The Ethics of Confidentiality in Ministry in an Age of Stalkers, Bloggers, and Hackers
Traci C. West

Regardless of whether you serve as a chaplain, director of a non-profit community organization, or pastor of a church, trustworthiness is a major expectation of you as a leader. On the one hand, a sign of trustworthy leadership is transparency. On the other hand, the ability to keep silent about confidential information is essential for engendering trust.

  • Criminal background checks are now encouraged for all youth leaders but are former offenders entitled to confidentiality from religious leaders?
  • Leaders often need to consult others for advice on how to appropriately respond to difficult, confidential situations they face.
  • How should an email message be written that includes confidential information when email can so easily be hacked?
  • Should group photographs be posted on your organization’s Facebook page or website and risk enabling an abuser or a stalker to terrorize someone in your group?

This seminar will be an opportunity to discuss such issues and share strategies about how to create a Christian ethical leadership style that nurtures information-sharing that builds up the faith and well-being of all community members.


Children & Spirituality
Sherri L. Shumate, CTRS, M.ED, M.Div

This course is an introduction to children’s spirituality that seeks to discover, reflect, and wonder about what it means to see the world, ourselves, and God through the eyes of a child.  Children have an innate spirituality, an inherent ability to perceive and to respond to the Divine in all aspects of the world. This course explores ways the local church can recognize and nurture children’s innate spiritual gifts, listen to and learn from the wisdom of children, reflectively introduce children to the Bible, and partner with children as we grow in faith together. Using discussions and experiential group encounters, this course is designed to explore faith and spirituality from the perspective of children and to reawaken our own inner childlike spirituality of creativity, awe, and wonder.