Last updated March 14, 2006

March 14, 2006

• Total grants awarded to date:
  
  • 73 Peer Learning Grants – $385,529
  • 46 Continuing Education Grants –  $194,825
  • 6 Regional Pastors Grants – $123,945
  • Grand Total - $704,299
• Since the beginning of the grant there have been:
  
  • 391 pastors from 347 congregations involved in peer groups (approximately 1/3 of CRC pastors and congregations)
  • Seventy-five continuing education events with 1,269 pastors* and 1,228 laypersons* attending
    *one pastor/person may attend multiple events
• The Regional Pastors Conference was held in October, 2005 in Grand Rapids, MI with 46 pastors and 24 spouses attending. Participants attended the Leading Congregations Through Change conference while in Grand Rapids.
• The Peer Learning Group Coordinators Meeting was held in November 2005 in Grand Rapids, MI. Eighteen pastors representing 16 peer learning groups attended.
• The results of the survey to assess the impact of the SPE program are available online. These results will be used as a baseline for the second survey to be conducted in 2007. The purpose of the surveys is to determine if the SPE project has created a culture of pastoral excellence within the CRCNA.
• The Theology and Practice of Pastoral Ministry course, offered by Calvin Theological Seminary in conjunction with SPE, will be held in Anaheim, CA in February and in Grand Rapids, MI in June.
• Several new stories about SPE grants have been posted on our website.
• The Prince Center in Grand Rapids, MI will be the location of the bi-annual mentoring conference. Two hundred and fifty mentors, mentees and their spouses will meet together for two days of sharing, learning, and fellowship.

• Toward Effective Pastoral Mentoring, a manual for mentors and mentees, is now available online.
• The mid-project evaluation was completed by an external evaluator this past fall. The SPE project is both encouraged and challenged by this report.
• Work continues on our next training tool, Closing Well, Continuing Strong. We hope to have this booklet, focusing on the final years of ministry and retirement, published by May.

• Effective Leadership in the Church is a training tool to help congregations, pastors, and other church leaders effectively work together to accomplish God’s mission. It is  available online or in hard copy. If you’d like to order hard copies please contact: Lis Van Harten (vanhartl@crcna.org) (postage is only cost)
• The second monograph is almost ready for editing. The first monograph, Persevering in Ministry, focused on pastors telling their stories about parish ministry. This second volume has parishioners sharing their stories about their experiences with pastors. Publication is set for the summer of 2006.
• Plans are being made for a pastors’ spouses retreat in the fall. This will be held in the Toronto area. Details will be available in the spring.
• Peer learning recruiters are being established to contact 218 pastors who haven’t been a part of a peer learning group yet.
• Information on sabbaticals has been added to the SPE website. Forty-six sabbatical policies from CRC churches, a variety of sabbatical opportunities and a document to help churches create their own sabbatical policy have been posted.
• SPE will make a presentation to the Board of Trustees at their February meeting.
• Pastor Harold Winter (St. Catharines, ON) shares his thoughts on his peer group experience.
• In November, 75% of the pastors who applied for a peer learning grant were new to the program.
• SPE articles recently published:
  
  • Soul Change written by Roxanne Van Farowe and published in The Banner
  • Classis Delegates Go Back to School written by Ruth Moblard De Young and published in The Banner
  • We Need Each Other written by Gary Brouwers and published in the Forum
  • Competency for Communal Leadership written by Jim Dekker and published in the Christian Courier 
  • The Power of Peer Learning Groups written by Kathy Smith and published in the Forum
  • Toronto Graduate School Gives Pastors Tools for Ministry written by Sophie Vandenberg and published in The Banner
  • An Ounce of Prevention – Healthy Pastors, Healthy Churches written by Rachel Van Harmelen and published in the Christian Courier 
  • Confluence for Congregational Leadership--or A River Runs Through It written by Jim Dekker and published in the Christian Courier 
• Two proposals for regional pastor matching grants  received funding in October:
  
  • Classis Greater Los Angeles – three year grant
  • Classis California South – three year grant
• Fourteen proposals for peer learning received funding in November:
  
  • Band of Brothers – MI
    Focus: support and encouragement in pastoral spiritual growth
  • CRC Discovery II – CA
    Focus: to discover the CRC and group members’ place in it
  • Good Shepherd’s Association – CA
    Focus: pastors experiencing learning, fellowship and accountability
  • Harvesters for Christ – CA
    Focus: ministry that wins, builds, congregates, and multiplies healthy churches
  • Lakeshore Small Church Pastors - MI
    Focus: discovering God’s purpose for pastors of small congregations
  • Leading Small Churches Toward Health – MD, VA, NC, DC
    Focus: understanding the healthy church and learning to lead churches towards improved health
  • Leading the Larger Church in Canada – ON, MB, AB, BC  (3 groups)
    Focus: sharing of learnings and resources related to the larger Canadian CRCs
  • Mulford Ministers – MI, IA, OR
    Focus: sharing of ministry ideas to further develop ministry gifts
  • Northern BC Pastoral Excellence Group – BC
    Focus: holistic growth by developing relationships, giving and receiving care, and studying preaching texts and common ministry challenges
  • Senior Pastors’ Peer Learning Group – CA, MI, IL, BC, AB, CO, ON
    Focus: leadership in the large CRC church
  • Soggy-Bottom Boys – AB, SK
    Focus: ministry from a reformed commitment in denominationally isolated contexts
  • The Lunch Bunch – ON
    Focus: deepening relationships and growing in character and spiritual formation
  • The Sacramento Cluster – CA
    Focus: flourishing in the call to church plants in a post-Christian environment
• Eleven proposals for continuing education events received funding in December:
  
  • Ascending Leaders – TX
    “Practicing Greatness”
    For more information contact: Michael Johnson
    Event to be held: June 2-3, 2006
  • Bethel Community CRC – AB
    “Holy Spirit Conference”
    For more information contact: Joanne Rozendaal
    Event to be held: April 28-30, 2006
  • Calvin Institute of Christian Worship/Calvin Theological Seminary/Pastor-Church Relations/Home Missions – throughout Canada and the US
    “Leading Congregations Through Change – Follow-up Groups”
    For more information contact: Kathy Smith
  • CRC – East Coast Regional Renewal Team – MA
    “Eastern Regional Annual Retreat
  • CRC – Eastern Region – NH, NJ
    “Coach Training for Pastors”
    For more information contact: Drew Angus
    Event to be held: March 20-24, 2006
  • Classis Grand Rapids East – MI
    “Eyes Wide Open – Effective Leadership Through Change”
  • Classis Grandville – MI
    “Eyes Wide Open – Effective Leadership Through Change”
  • Internos of CRC: Classis Pella – IA
    “Pastor-Spouse Retreat”
  • Leading the Larger Church in Canada – ON
    “Naming the Governance and Pastoring Issues of Larger CRCs in Canada”
    For more information contact: John Vanderstoep
    Event date to be determined
  • Salem Christian Mental Health Association – ON
    “Prayer Ministry and Inner Healing”
    For more information contact: Judy Cook
    Event to be held: September 23, 2006
  • The Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning – MI
    “Googling Youth in Troubled Times”
    For more information contact: David Smith
    Event to be held: July 13-15, 2006