Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence

The challenges and demands of pastoral work are constant and constantly changing.  Even good ministers are stretched and stressed in this context.  Focus becomes blurred.  Energy wanes.  Creativity ceases.  Rather than ministry from an overflow, a deep longing for a renewing is realized – a longing for the Source that gives meaning, hope and purpose to life and ministry. 

The mission of the RCPE is to create opportunities for pastoral enrichment that re-Source ministers, helping them maintain their effectiveness.  The center serves clergy of any denomination, both men and women, regardless of race or age. 

TWO NEW RESOURCES

The RCPE is pleased to announce The C. Otis Brooks Fund for Pastoral Leadership Enrichment and the recently published book So Much Better, How Thousands of Pastors Help Each Other Thrive. See below for more information about these two new resources. 

 The C. Otis Brooks Fund for Pastoral Leadership Enrichment

The Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence has established an endowment in honor of Dr. C. Otis Brooks, pastor emeritus of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church.  The C. Otis Brooks Fund for Pastoral Leadership Enrichment will provide scholarships for ministerial Sabbath and Study leaves through the Center's Sabbath Leave Program.  The program will provide opportunities for ministers to experience spiritual, mental, physical and emotional renewal through "Sabbath" time of three weeks to three months or "Study Leave" time of up to two weeks away from ministry duties.

Dr. Brooks has served as pastor of Vestavia Hills Baptist from 1969 until 1988.  In 1989 he was named Minister to Students at Samford, the first to hold that position.  Dr. Brooks graduated from Emory University after service in World War II and earned a degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1951.  Samford conferred an honorary doctorate on Brooks in 1987.

For more information about the Brooks Fund for Pastoral Leadership Enrichment, contact our office at (205)726-4064 or email resource@samford.edu.  Donations may be sent to the Office of University Advancement, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL  35229, indicating the gift is to the RCPE Brooks Fund. 

So Much Better, How Thousands of Pastors Help Each Other Thrive

From The Columbia Partnership (TCP) Leadership Series, So Much Better, How Thousands of Pastors Help Each Other Thrive  by The Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Peer Learning Project with co-editors Penny Long Marler, D. Bruce Roberts, Janet Maykus, James Bowers, Larry Dill, Brenda K. Harewood, Richard Hester, Shelia Kirton-Robbins, Marianne La Barre, Lis Van Harten, Kelli Walker-Jones

Meant to both inspire and inform pastoral leaders, So Much Better examines the impact of peer group participation on pastoral leaders, their families, and ministries. This book goes beyond numbers and data by breathing life into the statistical bones. At this book’s heart are seven peer group models including stories and examples from participants, families, and church members. Also featured is information about peer group recruitment, leadership, content, and structure, and practical advice about the cost, sustainability, and evaluation of peer groups.

So Much Better can change the way you think about and perform your ministry and lead you to a life that is-- well, so much better.  

 Click here for more information and details on ordering the book available March 2013

Click below to download the free survey report and analysis mentioned throughout So Much Better.
Click to Download A Study of the Effects of Participation in SPE Pastoral Leader Peer Groups - Survey Report and Analysis (7.1MB)