Group Membership in The Company of Pastors
Theological reflection and spiritual nurture is best done in communities, which offer an ecosystem that sustains friendship as we talk together about God incarnate in Jesus Christ, present in our world and lives. Faithful theological conversation touches deep places in our lives – our own lives, the lives of those we care for, the lives of those whom we serve in pastoral leadership. For Presbyterians, communities of theological friendship form a central element of our tradition. Sessions, presbyteries, general assemblies – all are built on the notion that we are called to communal reflection on our faith, to discern together how to live faithfully.
The Company of Pastors can offer a way for groups to engage in theological reflection and spiritual nurture. The daily disciplines of The Company are remarkably simple, yet often difficult to maintain. Group membership can add the element of face to face engagement, encouragement and accountability that is missing from individual practice of the daily disciplines.
Sessions, lectionary groups, Sunday School classes, seminary study groups – all of these and more may join The Company of Pastors as a group for a reduced rate of $10 per person. The covenant for these group memberships includes individual commitment to the daily disciplines of prayer and reading of scripture and the confessions, and an additional group commitment to spend the first 30-45 minutes of their meetings/gatherings in a more intense practice of the disciplines of prayer, scripture and theological reflection.
This intense practice at the beginning of meetings/gatherings can be group reflection on one of the daily scripture readings, conversation about a confessional reading, or the discussion of a paper or book that the group is reading together. The important element is that this intense practice of reflection be prior to and separate from any regular “business” of the group.
For more information on group memberships, email Karen Russell, or call (502) 569-5401.