Books offer preview of Steinke workshop

Peter Steinke will offer a two-part workshop for congregation leaders, “Growing in Faith Together – How Your Church Family Works,” April 4-5 and June 20-21. Steinke has suggested two books as foundational reading for teams who want to prepare for attending the workshop.

Reading one or both of the books prior to attending the Steinke workshops will equip leadership teams to apply their learnings back home in the congregation. Both books are available in paperback and Kindle editions.

Steinke’s “How Your Church Family Works – Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems” provides an eye-opening guide for leaders who struggle to understand the dynamics of their congregations. The book will serve as background for the ideas he will be presenting in the April and June workshops. Steinke, a Lutheran pastor and director of the Interfaith Pastoral Counseling Center, works as a consultant and counselor to congregations, helping their leadership understand church conflict and how to deal with it.

“Extraordinary Relationships” by Roberta Gilbert offers a blueprint to better relationships. Gilbert’s approach avoids placing blame and encourages individuals to take responsibility for themselves without blaming others. Steinke encourages reading this book prior to the workshops as an introduction to Murray Bowen’s family systems theory.

The workshops will offer diocesan leaders the opportunity to benefit fro Steinke’s wisdom and to share experiences and insights with other lay and clergy leaders. Save the date! Registration for the events will be available on the diocesan website.