IMN

Virtual Support Groups

As an interim, you may be in an area where you have access to local interim support groups – and others are in areas where they are isolated from colleagues. With the wonders of technology – specifically

Zoom, IMN is planning to connect interim pastors, for exchange of ideas and encouragement. The support groups will be free to IMN members and are offered through the IMN Member Support Team.

IMN is now inviting members to join the next offering of Virtual Support Groups. Click on IMN Virtual Support Group Registration Form September to February. While we will continue to accept members to the groups, once a group has started, any requests will be held until new VSGs are announced. Ellen Goudy will respond with your confirmation.

For more information read this article The Value of Support-By Alan Mead and Andrew Cooley.

IMN Virtual Support Groups are video-conference gatherings of people who share common experiences, situations, problems or conditions. On these calls, members offer and receive practical and emotional support related to the practice of transitional/interim ministry.

Goals/context:

Connect interim pastors to support one another by sharing intentional interim experiences
Develop relationships among IMN members
Problem solve together
Share experience
Mutually support one another emotionally, spiritually, vocationally
Lessen isolation

General information:

Groups will be ecumenical
Groups will be co-hosted by a pair of IMN members
Groups meet for 1 ½ hours, once a month
IMN staff will schedule the monthly calls with Zoom and send each member of the group an email with the log-on information for the next meeting
Members will need to have internet access and technology (computer, tablet, phone) to access video meetings. (Later, we may begin a voice-only meeting, if there is demand to meet without seeing each other)
Each group is limited to twelve IMN members, so that all may participate in the conversation
There is no charge to participate in a pilot IMN Virtual Support Group
Members are expected to participate in each call, unless they contact a co-host in advance