Sacred Trust: Cultivating Healthy Boundaries in Ministry

This course explores the theological, ethical, and practical dimensions of maintaining healthy boundaries in ministry. Grounded in the Great Commandment and the concept of Original Blessing, participants will consider how boundaries are not barriers to care but expressions of love, respect, and accountability. Through presentations, personal reflection, case studies, and small-group discussion, ordained and commissioned ministers will gain practical tools for recognizing and navigating the complex relational dynamics inherent in pastoral ministry.

Participants will explore various types of boundaries and learn to distinguish between boundary crossings, boundary slippage, and boundary violations. Special attention will be given to power dynamics, dual relationships, friendships with congregants, and the unique challenges of ministry in close-knit communities. The course will also examine how isolation and a lack of accountability can increase vulnerability to boundary concerns while offering strategies for developing healthy support systems. Finally, participants will explore restorative approaches to addressing boundary failures, emphasizing accountability, repair, reflection, and recommitment.

Offered via Zoom, the training provides an accessible and interactive learning environment for participants wherever they are. Presentation, reflection, case studies, discussion, and small-group conversation will create opportunities for both learning and shared wisdom. By the end of the training, participants will be better equipped to foster relationships marked by integrity, mutual respect, compassion, and ethical leadership—strengthening both their personal well-being and the trustworthiness of their ministry. This course fulfills requirements for Healthy Boundaries Ethics Training.

Facilitator

Rev. Dr. Beth Rupe serves as Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Henry, Illinois, and as Minister for Disciples Women in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. With more than 20 years of pastoral experience, she is passionate about helping congregations and leaders create environments where individuals can flourish, relationships can deepen, and God's justice can emerge in the world. Before entering full-time ministry, she worked as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Counselor at a Community Mental Health Clinic, bringing extensive experience in ethics, boundaries, and healthy relationships to her work with clergy and congregations. She is the co-author of a two module ethics course, Choices for Abundant Living: An Ethics Training Course for Clergy and Hope to Do Good: An Ethics Course for Clergy. Rev. Dr. Rupe also serves as an Ethics Investigator for the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin Commission on Ministry. Her post-graduate training includes Family Systems Theory, Relapse Prevention, Boundary Training, and Healthy Congregations, providing a strong foundation for facilitating clergy ethics education and leadership development.

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