Diocesan clergy came together this week for the fall Clergy Continuing Education gathering—an annual event that met this year via video conference. The three separate sessions, meeting by region, took place November 11 through 13.
Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan presided over the virtual meetings of pastors from the Midwest, New England, and Mid-Atlantic regions, focused on the practical task of “Equipping Clergy to Foster and Nurture Healthy Parishes.”
Leading the conversation was Steve Tibbs, a consultant for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, and an active leader in the Greek Orthodox community. During a three-hour presentation to each regional session, Mr. Tibbs described how in a healthy church, all parish ministries and organizations should lead people closer to Christ. He emphasized to the clergy that “healthy behavior creates a healthy parish, and a healthy parish creates healthy outcomes.”
The Diocesan pastors were eager to learn real-life examples of practical, spiritually-affirming strategies for dealing with disruptions that arise in the life of every parish. Each conference session concluded with a discussion about the role of a Christian leader as one who guides and influences his people towards Christ.