

Applicants will be considered who:

• Have completed seminary or graduate-level ministerial preparation.
• Are under 40 and  in their first seven years of parish ministry.
• Are able to attend the entire conference.

 

 

Emerging Leaders Application 2012 Institute
(Please copy and paste into a document)
                                                        
Submit this application no later than April 23, 2012 to sallycass@comcast.net.
Part 1 of 2: Personal and Academic Information

Name:

Address:

City/Zip Code:

Telephone:

• Home:

• Cell:

Email:

Age:

Denominational Affiliation:

Education:
    Institution:
    Degree:
    Date of graduation:

Other academic degrees and dates of graduation:


Current ministry and length of time in service there:



Other characteristics that might aid the selection committee in establishing a diverse group of emerging leaders:





Part 2 of 2: Written Response


Please write a brief response (no more than two pages total, single spaced) to these questions:

• Reflecting on your personal journey, tell us about your interest in and experience with Progressive Christianity.

• Why do you want to come to the Plymouth Center Emerging Leaders Conference?  What do you hope to gain from this experience?

Other Information

If you have questions, please contact:

• Rev. Brooke Petersen; Irving Park Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL – pastorpetersen@iplc.org

• Sally Cassellius (Plymouth Center Liaison) – sallycass@comcast.net

• Rev. Erik Christensen (Conference Chair); St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square, Chicago, IL – pastorerik@stlukesLS.org

• Rev. Starsky Wilson; St. John’s United Church of Christ, St. Louis, MO – sjucc@yahoo.com

• Rev. Jim Gertmenian; Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis, MN – jimg@plymouth.org

• Rev. Anne Howard; The Beatitudes Society, Santa Barbara, CA  –  anne@beatitudessociety.org
  
  
  Please note: All applications must be received by April 23, 2012. No late applications will be accepted.
  
  All applicants will be notified by May 1, 2012.