The purpose of Thriving in Ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary is to enhance the well-being, effectiveness, vocational growth, and joy in Christ for the clergy of The Episcopal Church.
We create Peer Learning Communities that build thriving capacity through
- Connection
- Learning Goals
- Collaborative Leadership
- Assertiveness/Conflict Agility
- Engaging Local Communities
- Developing New Spiritual Pathways.
Peer Learning Communities gather around a shared context or situation in ministry and the Learning Community is guided by a team of trained Thriving Mentors.
The Thriving process extends over a two-year period which launches with a three-day residential training for all Peer Learning Community members in
- The Culture of Thriving
- The Thriving Impact Map
- Self-Assessment
- Mentoring
- Deliberative Practice
- Fierce Conversations
- Adult Learning Goals
- Case Study methods
- Zoom-based community learning
- Conflict Assessment
Each member of the Peer Learning Community is an adult learner with the agency to take responsibility for her own learning.
As a learning community, members discover that they can Thrive in Ministry within their context by
- Deliberative practice for advancing one’s own objectives
- Support and challenge by peers & mentors
- Self-reflection
- Case studies