Shepherdess International
The mission of the Shepherdess International organization of the Inter-American Division is to foster among the wives of pastors a passion for service by motivating them to be spiritually, physically, mentally and socially prepared to exercise a positive influence within their families, churches, and communities in order to lead men, women and children to the feet of Jesus.
The vision is to have a group of pastors’ wives who are united, given to prayer, consecrated, who do not yield to the distraction of selfishness, pettiness, a competitive spirit, and who, guided by the Holy Spirit, can be role models of virtue and grace for Christian women.
OBJECTIVES
Shepherdess Continuing Education Seminars
Nassau, Bahamas, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2011
1. To challenge the pastors’ wives to be role models for Christian women
2. To inspire the pastors’ wives to be examples in service
3. To establish active chapters of Shepherdess International in each field
4. To conduct seminars to prepare pastors’ wives to perform various functions
5. To ensure that pastors’ wives enjoy a support system
6. To establish a network of contacts among the Shepherdess International chapters
7. To ensure that the pastors’ wives experience steady spiritual, personal and professional growth
8. To provide counseling for pastors’ wives
9. To stimulate the pastors’ wives to contribute articles for the Shepherdess International magazine
10.To pay more attention to the pastors’ children. (Camps, retreats, special programs etc.)
Cecilia Iglesias
Shepherdess International
IAD Coordinator
RESOURCES
Inter-American Division Ministerial Association Program of Continuing Education for pastors’ wives
The concept of Continuing Education is to emphasize the fact that in a changing society learning does not end, or demand or originate educational actions to compensate and to upgrade knowledge in order to allow the adult to actively and intelligently participate in controlling the change. There are authors who think that continuing education continue throughout all the years of a person’s life and throughout all levels of formal learning.
Some psychologists show that, in certain aspects, adults can continue learning even better or faster than children. They also say that continual practice in learning help adults to maintain their mental capacity for a longer period of time, and that lack of use, instead of age, is the main cause of the loss of the ability to learn.
PURPOSE
Why do we expect pastors’ wives to participate in a program of continuing education? What objectives do we think the pastors’ wives will achieve with this program?
DESCRIPTION OF DEPARTMENT
Upon following the program of continuing education we expect the following of the pastors’ wives:
1.1. Growth in knowledge and spiritual experience
1.2. Be able to function better in her role as the minister’s companion
1.3. Make the quality of her personal life better
1.4. Strengthen her personal relationship with her husband, her children, her extended family and the church community
DESCRIPTION ON THE MODULES
MODULE I
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER WHOLE DEVELOPMENT
Shepherdess Continuing Education Seminars
Nassau, Bahamas, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2011
1) The pastor’s wife with herself
a) Her personal journey with God
b) Her daily conversion
c) How to maintain a prayer diary
2) The pastor’s wife and forgiveness
a) Why forgive?
b) Emotional symptoms of the lack of forgiveness
c) The wounds of the past dominate the present
d) The greatness of those who forgive
3) The pastor’s wife and spiritual discipline
a) Solitude
b) The development of faith
c) Fasting
d) Bible study
4) The pastor’s wife and her call to ministry
a) Have you experienced the call?
b) Do you savor the ministry?
c) “He who does not live to serve does not deserve to live”
d) Overcoming discouragement in the ministry
5) The pastor’s wife and leadership
a) In the home
b) In the church
c) On the job
d) In the community
MODULE II
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
1) The stages of marriage
a) The honeymoon
b) The adaptation stage
c) The first five years
d) The silver anniversary
e) The golden anniversary
2) Marital ethics
a) Emotional maturity
b) Ethical foundation of marriage
c) Unconditional love in marriage
d) Common interests of the couple
3) Sexuality in marriage
a) The origin of marriage
b) Conjugal harmony
c) Enemies of sexuality
d) Sexual deviations
4) Conflict management
a) Tension in the ministerial couple
b) Financial affairs
c) Personal appearance
5) The children’s education
a) The small children
b) The adolescent children
c) Children who are university students
d) Grandchildren
6) The ministerial family and its influence
a) The integrated family
b) In the church
c) In school
d) In the community
7) Situations faced by the ministerial family
a) Tensions and exhaustion caused by the ministry
b) Infidelity in the marriage
c) Divorce
d) Widowhood
MODULE III
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER HUMAN RELACIONSHIPS
1) Understanding the personality of the pastor’s wife
a) Personality types
b) Effects of the environment on personality development
c) Habits and character
2) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her family
a) Friend of her husband
b) Friend of her children
c) Her extended family
3) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her colleagues and friends
a) Rivalry
b) Friendship and confidence
c) Confidants
4) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her husband’s friends
a) Be careful of emotional sequestering
b) Do you like to be accepted and admired?
c) Use of common sense in establishing your relarionships
5) The pastor’s wife and her relationships with her children’s friends
a) See to it that the children make wholesome Christian friends
b) Know and relate to your children’s friends
c) The benefits of accepting your children’s friends
6) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with the women of the church
a) Influence
b) Wholesome friendships
7) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with the opposite sex
a) Careful! Caution! Stop!
b) Satisfying your personal desires
c) Internet, Chat, Facebook!!!
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM
1) The implementation of the program requires that each pastor’s wife complete 10 hours of continuing education each year.
2) The union coordinator of SIEMA will work with the conference coordinator to select the Modules to be offered annually according to the local needs.
3) The union ministerial secretary will approve the courses chosen to complete the hours of continuing education for the year, and will make sure that the administration is made aware of the attention to be given to the workers’ wives in the Shepherdess International meetings.
4) A registry should be kept of the requirements of seminars attended for each pastor’s wife. 5) The modules may be completed in various ways:
a) Actual classes
b) Virtual classes
c) Spiritual retreats
d) Ministerial councils
6) Since IAD has launched the plan of Brother Unions, it would be motivating to plan an encounter with the pastors’ wives of the Brother Unions.
“Day by day God instructs His children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon that wider stage to which his providence has appointed them. It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis” (Desire of Ages, page 382).
Upon following the program of continuing education we expect the following of the pastors’ wives:
1.1. Growth in knowledge and spiritual experience
1.2. Be able to function better in her role as the minister’s companion
1.3. Make the quality of her personal life better
1.4. Strengthen her personal relationship with her husband, her children, her extended family and the church community
DESCRIPTION ON THE MODULES
MODULE I
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER WHOLE DEVELOPMENT
Shepherdess Continuing Education Seminars
Nassau, Bahamas, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 20111) The pastor’s wife with herself
a) Her personal journey with God
b) Her daily conversion
c) How to maintain a prayer diary
2) The pastor’s wife and forgiveness
a) Why forgive?
b) Emotional symptoms of the lack of forgiveness
c) The wounds of the past dominate the present
d) The greatness of those who forgive
3) The pastor’s wife and spiritual discipline
a) Solitude
b) The development of faith
c) Fasting
d) Bible study
4) The pastor’s wife and her call to ministry
a) Have you experienced the call?
b) Do you savor the ministry?
c) “He who does not live to serve does not deserve to live”
d) Overcoming discouragement in the ministry
5) The pastor’s wife and leadership
a) In the home
b) In the church
c) On the job
d) In the community
MODULE II
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
1) The stages of marriage
a) The honeymoon
b) The adaptation stage
c) The first five years
d) The silver anniversary
e) The golden anniversary
2) Marital ethics
a) Emotional maturity
b) Ethical foundation of marriage
c) Unconditional love in marriage
d) Common interests of the couple
3) Sexuality in marriage
a) The origin of marriage
b) Conjugal harmony
c) Enemies of sexuality
d) Sexual deviations
4) Conflict management
a) Tension in the ministerial couple
b) Financial affairs
c) Personal appearance
5) The children’s education
a) The small children
b) The adolescent children
c) Children who are university students
d) Grandchildren
6) The ministerial family and its influence
a) The integrated family
b) In the church
c) In school
d) In the community
7) Situations faced by the ministerial family
a) Tensions and exhaustion caused by the ministry
b) Infidelity in the marriage
c) Divorce
d) Widowhood
MODULE III
THE PASTOR’S WIFE AND HER HUMAN RELACIONSHIPS
1) Understanding the personality of the pastor’s wife
a) Personality types
b) Effects of the environment on personality development
c) Habits and character
2) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her family
a) Friend of her husband
b) Friend of her children
c) Her extended family
3) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her colleagues and friends
a) Rivalry
b) Friendship and confidence
c) Confidants
4) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with her husband’s friends
a) Be careful of emotional sequestering
b) Do you like to be accepted and admired?
c) Use of common sense in establishing your relarionships
5) The pastor’s wife and her relationships with her children’s friends
a) See to it that the children make wholesome Christian friends
b) Know and relate to your children’s friends
c) The benefits of accepting your children’s friends
6) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with the women of the church
a) Influence
b) Wholesome friendships
7) The pastor’s wife and her relationship with the opposite sex
a) Careful! Caution! Stop!
b) Satisfying your personal desires
c) Internet, Chat, Facebook!!!
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM
1) The implementation of the program requires that each pastor’s wife complete 10 hours of continuing education each year.
2) The union coordinator of SIEMA will work with the conference coordinator to select the Modules to be offered annually according to the local needs.
3) The union ministerial secretary will approve the courses chosen to complete the hours of continuing education for the year, and will make sure that the administration is made aware of the attention to be given to the workers’ wives in the Shepherdess International meetings.
4) A registry should be kept of the requirements of seminars attended for each pastor’s wife. 5) The modules may be completed in various ways:
a) Actual classes
b) Virtual classes
c) Spiritual retreats
d) Ministerial councils
6) Since IAD has launched the plan of Brother Unions, it would be motivating to plan an encounter with the pastors’ wives of the Brother Unions.
“Day by day God instructs His children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon that wider stage to which his providence has appointed them. It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis” (Desire of Ages, page 382).
PERSONNEL
Pastor Israel Leito, Ministerial Director
Pastor Héctor Sánchez, Ministerial Secretary
Cecilia Iglesias, Associate Ministerial Secretary / Shepherdess International Coordinator
Professional Assistant: Meriviana Ferreyra