Northern Indiana District Shalom Team

Shalom Team

A Shalom Team will be appointed by the District Board and will be accountable and reportable to the Board. The Shalom Team will work in partnership with the District Executive Minister.

Its purpose will be to empower congregations, and the District, to maintain and enhance healthy relationships, and deal creatively with brokenness in its earliest stages.

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Four Functions of the Shalom Team

Consult: The Shalom Team will be available to provide timely, short-term consultation on any issue which hinders, or threatens to hinder, progress toward total well being. Consultation will involve active listening, prayer, and discernment.

Assess: Based on consultation, Shalom Team members may identify the needs or name the brokenness. Assessment should include assisting persons to envision "next steps" that help move them toward wholeness, and help identify resources that would enhance such progress. The Shalom Team will be aware of a wide range of resources, and will assist persons and congregations in identifying options appropriate to their needs.

Educate: The Shalom Team will provide, on a regular basis, local, sectional, or District-wide educational and training events.

Mentor: Shalom Teams may identify and mentor persons who demonstrate gifts and may invite persons to acquire additional training.

Shalom Teams are not

• judges, juries, arbitrators, or decision makers
• fixers of problems
• just well-mannered people

Shalom Teams are

• decision-enablers
• facilitators helping congregations walk through their own decision-making
• trained ministers of reconciliation

Shalom Teams also

• bring a calm, non-anxious presence
• perform preventative maintenance through education
• assist in times of transition
• educate even in the midst of conflict
• model and share skills that they have learned
• provide informed referrals to appropriate persons and resources
• leave behind a legacy of increased ability to deal constructively with conflict

How does the Shalom Team Work?

The Northern Indiana District Shalom Team is available to serve congregations throughout the District. Requests for the services of the Shalom Team should be directed to the District Executive Minister, District Board Chair, District Moderator, or Shalom Team Chair. These requests may be made by a congregation or fellowship through its appropriate administrative body, by the District Board, or by the District Executive Minister.

When a request is made to the Shalom Team, it will meet and send a team of two or three of its members to meet with those in the congregation making the request. The team will help the congregation develop a plan of action and provide for follow-up sessions.

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Who is on the Shalom Team?

The Shalom Team is made up of six people called by the Northern Indiana District to serve a five-year term. In addition, the District Executive Minister, District Board Chair, and District Moderator are ex-officio members.

• Cindy Barnum-Steggerda
• John Long (Beacon Heights)
• Dennis Beckner (Columbia City)
• Carol Waggy (Rock Run)
• Sue Freel (Osceola)
• Rick Ritter (Lincolnshire)
• David Wysong, Moderator (Beacon Heights) (ex-officio)
• Dan Snider, District Board Chair (Plymouth) (ex-officio)
• Herman Kauffman, Executive Minister (Union Center) (ex-officio)

Northern Indiana District Church of the Brethren
162 East Market Street, Nappanee, Indiana 46550
Phone: (574) 773-3149 / Fax: (574) 773-2815

Northern Indiana District