At Thriving in Ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary, we are developing a new culture of ongoing clergy development in the Episcopal Church. Our program builds a renewed focus on fostering enthusiasm and dedication to continual growth in wise, skillful, and faithful leadership.
This is achieved through a dynamic process of action, reflection, and practice within a supportive community of peers in similar ministry roles. Mentor-Coaches guide individuals and peer groups in cultivating habits of self-reflection, seeking feedback, deep reflection, experimentation, and deliberate practice. This cyclical and collaborative process results in lasting changes in how clergy approach their own development and discuss growth with peers, with the potential for significant impacts on leadership and congregational vitality throughout the Episcopal Church.
In emphasizing the practice of mentoring and coaching skills, along with collaborative learning, we are successfully instilling a common spirit of commitment to the mentoring-coaching and peer learning processes that we have established. We are generating bonds of trusting peer relationships and partnerships among clergy, and we are establishing shared standards of practice that include a spirit of continuing growth and development for clergy themselves.
MENTOR-COACHES RECEIVE:
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Intensive Mentor-Coach training
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15 hours online program immersion and training
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3 days in-person skill-building at VTS (travel, room and board paid)
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6 months online practice with fellow Mentor-Coaches
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Assistance recruiting clergy for Peer-Learning Groups
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Regular Thriving staff check-ins and refresher trainings
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Compensation for Participant group and individual sessions
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Web-based access to learning tools across 8 key areas
PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE:
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18 months of online Peer-Learning Groups over 2 years
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18 months of online 1:1 Mentor-Coach sessions over 2 years
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Financial support toward 1 in-person regional gathering
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Self-development and transformational growth in 8 key areas for effective clergy leadership
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Web-based access to learning tools across 8 key areas
PROGRAM TIMELINE
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YEAR ONE
YEAR TWO AND THREE
GRAPHIC TIMELINE
AN EXAMPLE OF A PEER LEARNING GROUP SESSION
A PLG session consists of three core parts: check-in/accountability time, content and practice learning, and case situation/ministry narrative discussion. PLGs will begin with a spiritual practice and conclude with a brief time of inviting feedback.
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Welcome & Gather (3-4 minutes)
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Accountability (30 minutes)
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Case Situation or Ministry Narrative (40 minutes)
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Content, Practice, and Resources (35-40 minutes)
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Next Meeting (3-4 minutes)
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Feedback and Gratitude for Time Together (3-4 minutes)
During the online experience, clergy build relationships, share insights and learnings, laugh, pray, and rejoice together. Each virtual meeting begins and ends with smiles and waves as cohort members greet and say farewell to their new friends from different parts of the country.
You cannot force someone to desire mentorship, nor can you force someone to aspire to thrive. The concept of thriving may seem daunting—just surviving is hard enough. Embracing the path of thriving signifies a commitment to purpose and intentionality.
Thriving in Ministry provides a process for continuous strengthening of leadership skills through acute discernment and deliberate practice with colleagues and savvy coaching. Learning Participants learn new ways of assessing oneself and seeking feedback, stretching and experimenting with new action pathways, rehearsing best practices for specific actions, and determining what one specifically wants to practice, refine, or develop.
One facet of the trust engendered by our program stems from the confidentiality afforded to Mentor-Coaches and Learning Participants being connected to cohorts outside their ministry settings. This creates a safe space to work through ministry roadblocks with candor, allowing the mentor-coaching process to better meet participant needs.
We focus on eight key areas of ongoing leadership development over a lifetime: building strong connections, strengthening others’ participation and leadership, setting and managing clear goals, working effectively with conflict, engaging the local community, connecting the Gospel with local cultures, connecting people with spiritual practices, and becoming effective allies and advocates with under-represented people. Finally, it’s all online to fit the busy schedules of clergy.
Thriving in Ministry launched and continues to operate thanks to generous program-building grants from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church. These grants have allowed Thriving to build an enriching program structure with national and international impact, provide significant training for mentor-coaches, and offer a low-cost annual enrollment for participants who benefit from 27 individual and peer learning contact hours per year. Thriving in Ministry is able to extend its outreach through partnerships with networks and church regional bodies (dioceses, synods, etc.) -- their financial support further lowers the annual cost for participants from those networks and regions.
Participants are still expected to contribute financially to their own participation in this program, which is for their continuing growth. It is important to have “skin in the game,” -- and participants who pay for their part in the program are much more likely to stay invested with their time, effort, and accountability to themselves and others.
THE TOTAL VALUE EACH PARTICIPANT RECEIVES FROM THIS PROGRAM FAR EXCEEDS THE ACTUAL COST THEY PAY!
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Our Thriving in Ministry mentor-coaches provide individual sessions at a rate of $45 per hour.
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Executive coaching rates range between $150-$650 per hour for individual sessions alone.
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Nonprofit coaching rates range between $100-$400 per hour for individual sessions alone.
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Life coaching rates range between $75-$250 per hour for individual sessions alone.
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Clergy / Ministry coaching rates range between $60-$250 per hour for individual sessions alone.
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Performance coaching rates range between $80-$250 per hour for individual sessions alone.
Participants pay each year at a rate of roughly $27.41 per individual and group contact hour.
For participants that are in partnering networks and church regional bodies, the yearly fee is reduced to a level of roughly $17.59 per individual and group contact hour.
The total value delivered by Thriving in Ministry mentor-coaches is far greater than their $45 per hour. Their training and the assessment and learning resources provided by Thriving in Ministry makes the per-hour value closer to $350 per contact hour. Thriving in Ministry and its mentor-coaches are providing a significant gift to faith leaders! Participant contributions only fill a portion of the cost and value.
FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS, MENTOR-COACHES, AND PARTICIPANTS:
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Organizational Partners: Ensure annual contribution payments are made by March 15th of each year.
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Mentor-Coaches: Complete monthly 1:1 and group meetings, submitting meeting logs promptly for payment. If applicable, ensure the $200 training fee is remitted at least 3 months before the training date.
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Participants: We kindly request the prompt payment of your annual fee by February 15th of each year as a commitment to your personal development. Should there be any changes to your financial circumstances, please inform the Thriving team so that we can explore viable solutions with you.
Thriving in Ministry launched and continues to operate thanks to generous program-building grants from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church.
Participant Annual Fee
Participant Status | Annual Fee | Paid by Diocese or Network | Participant's Portion | Contact Hours | Per Contact Hour |
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Participants from partnering diocese or network | $ 740 | $ 265 | $ 475 ** | 30 HRS | $ 27.41 |
Participants not from partnering diocese or network | $ 740 | $ 0 | $ 740 | 30 HRS | $ 17.59 |
** Participants often will use continuing education funds
Mentor Coach (MC) Training Fee
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Travel, and room/board are covered by TiM grant funds and VTS generosity.
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MCs from partnering dioceses or networks pay no fees; the diocese or network covers the cost of training.
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MCs NOT partnering dioceses or networks pay $200.
Three-Year Partnership
(includes training of Mentor-Coach candidates, offset for Participants, and program contribution)
Partnership Level | Partnership Level Detail | # Mentor-Coach trainees | # Participants | Amount per year | Total over 3 years | Total Mentor-Coach training hours | Total Participant Contact Hours |
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Full | For dioceses & networks with over 90 clergy & key lay leaders | 5 | 15 | $ 3,200 | $ 9,600 | 325 | 810 |
Half | For dioceses or networks who partner with another | 2 | 7 | $ 1,600 | $ 4,800 | 130 | 378 |
See Additional Three-Year Partnerships Options
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