college mcp-logo-header-white mcpherson

Quicklinks

Ventures in Christian Discipleship

Equipping lay people of all ages and education levels with skills and understandings for faithful and dynamic Christian living, action, and leadership with special emphasis on small congregations.

FALL 2026 Series

“Creating a Better World”

A deep dive into stress, trauma and resilience as a pathway to healthier people, families and communities.

Sessions: Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm Central Time

  • September 29, 2026 – Stress, Trauma and Resilience: What’s in a Name?!
  • October 6, 2026 – When Stress Creates Difficulty
  • October 20, 2026 – Superpower #1: Connection
  • October 27, 2026 – Superpower #2: Regulation
  • November 10, 2026 – Taking Care of the Carer
  • Bonus: November 17, 2026 – Collective and Continuous Stress

Presenter: Tim Grove
Credit: 1.2 CEU for series

Course Description and Presenter Information

Series Description:
We will explore five key concepts related to stress, trauma and resilience in the first five sessions and then spend a sixth “bonus” session talking about how these concepts influence the navigation of a complex, media dominant and politically charged world. Each virtual session will be two hours long, and recordings will be available after each session ends.

Special Note: The content for this series will be anchored in Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s book “What Happened To You” and Dr Perry’s website Disaster Support | NMnetwork. Participants are encouraged to read/listen and explore these resources before, during and after this series.

Session Descriptions:

Session 1: Stress, Trauma and Resilience: What’s in a Name?!, Sep 29, 2026
We will explore the benefits of more precision regarding these commonly used terms. We will also highlight how said precision leads to healing opportunities and a better pathway to engage folks who might be skeptical.

Session 2: When Stress Creates Difficulty, Oct 6, 2026
We will explore three key topics in this session: how does trauma show up in people; patterns of stress response (arousal and dissociative); and trauma’s influence on how people see the world.

Session 3: Superpower #1: Connection, Oct 20, 2026
Dr. Perry calls relationship humankind’s superpower. Like all gifts, we can either honor it or take it for granted. We will explore the power of connection related to stress, trauma and resilience and talk about concrete ways to restore connection in a digital world.

Session 4: Superpower #2: Regulation, Oct 27, 2026
Can you remember the last time you felt awe, sublime or intense calm? Chances are you were more patient, tolerant, creative, insightful and much more during and after that feeling. We will discuss the power of regulation by exploring Dr. Perry’s state dependent functioning concept and tease our conversation in the final Bonus Session by briefly reviewing state-dependent functioning at the group, community and society level.

Session 5: Taking Care of the Carer, Nov 10, 2026
The discussion on “self-care” is in the midst of disruption, as some widespread ideas are being challenged. We’ll explore this new thinking and do our best to maintain the best of the outdated ways of thinking about self-care and consider adopting the new ideas that provoke potential.

Bonus Session: Collective and Continuous Stress, Nov 17, 2026
Most of the conversation regarding stress, trauma and resilience over the past 50 years has focused on the individual. A new school of thought is starting to think about the ideas of a collective and continuous dynamic where the stressful/traumatic experience is occurring for the majority, occurs in multiple formats and occurs repeatedly for an extended period of time. We’ll introduce the current thinking on this concept and co-create strategies to address the challenge.

Tim Grove retired in 2025 after a 30-year career in social services.  After receiving his Master of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Tim began his career serving youth and families in the foster care system.  His work broadened over time to include work with adults, community programs, child welfare, quality improvement and training – primarily from the lens of program administration.

Tim’s accomplishments include delivering improved client outcomes and program growth initiatives to meet the needs of the community.  He is well-known nationally as an early adopter and leader of Trauma Informed Care (TIC) initiatives, for his work in the state of Wisconsin and at the organization where he spent 26 of his 30 years, Wellpoint Care Network.

Tim was a Mentor with Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and a master trainer of ACE Interface.  Tim was also the creator of Wellpoint’s TIC curriculum, 7 Essential Ingredients (7ei). For more than 15 years, he has trained and partnered with a wide range of professionals on trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and caregiver capacity.

Tim’s work has reached diverse audiences, including healthcare providers, educators, child welfare and justice system professionals, and community organizations. It has also been featured nationally, including on a 2018 CBS 60 Minutes segment with Oprah Winfrey and in a published research study on 7ei in the Journal of Child Custody.

SPRING 2027 Series

“Speed Dating the Bible”

Sessions: Tuesdays, January 19 & 26, 2027, 6:30-8:30pm Central Time
Presenter: Debbie Eisenbise
Credit: .4 CEU

Course Description and Presenter Information

Description:
Get ready for a whirlwind ride through the Bible! In two sessions, one on the Old Testament and one on the New, we’ll look into how the Bible was created and curated, the types of literature included, various versions of similar stories, and lots of trivia about the text. This is an opportunity to look behind the scenes. We’ll discuss curiosities and quirks not usually brought up in Bible studies, and explore stories (some scandalous, some surprising) that are rarely the subject of sermons. We will cover in two nights what seminaries take a semester to unpack. This is a wild roller-coaster ride through our scriptures for the adventurous and curious; two nights of learning and laughter, fascination and fun!

Debbie Eisenbise is a fan of the Bible and engaging people of all ages in exploring scripture together. Ordained for 37 years in the Church of the Brethren, she is currently on the pastoral team of the Living Stream Church of the Brethren and serves as Minister of Spiritual Formation for Children and Youth at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During the summer, she serves as a church camp chaplain for Camp Brethren Heights and provides leadership for family camp at Camp Blue Diamond. At Song and Story Fest and other church conferences, she often performs Biblical monologues. She teaches courses for the Brethren Academy and is also a spiritual director and an end-of-life doula. At home with her two cats, she writes poetry, enjoys cooking good food, and cultivates herbs and native wild plants that are taking over her lawn.

 

“Leading Through the Storm”

Leadership Wisdom for a World That Got Different

Sessions: Tuesdays, February 23 & March 2, 2027, 6:30-8:30pm Central Time
Presenter: Stan Dueck
Credit: .4 CEU

Course Description and Presenter Information

Description:
The world your congregation lives in has changed in ways your old maps no longer capture.

The symptoms are familiar: burnout, reactive decisions, quiet despair. But the diagnosis is often missed: the tools that served us well in a more stable world were never designed for this one. The world didn’t just get harder. It got different. And every age demands a new kind of leader, one who can stay grounded when systems shatter, think clearly when outcomes are unpredictable, and lead from conviction when nothing feels certain.

In this virtual workshop, we bring together four key leadership frameworks into a single practical toolkit for church leaders. You will come away with:

  • Language for what your people are experiencing in a world that feels brittle, anxious, and incomprehensible
  • A diagnostic lens to understand what a situation is showing you before you decide how to respond
  • A neurological map for understanding why, under pressure, your brain can sometimes work against the leader you want to be
  • Practical tools to help you lead from your best self, especially when the pressure is greatest

For pastors, lay leaders, and anyone ready for the leadership this age requires.

Stan Dueck helps leaders and organizations function at their best to make a lasting impact — equipping them with tools to unlock solutions already within their people.

Ordained in the Church of the Brethren, Stan brings a deep commitment to human formation and values-based leadership across faith, nonprofit, and civic communities. As founder and owner of SBD*Solutions By Design, he brings more than 25 years of experience as a leadership and team coach, trainer, strategic advisor, and public speaker, drawing primarily on work with nonprofits and faith-based organizations across national, regional, and international contexts. Stan offers a range of services, including leadership and team coaching, organizational consulting, interactive workshops, customized training programs, and support for strategic planning and change management.

He holds the ACPEC and PCC coaching designations recognized by the International Coaching Federation, and is a Certified Red Team Coach, with additional certifications in Conversational Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Stakeholder-Centered Coaching, Kingian Nonviolence, and brain-based leadership. Stan is the Director of Discipleship Ministries with the Atlantic Northeast District.

He resides in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife, Julie, his daughter, Courtney, and their four cats.

 

“Holy Play”

Entering Divine Conversation with Nature and Expressive Arts

Session: Saturday, April 10, 2027, 10:00am-1:00pm Central Time
Presenter: Shana Leck
Credit: .3 CEU

Course Description and Presenter Information

Description:
Voices of the Spirit continuously invite us into ongoing conversation with ourselves, God, and all of creation through deep listening and expressiveness. Can you remember, as a child, lifting your chin to the sky and twirling in delight, so moved by beauty and wonder? Intentionally engaging in contemplative nature observation and the expressive arts, including movement, sound, and image, can spur within us the powerful child-like wonder we easily found through play in our early years.

This interactive workshop invites you to learn more about the conversation partners of expressive arts, nature, and spirituality; practice a guided contemplative experience; and deepen the conversation through question and answer session. Please have the following supplies readily available: plain paper, mark making materials of choice (crayons, markers, paints), and pen and paper for writing. Participants will be invited, but not required, to spend about 10 minutes outdoors.

Shana Leck practices the ministry of presence as a Spiritual Director and Hospice Chaplain. Shaped by Brethren theology and Benedictine spirituality, she explores contemplative practices supporting healing and transformation. She is a graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary and completed Spiritual Direction training through Souljourners, where she is now an intern. Shana celebrates life with her three adult children in McPherson, Kansas. Rain or shine, she hosts individuals and groups for pasture labyrinth walks and fireside chats.

 

Course Registration

 


There is a suggested $25 donation per course.

Archive of Courses | Access to Previous Recordings

About the Courses

Registering online is the preferred method.  There is no charge for courses; however, a suggested donation is invited.

Ventures courses, while not for college credit, offer high-quality instruction. The goal of the program is to empower lay people, especially in smaller congregations, to more effectively carry out the work of discipleship, following in Jesus’ footsteps to transform ourselves and the world. You are invited to journey with others on this new pathway sponsored by McPherson College.

Technology Requirements for Live Courses: If you can join a Zoom meeting, you will be able to participate in our courses online! For the best experience, we recommend that you use a computer (not just a phone or tablet) with high-speed internet connection. External powered speakers often help if your computer does not have good sound. And for full participation, your device will need a camera and microphone.  We also encourage several people to share a computer to participate in a course together… perhaps even a church group!