for Ministry Today
Margaret Marcuson offers a number of services and programs intended to increase the leadership capabilities of clergy and lay leaders for ministry today.
All of my work applies to the issues and challenges you face in your church right now. They include:
Clergy Leadership Roundtables
What is a roundtable? It’s a dynamic format for group learning. Different from an online course or a support group, the roundtable has elements of both, and is designed to generate your best thinking about your ministry and that of your colleagues.
The roundtable meets virtually once a month via Zoom video conference calling. Groups are made up of 4-5 people. A roundtable provides accountability and encouragement and can often lead to breakthroughs in ministry, faith and in life.
Learn more here and apply here.
Check out this mini-session with some amazing colleagues.
Hearing the stories and circumstances of other pastors and receiving creative feedback from you and my colleagues is invigorating and empowering, leading me to think more deeply about the ways I deal with anxious situations in my own church – situations that cause anxiety within the church and within me. The Roundtable discussions have encouraged me to be less anxious in my own presence in the congregation.
Rev. Dennis Christiansen, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Trumansburg, NY
I wasn’t sure it would be worth it with the exchange rate. But we’re only halfway through, and I’ve already gotten my money’s worth.
Rev. Wanda Burse, Rural United Pastoral Charge, Chatham, Ontario
Speaking and Workshops
Through speaking and workshops I introduce clergy and lay leaders to a new approach to leadership, through engaging and interactive presentations that give leaders a greater sense of their own resources and the possibilities of leadership.
My presentations include:
Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry
Is church leadership a recipe for burnout? How can leaders last? There’s a way to approach ministry that’s sustainable: leaders can learn to focus on themselves and the resources they bring to their leadership rather than trying harder to help, fix or change others. This presentation will show how leaders can make a difference while sustaining themselves through the ups and downs of church life.
Money and Your Ministry
Is your church facing a budget crisis? Is your salary stagnant? Does your church fight about money—or keep secrets about it? This presentation will help you learn a way to understand what’s really going on (in us and in others) when money becomes an issue in congregational life, and how to lead around money with lowered anxiety and more clarity. What you will take away with you: a new way to approach the money challenges we all face at church.
Better Boundaries in Ministry
Managing boundaries in ministry is an ongoing challenge for clergy. This fully-interactive boundary training looks at the many places where issues can arise: time, money, sex, and relationships with members and colleagues (including predecessors/successors). Using a family systems perspective, we will talk about how to address these challenges in ways that can be life-giving for clergy and for their congregations. The program will include ways to develop a healthy self (one who has an appropriate sense of where I end and someone else begins) and will look at the many ways to be healthier and more joyful in ministry.
Margaret’s approach to boundary awareness through the lens of Family Systems Theory was fresh, insightful, and really quite helpful. Reviews and evaluations were universally appreciative and positive, along the lines of, “Best boundary training ever!” As one committee member observed, “I think we hit a home run with Margaret!
Rev. Frank Baldwin, Central Pacific Conference, United Church of Christ
Why Helping May Be Overrated
All the good things we do for others may not actually help them. In this presentation you’ll learn what to do instead. You will get clear about what kind of “helping” causes dependency in others, and how to truly help others without wearing yourself out.
Interested? Call me at 503-701-7621, or e-mail me at Margaret@margaretmarcuson.com to find out more or to schedule a free introductory session.
All of the above programs can be presented virtually as well as in person.
Thank you for the most marvelous presentation and great interactive webinar we shared together. You are truly inspirational! I can’t thank you enough for all your professional and engaging leadership. It was a very informative hour with useful questions and ideas for applications in the local church.
The Rev. Phyllis Bowers, The United Methodist Stewardship Foundation