Senior Pastors Retreat 2025

2025 Senior Pastors Retreat

February 2, 2025 – February 4, 2025
Beginning at 4:00 PM

Registration Cost: $300
Registration closes January 17, 2025

About the Keynote:

Workshop One (Monday morning): Title: Conflict and Communication: Facilitator: Dr. Diana Goldammer Description: In this 2-part session, Dr. Goldammer will discuss how to recognize harmful conflict situations and how to redirect them using strategic communication and leadership skills. Participants will have time to reflect on the ways they navigate conflict in their workplace and pick up tools and techniques to engage conflict in positive and productive ways.

Workshop Two (Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning): Title: Strategic Doing Facilitator: Dr. Alisha Vincent Description: In this 2-part session, Dr. Vincent will provide helpful insights on how to develop and connect strategy to your church vision and mission. The topics covered will include simple strategy design techniques, ensuring alignment with resources, and getting your stakeholders engaged in strategy deployment. Leave the session with templates and tools you can use with your board and teams the next day.

Draft Schedule:

Sunday

4:00 – 6:00 PM – Arrival & Check-in
6:00 – 7:00 PM – Dinner
7:00 – 7:30 PM – Introductions & Welcome
7:30 – 8:00 PM – Opening Worship: Bishop Hagmaier preaches
8:00 – 8:15 PM – Announcements & Schedule
8:15 PM – Social/Free time

Monday

Breakfast on your own (snacks will be available during the morning break)

8:45 – 9:00 AM – Morning Devotion: Pr. Jon Mapa
9:00 – 10:15 AM – Session I – Conflict & Communication, Part 1: Diana Goldhammer
10:15 – 10:45 AM – Break
10:45 – 12:00 AM – Session II – Conflict & Communication: Diana Goldhammer
12:00 – 1:00 PM – Lunch – Deadline for one-on-one signups
1:00 – 2:15 PM – Session III – Strategic Doing, Part 1: Alisha Vincent
2:15 – 6:00 PM – Free-time
2:30-5:00 PM – 1-on-1’s with Bishop, Associates, Chaplain, Keynote, and Kathy
6:00 – 7:00 PM – Dinner
7:00 – 7:30 PM – Q & A with Synod Staff
7:30 – 8:00 PM – Large Group Resource Sharing
8:00 – 8:15 PM – Evening Devotions: Pr. Jon Mapa
8:15 PM – Social time and LPG hosts desserts

Tuesday

Breakfast on your own (snacks will be available later in the AM session)

8:45 – 9:00 AM – Morning Devotions:  Pr. Jon Mapa
9:00 – 10:15 AM – Session IV – Strategic Doing, Part 2: Alisha Vincent
10:15 – 10:45 AM – Break
10:45 – 11:15 AM – Lutheran Planned Generosity: Kathy McHenry
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Closing Worship: Pr. Jon Mapa (lectionary for the following Sunday)
12:00 – Depart 

Our Speakers:

Dr. Alisha Vincent has been an entrepreneur and intrapreneur for the last two decades and has applied those skills to the nonprofit, education, and tech sectors. She is one of the region’s only full professors of nonprofit administration and currently serves as a faculty member at Dakota Wesleyan where she created and leads the Practical Church Leadership program, a program that equips clergy and ministry leaders with contemporary administrative skills. Vincent also serves as a consultant for several organizations, specializing in strategy, governance, and organizational development. She’s proudly founded and served several nonprofit organizations throughout the Midwest and internationally. She is passionate about helping organizations turn challenges into opportunities and loves engaging others to use their entrepreneurial muscle. She’s also a wife, mom to three, dog lover, and outdoor enthusiast.

Dr. Diana Goldammer is the director of the Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship at Dakota Wesleyan University, where she uses her intrapreneurial skills in settings across campus and the community. She’s demonstrated innovation and creativity in a variety of industries and is a frequent training and development professional for regional for-profit, non-profit, and community organizations. Goldammer also founded and led the Women in Blue Jeans conference, a volunteer-led event geared for educating and networking women in rural America. She married a Mitchell farmer more than 30 years ago, and now she’s mom to two adult daughters who’ve brought sons and a grandson into the family. She retired from working cattle but still drives combine and grain cart during harvest season and frequently brings those life lessons into her teaching and training.

Our Chaplain:

Jon describes himself as one who enjoys new challenges and opportunities for ministry. He is a 1984 graduate of PLTS, Berkely, California. His internship was done at Our Saviors Lutheran in downtown Los Angeles, and his first call was to Faith Lutheran in rural Oberlin, Kansas. In 1989, Jon was called to the South Dakota Synod to serve in Rapid City, which included a part-time ministry to establish Lutheran Campus Ministry at the SD School of Mines while also serving as pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church. When Atonement was financially stable to call Jon to a full-time position, he gave up his position as campus pastor to focus on the establishment of a Native American outreach at Atonement. This ministry planted the seeds that eventually became Woyatan. The third phase of ministry at Atonement involved relocating and building a new facility for ministry in the north edge of Rapid City. After 24 years of ministry in Rapid City, Jon was called to American Lutheran, Gothenburg, NE for seven years as Senior Pastor. In October 2021, Jon had the privilege of serving on the Nebraska Synod Staff as the Assistant to the Bishop, with special responsibility for mobility. Jon now lives in Blue Earth, MN where he serves part time as pastor of Faith Lutheran, Delavan, and Jackson Lake, Amboy. Jon is married to Carol who is also a Lutheran pastor. They have one daughter, Catie, who lives in Minneapolis.

Location:
Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center at Cedar Shore
1500 Shoreline Dr, Oacoma, SD 57365
Venue Website