Join us in-person or via livestream at Redeemer OPC in Ada Michigan as we welcome Dr. Sara Lynema, Licensed Psychologist, for a day-long event geared toward equipping pastors and their teams with information and practical steps for walking with those they've been called to serve. Build knowledge and skills on how to care for others, as they wrestle with emotional and relational struggles, while maintaining your own integrity and health. 

Bring your pastoral team (Pastors, Deacons, Elders and Spouses) to gain shared language, expectations, and vision as you are refreshed in God's design for healthy emotional and relational care within a ministry calling.

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Session 1 - Healthy Individuals - Responsibilities and Boundaries

Orienting to God's design for healthy individuals and relational interactions. Building practical discernment in recognizing and implementing boundaries to guard yourself, your family, and those you serve while still deeply caring for others. 

Session 2 - Emotional Reactivity and Self-Care

Opening our eyes and ears to the heart of conflict. Learn to recognize and tend to the fuel rather than getting lost in the flames. Steps to learning the practice of caring for self and utilizing that to empower care towards others.

Session 3 - Understanding Trauma - Paths and Pits to Personal Healing

Recognizing and resourcing when those you serve are hurt or stuck. Discerning healthy resources where you can point your congregation that will honor their value, support grieving vulnerability and loss, attend to healing from victimization, build towards personal responsibility, and reinforce healthy connections. 

Session 4 - Grace vs Shame vs Enabling

When to step in and when to lean out? Discerning health and timing in God's design for emotional and relational support.

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Registration Specifics

Additional in-person participants from the same church (add. pastors, elders, deacons, spouses) are invited to register at reduced cost. Register each person attending in-person (email for reduced pricing on 8 or more from the same church). Spouses are also impacted by, and often participate directly, in congregational care. While not a marriage event, spouses are invited to register and attend this event alongside Pastors, Elders and Deacons from their church team. 

For those out of state or unable to participate in-person, online livestream registration is also available. A livestream link will be sent to the email on your registration with digital materials approximately 3 days prior to the event. 

Live stream and in-person open doors will begin at  8:30am ET with the first session beginning promptly at 9:00am ET. 

If you would like to participate at either the live or online event, but have concerns about the cost of the event or local accommodations, please reach out to our team at info.RedeemerEvent@gmail.com to discuss how we can support your attendance. 

FAQ:

Q: Can Elders and/or Deacons who do discipleship ministry functions register and attend?

A: Yes! Pastors, Elders, Deacons and their spouses - bring your team that you want to share in vision and skill building for how to live out God's design for emotional and relational care in your church.

Q: If I cannot attend for the whole day, can I attend part, or will there be a recording to access later?

A: Yes. There will be live Q and A (both for in-person and for the livestream participants to submit any questions that arise), so we want to encourage live participation. Following the event, all registered participants will also receive a code to gain free access to the recording of the 4 sessions and 4 resourcing presentations for personal use. So, if something is missed, you will have the opportunity to re-watch or refresh.

Q: Will there be food available on site?

Inlcuded in registration for the on-site participants, there will be a lunch served and refreshements available on breaks for provided by Redeemer OPC. 

Q: What after-event resourcing will be available to the pastoral teams?

A: Representatives from Focus on the Family, Winning at Home, Full Strength Network, and Pine Rest CMHS will be on site and will each give a brief live overview at a session break  of the resources their organization has available for pastors and their congregations (yes, those will also be streamed and recorded).

Q: Do I need to be from an OPC church to attend?

A: No. All who participate in the discipleship or pastoral care at a Christian church and wish to gain a better, Biblically grounded, understanding of humanity's emotional and relational design and care are welcome to attend.

From Dr. Sara "I have worked with pastors and missionaries of many denominations. I find that the core of God's design for our emotional and relational care strikes a chord that is a-denominational. Pastors and ministry leaders are already the experts on spiritual and theological understanding of humanity, more so than I am, so I do not need to dive into that. I only desire to add a layer of invitation, from my Biblically-based training and experience, to understand how the integration of emotional and relational information can transform what it looks like to walk alongside others in a broken world (and bring freedom and rest to those called to do it)."

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Please register each person who will be participating. Registration will close at the end of Januray 21st.