Thriving in Ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary,
funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.,
takes a fresh approach to the longstanding challenges
of clergy renewal and retention.
Thriving in Ministry at VTS envisions a generation of pastors who flourish in their ministries, because they feel equipped to do so. Our conversations with clergy point to a persistent need for receiving mentoring and acquiring new methods of learning following a seminary education. This need is more pronounced in the settings and particular stages of ministry that require great agility yet do not provide a defined processes for learning. (PHOTO members of the Clergy Couples Peer Learning Community, 2022)
More than ever, priests seek to learn from one another and from their ministry contexts, yet they do not have ready access to mentor or peer networks.
Thriving in Ministry at VTS addresses this challenge by connecting priests with a community of mentors and embedding them in a small community of thoughtful, committed peers.
As a results, Thriving in Ministry cultivates priests’ to:
- Assess themselves and articulate their ‘growth edge’;
- Anticipate challenges and develop patterns of effective response;
- Nurture deep peer connections that inspire inner reflection and outer adaptive work;
- Respond with more nuance in ministry settings;
- Deepen their well of self confidence;
- Practice intentional experimentation;
- Purposefully and joyfully seek new and deeper ways of experiencing ministry and vocation.
Thriving in Ministry at VTS
wants to invest in you.
We have created new ways for pastors to flourish in their vocation.