Associates . . .
Colleagues associated with Clergy Seminars are individuals who pursue their work and ministry with an effort toward natural systems thinking as a result of long term participation in the Clergy Seminar series. Working from a Bowen/ Friedman reference or axis, each is involved with theory and its application, particularly within congregational and family settings. Those listed here continued study over several years within their work settings and within their own family of origin. Each brings important experiences from years of self work and leadership.
- Serve in leadership positions as pastors, parents, CEO's, therapists, physicians
- Live in the leadership position of daily and multigenerational processes
- Work in and through struggles, using theory as a guide
- Sustain efforts on their own growth within their own family system
- Maintain competencies for presenting theory and application
- Keep viable connection with learning sources
- Pursue advanced degrees or competencies in areas of interest and responsibility
- Maintain vision and leadership in ministry over time
- Sustain functioning in crises and work with the challenges toward higher skills
- Conversant about their thinking and experience
- Pursue natural systems thinking as a functioning lens on the human condition
Update (2007): Dr. Mann has currently taken the position of Seminary Pastor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Dr. John Mann is senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio. His leadership has taken the congregation through a transformation of congregational ministry in Canton's downtown business district. An ecumenical urban ministry effort led to multi-cultural participation. Currently an Hispanic community is interlinked within the traditional congregational ministry. Part of the leadership focus is to move people out of poverty within the neighborhood and family context. Preschool and kindergarten programs have been developed. There is a counseling center ministry with a systems orientation.
Serving as Regional Dean for the Canton/Massillon area Dr. Mann offers collegial and pastoral support for rostered persons as a support to the Bishop's office. He formerly served in urban ministry in a congregational campus setting as head of 13 staff persons.
Dr. Mann received a BA from Clarion University n Psychology and Sociology, an MDiv. from Duke Divinity School with emphasis on Pastoral Care, and an MTh. from Duke University in Pastoral Psychology. His D.Min. from the Ohio Theological Consortium at Wittenberg University emphasized lay pastoral ministry training, a pre-cursor of Stephen's Ministry training. He has done extensive study of faith development with Jim Fowler's International Institute for faith development.
Pastor Mann worked with Rabbi Friedman through the seminar series offered in Bethesda, Maryland. He has participated in Clergy Seminars on Family Process and Natural Systems for six years.
Frequently Dr. Mann is sought out as a coach. His area of interests include transformational ministry, congregational stress, organizing for community ministry, working with political systems, support of clergy in crisis, and development of multi-cultural ministry. Pastor Mann heads a congregational staff of six, most of whom are in training in Family Systems Theory. They work together (and separately) to apply the theory in the congregation's life and community development.
As a Senior pastor, Dr. Larry D. Pickens has been involved in a ministry of advocacy for pastors who are involved in juridical evaluation and discipline processes. He serves as a member of the United Methodist Judicial Council which interprets church law. As an ordained pastor and attorney, Dr. Pickens served a predominantly anglo congregation in a suburban urban setting. Recently he has been appointed to serve as the General Secretary for the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns at United Methodist Headquarters in New York.
Dr. Pickens is a graduate of North Park University with a degree in political science. He holds a Masters both in Theological Studies and Divinity. He received a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University, College of Law. He has a certificate in ecumenical studies from Bossey, a graduate school of the World Council of Churches. He is a member of the Trial Bar of the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois. He has received recognition as Outstanding Alumni of the College of Law as well as for other contributions in the field.
Extensive travels have added experience in settings such as World Methodist Conferences in Nairobi, Kenya and Singapore; Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Canberra, Australia; People to People observer of legal changes at the end of apartheid; and People to People delegation to Havana, Cuba for the International Conference on Family Law.
One of Dr. Pickens great interests is analyzing ways in which Family Systems Theory (natural systems) can be discovered and applied through historical/political dynamics. Utilizing experiences of political and international exposure becomes a window through which one can view particular realities in which pastors find themselves.
Serving in his seventeenth year in the Northern Illinois Conference, his ministry encompasses advocacy, economic development, and ecumenical engagement. His view is one of commitment to justice and proclamation of God's liberation throughout all of humanity.
Dr. Pickens, as an Associating Colleague, aims to merge his experiences with Systems thinking in a way that will benefit others who search for nerve in an age of fear and failure of nerve.
Brief Bio of Howard Anderson
Growing up on the edge of the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota, Howard formed a life long interest in cross-cultural issues. After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii, he was the founding director the Native American Theological Associate, a consortium of seven mainline denominations and their seminaries to help Native clergy get through the Master of Divinity process. He was eventually called to serve the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota for 12 years first as Executive Director of The Minnesota Commission on Indian Work, and then founding director of the Stewardship and Development Department. He attended seminary at an Anglican Church of Canada institution, followed by ordination and a call to be Rector of St. Paul’s in Duluth, Minnesota where he served 10 years, helping to launch two new and unique missions and ground breaking outreach ministries through St. Paul’s Neighborhood Partnership.
Howard has been involved since 1993 in the on-going family systems seminar with Dr. Larry Foster. He has been a seminary professor, a diocesan staff member in the areas of stewardship and development, congregational development and Indian ministry in two dioceses. Howard was called to be the founding President of The Cathedral College at Washington National Cathedral where he served for four years. He is now the rector of The Parish of St. Matthew and its large parish school, a vibrant community in Pacific Palisades, California. He has particular interest in justice issues, and promotes churches reaching out to those in need as a spiritual growth and community growth. He worked 17 years in the Indian community and has been taught by traditional spiritual leaders in the religious practices of the Lakota and Dakota people. His daughter, Rev. Kesha Brennom is a priest serving Todos Los Santos in Oxnard, California. As a grandfather this brings his grandson, Will, to the West Coast to surf with his “Papi.” He and Linda have been married for over 40 years.
Howard holds a B.A. from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN and an M.A. and Ph.D in American Studies from the University of Hawaii. His divinity training was at St. John's Anglican College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was a conference leader in the Episcopal Church's CREDO program (Clergy Reflection, Education, Discernment Opportunity). Dr. Anderson leads his team in a church wide clergy wellness effort which takes place in the context of an 8 day workshop focusing upon clergy wellness in the areas of spirituality, physical health, finances and vocation.
Dr. William Wendt
Since 1987 Pastor “Bill” Wendt has served two rural Wisconsin congregations (ELCA). Wendt is a 21 year Naval Aviator veteran who operated in helicopter search and rescue detachments in the Vietnam era. His leadership experience in the Navy forms a backdrop to his pastoral leadership.
He has been in contact with numerous interim ministries impacted by the trauma of difficult members as well as the woundedness that results from invasive and reactive clergy and lay persons. He is particularly interested in the Bowen Theory concept of self-differentiation as it relates to leadership in families and congregations. As a member of the clergy seminar for several years he focused on Dr. Friedman’s thesis of three interlocking systems: one’s own family (nuclear and extended), the congregation as an emotional system, and families within the congregation.
Dr. Wendt has experience with the congregational discipline process. He considers the discipline of trouble-making members to be within the bounds of pastoral leadership.
He has a particular interest in assisting pastors to persevere through difficult congregational leadership dilemmas. He sees the importance of identifying emotional process and working through emotional boundaries as critical to pastoral and lay leader function.
Dr. Wendt received his B.A. in Language from University of West Florida at Pensacola, his M.Div. from Wartburg Seminary, and his D. Min. with an emphasis in Gospel and Culture from Columbia Seminary.
Dr. Walter Brueggemann at Columbia Seminary in Georgia supervised Bill’s doctoral work. His studies involved Psalms of lament and interim ministries within wounded congregations. The laments of the Psalter offer a new paradigm for ministry in the healing of wounded congregations.
Dr. Wendt is interested in a congregation’s learning and exercising biblical prayer from the whole Psalter. He sees “plea” and “praise” involving a back-and-forth movement through the Psalms as related to emotional process.
Dr. Wendt is available to lead seminars and retreats on the topics of emotional process within congregations. Presentations integrate the pastor/congregation experience of woundedness with respect to the Psalms of lament. He can be reached at 715-926-5379 or, wow@frontiernet.net
Dr. Carol Jeunnette
Pastoral care and leadership of congregations, in particular troubled congregations, have been the focus of Pastor Jeunnette’s professional and academic work for the past decade. While serving as an “after pastor” in a congregation in which allegations of sexual abuse had been lodged against a previous pastor, she was introduced to Rabbi Friedman’s work with Bowen Theory, congregations, and leadership. Recognizing the significant value of his work, she began her study with Friedman shortly before his death. Following Friedman’s death, she continued for two years with the faculty of the Center for Family Process, and then became part of the Voyagers, (a group of clergy and congregational leaders, many of whom studied extensively with the Rabbi, who seek to continue the theoretical application of his work to congregations.) She has been active with the Voyagers for eleven years. In addition, Dr. Jeunnette completed four years of training in Bowen Theory through the postgraduate program of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, in Washington D.C.
Dr. Jeunnette earned her Masters of Divinity at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. In addition, she holds Masters degrees in Family Studies and Counseling from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Psychological Studies from the Joint Ph.D. Program of Iliff School of Theology and the University of Denver. Her dissertation, entitled “A Pastoral Theology of Congregational Care and Leadership: Nurturing Emergence,” begins with the reality of suffering congregations and brings together Bowen Theory and aspects of Process Theology to construct theological propositions to guide congregational care and leadership.
She is trained as a facilitator and trainer of facilitators for “Healthy Congregations,” and as a “Bridgebuilder.” In addition to her work as an intentional interim pastor, she has a pastoral counseling practice, offers seminars on leadership for clergy and congregational leaders, consults with and coaches congregations and clergy, and is chair of the Rocky Mountain Synod’s newly organized Congregation and Leadership Health Ministry Team. Her focus for the near future is on using the material in her dissertation as the foundation for two books: one on congregational assessment in light of Bowen Theory and Friedman’s work, the other on the integration of aspects of process theology with Bowen family systems theory. Carol and her husband, John, have two adult sons, and live in Denver.
Mary Ann McNary Schwabe has been an assistant to the bishop in the Northeastern Ohio Synod (ELCA) since 2005. Prior to this call, she served congregations in church music and education as a rostered ELCA Associate in Ministry. Mary Ann has a Bachelor of Music degree from Houghton College and a Master of Arts in Religion from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. She has studied and applied Bowen Theory and Emotional Systems since 1994, initially with parish leadership as the administrator of a congregational preschool program.
In the Northeastern Ohio Synod call, she has developed a working group committed to congregational Systems endeavors in three primary areas: congregational struggles, the call process, and family systems seminars for clergy and church leaders. The development of a resource team and its ongoing task and training has become a vital ministry of the synod. It is an intentional "leaning into" congregational well-being. Mary Ann's primary areas of interest are in addressing congregational anxiety and facilitating a view of parish leadership through a family process and natural systems lens.
Mary Ann is also the synod staff liaison to two conferences, the social ministry agencies of the synod, the Global Mission Committee, and Lutheran Disaster Response. She is a member of the Postgraduate Seminar on Family Process and Natural Systems group, a member of Voyagers national colloquy on Bowen Theory and its application by the late Rabbi Ed Friedman, a leadership coach, and is a trained Healthy Congregations facilitator.