鶹ýӳ

Be Renewed for Your Next Faithful Step in Ministry. Relate. Renew. Reimagine.

NEXT FRONTIERS

Next Frontiers is a program that runs from February through November 2027, and is designed to help mid-career pastors thrive in congregational leadership during times of transition in ministry. The key features of the program include opportunities for reimagining our pastoral identity, fostering spiritual renewal and engaging in meaningful relationship with veteran ministers. The overarching purpose of this program is to provide resources that will sustain ministers in the “long obedience” of their profession.

CALIFORNIA/MEXICO CLASS OF 2027 Retreat Dates:

Retreat One: February 9 - 12, 2027 held in Scotts Valley, California

Retreat Two: November 2 - 5, 2027 held in Mexico City, Mexico

Interested in Applying? Please complete these three documents before October 1, 2026. Got questions? Email Mary Chung March mmarch@westmont.edu and CC Jim Wright jwright@westmont.edu. Application and Reference Deadline: October 1, 2026

Institutes and Centers

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Conversatio Divina logo 2024
frontiers logo

 

Program Features and Resources

The following are key components of 鶹ýӳ’s Next Frontiers Program.

  • Assessment: Next Frontiers will provide opportunities for assessment to assist ministers in discerning their unique skill sets and “expert specialties,” and provide coaching for how to carry the necessary generalist responsibilities of the pastorate in a way that is informed by individual personality and temperament differences.
  • Retreat: Two 3-day retreats will bookend this 40-week program. These retreats will include talks by a team of speakers, conversation with each other, experiential learning opportunities, corporate worship and times for personal reflection and prayer.
  • Relationship with Experienced Clergy and Peers: Seasoned ministers will offer spiritual direction and mentoring to each participant. In addition, pastoral peer groups will be formed and meet together during the entire program for discussion and praxis.
  •  is a valuable resource for continued learning and engagement to further enhance what is taught and practiced in our cohort year.
  • Personal Agency: Each participant will design a personal plan or “rule of life” for personal and spiritual formation that is rooted in the gospel rhythms of Jesus’ life, as well as the particular season of ministry transition that they find themselves.
  • On-Going Learning: Participants will read and study across a variety of topics that will include wrestling with questions such as: Where is my identity found and how? Where is God during this season? How do I harvest the potential of this phase of life? How do I apply “the Cycle of Grace” to learning to live a different kind of life?

Summary of Goals:

By way of summary, we offer a statement of program goals. New Frontiers strives to:

  • Help pastors clarify their self-understanding, purpose and direction;
  • Create space for retreat, to detach from current roles and contexts in order to participate in activities that facilitate joy;
  • Provide experienced mentors for pastors facing mid-career transition;
  • Build networks of ministry peers to overcome isolation and create a sense of belonging;
  • Encourage pastors to discover (or rediscover) historic spiritual disciplines and practices;
  • Provide teaching about life-giving virtues and principles of leadership and service;
  • Prompt new ideas and strategies for how ministers and their churches can engage their communities and help address the world’s problems.

Meet Our Mentors

Next Frontiers is an 11-month program designed to help mid-career pastors thrive in congregational leadership during times of transition in ministry. The key features of the program include opportunities for reimagining our pastoral identity, fostering spiritual renewal and engaging in meaningful relationship with veteran ministers who will serve as models and mentors.

• Assessment

• Retreats

• Relationship with Experienced Clergy and Peers

• On-Line Tools for Spiritual Formation Activities

• On-Going Learning

The application deadline for the class of 2027 is October 1, 2026.

CALIFORNIA/MEXICO CLASS OF 2027

Session One: February 9 - 12, 2027 held in Scotts Valley, California

Session Two: November 2 - 5, 2027 held in Mexico City, Mexico