Along the Road: A Podcast for PC(USA) Leaders
Be inspired, hear the stories of others, and practice the tools of faith and leadership through conversations that nourish, enrich, and aid in the formation of leaders in the church. Mid Council leaders will integrate foundational values with the practice of faith and ministry. Congregational leaders, particularly ruling elders and deacons, will experience practices to connect faith to everyday life. Nourish: Short episodes for ruling elders and deacons. Encounter: Longer episodes for church and mid council leaders.
Along the Road: A Podcast for PC(USA) Leaders
Encounter: The Care and Nurture of the Congregation - Church Safety and Emotional Well-Being
In this episode that accompanies the Jan. 3, 2024 Encounter episode on Church Safety and Security, guests Kathy Riley and Jim Kirk explore the importance of a comprehensive approach and attentiveness to both physical safety and emotional well-being as sessions and presbyteries live out their call to nurture the covenant community of disciples.
We recommend also listening to the Nov. 15, 2023 Encounter episode on Trauma-Informed Decision-Making which complements both the Church Safety and Security and Emotional Well-Being episodes well.
Web Resources recommended by Kathy Riley and Jim Kirk, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program
National Center for Trauma-Informed Care. SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care - Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center - Resource (chcs.org)
Another podcast through Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI). Power and Abuse in the Church | The Better Samaritan with Jamie Aten and Kent Annan | Practical ways to do good, better (christianitytoday.com)
Another resource through HDI is the Trauma-Informed Church Checklist.Trauma-Informed Church Checklist (spiritualfirstaid.org)
Link to the ESC/Resilience programs offered by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (pcusa.org)
Print Resources
Flourishing in Ministry: How to Cultivate Clergy Wellbeing. 2019. Matt Bloom. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.
Wounded Pastors. 2024. Carol Howard and James Fenimore. Westminster John Knox Press.
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. 2017. Resmaa Menakem. Central Recovery Press.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. 2014. Bessel Van Der Kolk. Penguin Books.
Trauma + Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World (2nd edition). 2019. Serene Jones. Westminster John Knox Press.
Fractured Ground: Preaching in the Wake of Mass Trauma. 2023. Kimberly R. Wagner. Westminster John Knox Press.
Recovering from Un-Natural Disasters: A Guide for Pastors and Congregations after Violence and Trauma. 2017. Laurie Kraus, David Hoylan and Bruce Wismer. Westminster John Knox Press.