Kaleidoscope Course Descriptions
Fundamental Skills for Building Inclusive Community
In a fast-changing and diverse world, what skills do leaders need to practice in order to create a more inclusive environment in which people of diverse backgrounds and experiences are welcome and no one person or group is disadvantaged? In this foundational workshop, the Rev. Eric H. F. Law will guide participants through a practical and spiritual journey toward becoming competent leaders in a diverse changing world.
Topics to explore:
- What is Culture and why are there cultural differences?
- Cultural Differences and their Impacts on our leadership
- Theological Reflection on multicultural leadership
- Skill, models and processes for building inclusive community
- Developing a spirituality for leadership in a diverse, changing world
- Training Modules I-VII of the Kaleidoscope Institute basic training
Who should attend?
- People involved in small group ministries – bible study, youth ministry, adult forums, discussion groups.
- Chairs of committees and commissions
- Religious educators
- People who have read Eric Law’s books and want to get a hands-on, in-depth experience in putting the theory, method, spirituality to practice.
OFFERED AT:
- Northeast Institute 2012: May 7-11 at Trinity Conference Center, West Cornwall, Conn. [$975]
Models and Processes for Community Transformation
The Rev. Eric H. F. Law will share from his experiences in working intensively with over 300 churches in the U.S. and Canada over the last 10 years. What methods and processes work and what do not work for churches that find themselves in diverse fast-changing communities?
He will discuss the impacts of cultural differences, specifically in communication and power perception, on church planting, revitalization, shared facility, cross-racial appointments, and cluster ministry development. How we can enable local churches to analyze their situations (their church culture, local community and social contexts) and move toward faithful and constructive change?
Topics to explore:
- Impact of fast-changing community on community redevelopment
Impact of cultural diversity on church revitalization and new church development - Tools to enable local community leaders to analyze their organizational culture, local community and social contexts
- A process for faithful transformation
- Theological reflection on faithful transformation
- Training Module VIII-X of the Kaleidoscope Institute basic training
Who should attend?
- Church leaders interested in church revitalization and congregational development from a multicultural perspective
- People involved in Interim Ministry
- Consultant and facilitators for communities in transition
- People involved in leadership development in local community
Prerequisite: Course I or the equivalent
OFFERED AT:
- Summer Institute 2012: July 19–20, 2012 at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, Calif. [$200]
Media & Faith: Creating Audio-Visual Electronic Media to Build Inclusive Community
Thehe goal of this 4.5 day workshop is to create audio-visual electronic media as forms of art to ENHANCE communication of faith, ENGAGE people in meaningful dialogue, CREATE illuminated space for worship, EMPOWER individuals and communities, and BUILD more inclusive communities.
This practical hands-on workshop is coupled with theological and ethical reflection on the impact of computer technologies on media, art and community, and will give participants a strong foundation for increasing their competency as leaders in our diverse and fast-changing world.
OFFERED AT:
- TBA
Emerging Grace: Missional
Ministries in the Grace Margin
Through this course, participants will learn to facilitate a series of dialogue sessions to engage local church community leaders to:
- gain a deeper understanding of the values and perspectives of the so-called emerging generation—unchurched, relational focused, seeking authentic spirituality and suspicious of centralized authority;
- address fear from church members if their community move toward becoming missional;
- create a “Grace Margin” for church members to emerge out of their old paradigm into a missional way of thinking about church;
- generate ideas and support fresh expression of their ministries out in the grace margin;
- learn how to be authentically themselves as they interact faithfully with the emerging generation; and
- to share blessings across the generations.
Prerequisite: Course I or the equivalent
OFFERED AT:
- KI South Institute 2012: May 4–5 • Houston, Texas
- Summer Institute 2012: July 16–18 at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, Calif. [$300]
Holy Currencies: Emergent Conversations on Money and Sustainable Ministry
This workshop will examine how money as a currency of exchange has become the principal valuing system of our life, work and ministry. We will name money as a principality and power that seeks to be god and steer us away from the God of truth and grace. In order to recall money to its original calling, to serve and support human community interchange, we will engage participants in dialogue about other kinds of currencies that support the kingdom of God—for example, the currency of relationship, the currency of truth, the currency of grace, etc. How do the other currencies connect with money leading to sustainable ministries? We will take our clues from the Bible and from the revolutionizing world of “freeconomic” and “freemium” financing sparked by the innovation of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Prerequisite: Course I or the equivalent
OFFERED AT:
- Winter Institute 2012: Feb. 27–March 2 at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, Calif. [$450]
- Homecoming 2012 (first part of the Summer Institute): July 13–15 at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, Calif. [TBD]
- Northwest Institute 2012: August 13–17 @ Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center, North Bend, Wash. [$650 if registering before June 15, $700 thereafter]
