Integral Ministry FAQs

 

 

The purpose of this program is to equip ministry leaders and individuals with an understanding of ministry as a living system and the capacity to facilitate an integral approach to cultural evolution. This program offers a new paradigm of ministry practice that is centered upon the fulfillment of purpose in people’s lives. It is a departure from our current ministry practice and its tithing based funding model to a spiritual cooperative that focuses on the value of ownership, partnership, self-responsibility, and personal integrity. The IMP is an antidote to our current 400-year-old ministry practice—the pastor / flock or minister-centric model of ministry.

 

 

The Certificate in Integral Ministry Practice program is open to all New Thought ministry leaders—ministers, board / council members, LUT’s / CSL Practitioners, and lay leaders. The program has no credentialling status in Unity churches or Unity Worldwide Ministries.

 

 

$7,000 payable over four quarters ($1,750).

 

 

Students are required to have participated in the 21 Day Quantum Living Process prior to the completion of Quarter 1 due to its foundational importance in the integral ministry practice.

 

 

Students will explore the following topics:

• Differences between minister-centric and mission-centric models of ministry

• Elements of theory and practice behind the IMP

• Elements of cultural change and evolutionary transformation

• Necessity of individual / group / and organizational shadow integration

• Embodied Spirituality

• Spiritual Cooperative

• Integral Welcoming and Membership System

• Conscious Conversations & Mapping What Is

 

 

Upon completion of the IMP certificate program, learners will be able to:

• Identify the elements of cultural evolution

• Articulate the cultural change process

• Determine the fundamentals of IMP

• Examine the impact of unresolved shadow issues within individuals, groups, and the organization (pain body).

• Explore and practice components of embodied spirituality

• Compare and contrast variances between minister and mission-centric cultural imperatives

• Assess how integral principles are demonstrated in actual ministry settings

• Facilitate the Quantum Living Process for Teams

• Facilitate the Genogram Activity and formulate the church’s Q / Shadow Card

 

 

Upon completion of the IMP certificate program, graduates will be able to introduce / implement the modules of the IMP including but not limited to:

 

• Practice mission statement—Transforming lives and inspiring people to make a positive difference in our world

• SpiritGroups as a leadership development program

• Integral Membership System—A seamless path from first timer to competent leader

• Integral Employee Review Process

• Spiritual Cooperative—new funding model

• Board Development—15 Commitments of Conscious Leaders

• Conscious Conversations

• Mapping What Is

 

 

o Quarter 1: An Introduction to Integral Ministry Practice

 

Topics:

 The Inconvenient Truth—about our current ministry practice

 Case Study—a sobering look at the comings and goings of spiritual leaders over time in one Unity church. Is it our “never ending story?”

 Evolving out of Not Enough

 The Theory Behind the Practice—an integral map of ministry.

 Wake Up, Grow Up, Clean Up & Show Up—actualizing the living system that is ministry

 Shadow Work—The Quantum Living Process

 Uncovering the ministry’s pain body—an introduction to the Genogram Activity

 Embodying our Teachings—honoring our roots

 Evolving Culture—Working with evolution and developmental principles to shift into 2nd Tier practices

 Putting the Theory into Practice

 

o Quarter 2: Foundation of Integral Ministry Practice

 

Topics:

 Implementation Process Map—a framework and timeline for transitioning to integral ministry practice

 Reinventing Ministry—looking at the evolution of organizations through the Spiral of development.

 Dealing with the Obstacles to development and cultural evolution

 Practice Mission Statement—the Key to whole system evolution.

 Translational vs. Transformational Teachings & Practices

 Ken Wilber—Guest Luminary Q & A

 Institutionalizing Shadow Work—the Art of Quantum Living

 Aware-apy—how to use the Quantum Living Process in Spiritual Counseling  

 The Quantum Living Process for Teams—how to facilitate the process in small groups

 Mendhi Audlin, LUT, Guest Luminary, founder of SpiritGroups—using small group ministry in the fulfillment of purpose.

 

o Quarter 3: Awakening the Beloved Community

Topics:

 Guest Luminary Dr. Jim Lockard—The Beloved Community as the heart of an integral ministry practice.

 Genogram Activity—how to facilitate a whole system shadow work event that results in identifying the church’s shadow / Q Card.

 Spiritual Cooperative—a new funding model based on the value of ownership.

 Values Development—how to develop the values that support cultural evolution.

 Integral Membership System—an intentional path from first-time to competent leader

 Integral Welcoming System

 Ministry Updates—how to use the Center, Board, Community, and Transformational Stories Updates to evolve the community and cultivate owner / partners

 The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership—how to cultivate “above the line” behavior.

o Quarter 4: Wake Up, Grow Up, Clean Up, & Show Up

 

Topics: 

 Changing Paradigms

 Teaching Cultural Evolution

 Board & Staff Development—an integral look at policies, procedures, roles, accountabilities and capacity building.

 Integral Employee Review Process

 Moving from Predict & Control to the Chaordic Path—an integral context for making difficult decisions / choices.

 Evolutionary Council

 Conscious Conversations Process—measuring mission fulfillment

 Mapping What Is—why are we doing what we are doing? 

 Embodied Spirituality

 Rev. Paul Smith, Guest Luminary—The God experience and Its Three Faces

 Welcome to the community of Integral Ministry practitioners On-line support forum

 

 

• The program consists of 4 quarters / terms—each containing ten 2-hour virtual learning sessions for a total of 80 online hours. 

 

• Students will interact with media presentations, reading assignments, and written exercises prior to each online session, culminating in up to 3 hours of additional prep time. During each session students will participate in discussion, group work, and other experiences.

 

• All online sessions will be recorded in the event a student is unable to attend. Credit for the absence will be given upon completion of written assignments for the missed class providing that the student watches the video of the missed session.

 

• Post-program certificate holders will have access to free monthly online coaching sessions conducted by Dr. Gary for those wishing to join the community of Integral Ministry practitioners. These monthly sessions are offered to support those seeking to implement the IMP in the field.

 

 

This program is taught by the Revs. Drs. Gary and Jane Simmons and is based upon their lived experience serving at Unity Spiritual Center Spokane for nearly six years, as well as the milestones of Dr. Gary’s client ministries. For over a decade, the Simmons’ have consulted with Ken Wilber and other integral luminaries as they as they sought to apply integral principles to address the opportunities and challenges of congregational ministry in these chaordic times.

 

 

• This program is best suited for those that consider themselves “early adopters”. 

 

• If you are a transition ministry specialist and looking for a way to guide a ministry into a more resilient future, this program may be a good fit for you.

 

• If you support churches in conflict and are interested on helping ministries evolve out of their troubled past, this program may be a good fit for you.

 

• If you are a retired minister, burned out, or “done with church”, yet still long to matter and make a difference, this program may be a good fit for you.

 

• If you are a board member, lay leader, or just someone who cares deeply about the future of congregational ministry, this program may be a good fit for you.

 

• If you are in a ministry without spiritual leadership, needing support and guidance for moving forward, this program may be a good fit for someone from your church.

• If you are a minister who is thinking about getting back into ministry, this program may be a good fit for you.

 

• If you are a LUT and looking to become an Integral Ministry Practice specialist, this program will be the qualification that gets you there.

 

 

No. Most of the materials are provided in the course. There are 5 required texts that students must purchase.

 

If a student is unable to attend a live online session, is that an issue?

 

All sessions will be recorded. Students who are unable to attend a session can get full credit providing they complete all assignments and exercises as well as watching the session’s video recording.