Jim Herrington - The Leaders Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation

T he first edition of this book opened with the following acknowledgment: An amazing thing is happening in Houston. Although the city is large, dynamic, and highly complex, a community of pastors and ministry leaders is emerging with a shared vision for the transformation of our city. It is our privilege to be a part of that community and to find a profound sense of blessing there. Fifteen years later, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, it is more obvious than ever that what was then emerging has become well-formed and functional. We continue to be deeply grateful to be in this city with these leaders who continue to learn together. Our work continues in some large measure because of the friendship, encouragement, and challenge of so many in Houston.

Although we take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript, this is truly an effort of the learning communities in which we participate. For ten years Jim and Trisha have co-labored with the Faithwalking community (http://www.faithwalking.us/), a ministry that seeks to foster spiritual formation work in seminaries and congregations across the country. Ken Shuman, Marcos Leon, Todd McCombs, and the team of people who lead this international ministry have been pivotal in our ongoing growth and development. We have had a similarly important journey with Ridder Church Renewal (RCR), an initiative named for philanthropists and theologians Bud and Lenora Ridder, whose imagination and generous grant made this initiative possible. RCR is a collaborative effort of the Reformed Church in America, the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, that focuses on personal and congregational transformation. For nearly a decade, participating congregations and congregational leaders in this initiative have tested and refined the ideas in this book.

Roberts learning community for the past nine years has comprised primarily theological students at Baylor Universitys George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas. Their authentic and insightful questions about Bowen Theory have refined his thinking. The resolution of many to begin to work on themselves in their own families has encouraged him in this effort.

Victoria Harrison is a member of the faculty at the Bowen Center in Washington, DC, and lives and practices in Houston. She has served as coach and teacher along the way and has personally invested time, energy, and money in coaching and in developing educational programs through the Center for the Study of Natural Systems and the Family in Texas, affecting the lives of many families over several decades. We are especially grateful for her interest in issues faced by clergy, both in their families and in their congregations.