Vancouver School of Theology is pleased to announce its plans for July summer school programming. Most courses will be taught in hybrid form, in-person classrooms and virtual Zoom classrooms. Classes will be taught synchronously only.

Vancouver School of Theology has been using Zoom with great success with its growing number of distance students, and is pleased to extend this opportunity to its Summer School participants. To participate via Zoom, please register using course codes that end with ‘D’.

"The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener." (William O’Brien) Is this true? If it is, it could be read to say, “The success of a church depends on the interior condition of its leadership.” How are we as leaders (whether paid or lay)

- attending to our interior journeys of faith, healing and transformation?

- mindfully support the congregations we are serving?

This workshop will explore the theme of the leader's interior condition and will consider four foundational spiritual disciplines for healthy church leadership: Meditation; Lectio Divina, the Gift of Paying Attention, and Acceptance Prayers.

The Art of Transitional Ministry Part 1 introduces students to intentional transitional ministry leadership. Once called Interim Ministry, The Art of Transitional Ministry Part 1 introduces students to the Arc of Transitional Ministry-- featuring deeper conversations about entering systems, assessing needs, considering history and current context, considering the role of conflict and healthy departing. We start in a place believing all ministry is transitional and that understanding congregational systems theory undergirds the work we do. Our goal is to provide pastors with tools for leading in the midst of transition while providing a supportive and safe learning community for exploration and questioning.

St Andrew's Hall at UBC is offering a Sacrament Elder course again for Ruling Elders in congregations without a called minister on Saturday, February 3, 2024. This is a free, online course that enables Ruling Elders to apply to Presbytery for permission to provide the Sacraments in their local congregation without a minister.

Frequently we hear that people resist change. Does this have to be true? Could we find ways of engaging change, transformation and renewal that energizes the church while allowing the church to live more fully into the future to which God calling forth? This workshop explores the dynamics of leading change as well as drawing from both the congregational life cycle and the rhythms of the journey of renewal.

This course is designed for students approaching ministry in pastoral and public contexts. Located in the field of Mission Studies, this course will attend specifically to contemporary issues in evangelism, by analyzing and studying the history, practice, and effectiveness of how Christians share the gospel in the world, with a particular emphasis upon the Canadian context.

How many times have you sat through a poorly run meeting, knowing that if the session were being better facilitated, you would be accomplishing twice as much in half the time?

Discover the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to help you effectively facilitate in a wide range of situations. This 2-day, 14-hour workshop will introduce you to the core competencies of facilitation, modelled through the use of multiple engaging facilitation techniques grounded in adult learning.

You will gain a greater understanding of your own personal facilitation style and learn how to use your strengths to maximize your effectiveness as a facilitator.