RESOURCES AND UPDATES A Page for Workshop updates, articles, announcements, resources and other items of interest.
- UPDATES -
One of the goals of this web site is to help congregational leaders network with others who are interested in relating family systems (Bowen) theory to ministry. Many of the persons involved in the workshops meet regularly to work on ministry case studies and family of origin issues with others who share the same orientation. Some of these groups meet with an outside coach/ resource person and some do not. Let me know if you are a member of such a group. For a listing of the groups that I know about - - and a contact person's email addresss - - check out this link. LM
"A View From the Trenches"A paper presented by Larry Matthews at the "Reunion On the Road Ahead" conference held November 29-30, 2006 at Washington National Cathedral honoring the work of Rabbi Edwin Friedman on the tenth anniversary of his death.
A_View_from_the_Trenches "Bowen Family Systems Theory: A Resource for Pastoral Theologians"
This article by Larry Matthews first appeared in Review and Expositor in the issue noted below.
Bowen Family Systems Theory: Resource for Pastoral Theologians Ronald Richardson's Latest Book: Becoming A Healthier Pastor: Family Systems Theory and the Pastor's Own Family
This book by LIM faculty member, Ron Richardson, is a resource for congregational leaders who have experienced the value of family of origin work for themselves and those whom they lead. It is now available and has been added to our "must read" list for the workshops.
The Hidden Lives of Congregations: Discerning Church Dynamics, by Israel Galindo
This book by LIM faculty member and newletter editor, Israel Galindo, is a valuable resource for anyone attempting to relate Bowen family systems theory (BFST) to congregational life and leadership and has also been added to our "must read" list for the workshops. It was selected as one of the outstanding new religious books in 2005.
A Family Genogram Workbook: by Israel Galindo, Elaine Boomer and Don Reagan
This workbook by LIM faculty members, Israel Galindo and Elaine Boomer, and former LIM participant, Don Reagan, is an easy to use introduction and guide to help laypersons and non-professionals create a family genogram.
Peter Titelman's Latest Book (Ed.): Emotional Cutoff: Bowen Family Systems Theory Perspectives
This book, edited by Peter Titelman, brings together the thinking of a large number of authors around the Bowenian concept of emotional cutoff. The editor's first chapter is a clear and concise historical and theoretical overview of this important concept of Bowen family sysstems theory. The other authors offer a wide range of illustrations and insights.
Summer 2005 Issue: Review and Expositor Journal
"Bowen Family Systems Theory in the Congregational Context" is the theme of this issue. Edited by Israel Galindo and Timothy Brock (workshop participant). Articles included are: "Bowen family Systems Theory and Congregational Life" by Ronald Richardson; "The Bridge" by Edwin Friedman; "A Retrospective: Edwin Friedman, His Life and Work" by Edward Beal; "Bowen Family Systems Theory: A Resource for Pastoral Theologians" by Lawrence Matthews;"Societal Regression and the Clergy" by Roberta Gilbert; "Systems Theory and Congregational Leadership: Leaves from an Alchemist's Journal" by James Lamkin; "The Preacher, The Text and The People" by Walter Brueggemann and "Communion Across the Ages" by Elizabeth Pugh Mills.
Books reviewed include those by Galindo and Richardson noted above as well as Friedman's Generation to Generation and Roberta Gilbert's latest, The Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory: A New Way of Thinking About the Individual and the Group.
Copies of this special issue marking the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Friedman's Generation to Generation may be ordered from the publisher's web site: RandE.org.
Peter Steinke: 20 Observations about Troubled Congregations
An article from the December 4, 2006 issue of the Alban Weekly.
20 Observations About Troubled Congregations
The usual assumption is that we all mean the same thing when we use the word,"Leadership." Experience teaches Larry Matthews that this is not the case.
Audio, Video and Written ResourcesA listing of audio and video resources plus a reading list for the student of Bowen Theory and the leadership teachings of Edwin Friedman.
A Site Worth VisitingThe web site of the Georgetown Family Center has a wealth of resources and information about Bowen Theory and the work of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family
http://www.georgetownfamilycenter.org
And a site that offers free shareware programs still under development.
Words of Encouragement for Your Family of Origin Work
As I am learning to view life through Bowenian lenses, I am increasingly aware that great dramatists and writers already think this way - - even though they have probably never heard of Murray Bowen, emotional triangles or multigenerational emotional process. Videos of motion pictures are a basic ingredient in the workshops and I constantly receive recommendations about books, plays and movies from workshop participants. The realities of life depicted in the work of great artists are the same realities encountered by all of us who dare to live into our own families of origin.
I found words of insight and encouragement in an article in the February 18, 2001, issue of The Washington Post's Book World by David Baldacci, a lawyer who is also a writer of bestselling mystery thrillers. His comments are about his novel, Wish You Well, a story about family, memory and love. LM
"May I Help You?
Faculty member, Margaret Marcuson, does some creative theological reflection on Bowen Theory and Christian ethics. She writes: "Where my own thinking has been headed with this lately has to do with 'doing good,' 'helping others,' and the question of invasiveness. This is related to the notion of the overfunctioning/underfunctioning reciprocity."
"Through the Telescope and Microscope"
I first read Eric Holmstrom's article in The Journal of Pastoral Care. In it he ponders the role of life's mystery while wearing his three hats as a binocular astronomer, a student of Bowen Theory and a Clinical Pastoral Education resident. A participant in the Leadership In Ministry Workshops, he has pastored in local churches and presently works as a Chaplain Resident at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, PA.
"The Day Ed and Murray Were Reunited"
Soon after Ed Friedman's death, Doug Hester asked himself the question: What would a conversation between Ed Friedman and Murray Bowen sound like now? He dedicated his answer to: "... the memory of my mentor, Edwin H. Friedman, who taught me the value of humor in the midst of seriousness, and how deeply playfulness touches us."
The 1998 J. C. Wynn Lecture at Colgate Rochester Divinity School: "Leadership: Hope for Family and Church - Theology and Family Systems Theory in Dialogue"
In November, 1998, Larry was the speaker for the annual J. C. Wynn Lecture and Seminar on church and family at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York.
Other Training Programs in Ministering to Congregations as Family Systems
I have contacted the few long-term training programs I know about and asked if they wished to be listed on this website. The ones who responded are listed and others will be added as I hear from them. I met Doug Hester and Larry Foster when I taught with Ed Friedman in Bethesda, MD, and have presented in seminars with both of them. Kathy Kerr and her husband, Michael who is Director of the Georgetown Family Center, have participated in the Lost River workshops and I have taught with Roberta Gilbert in her training program and at the Center for Family Process. LM
Resources for persons interested in Celtic Christianity
I have discovered my Welsh heritage through my family of origin work. As I have persued that discovery, I have encountered an ancient Christian spiritual tradition that is enriching my spiritual pilgrimage. I have mentioned this in various seminars and many of you have expressed interest in knowing more about the Celtic Christian tradition. Therefore I have posted two resources. One is a reading list of books on Celtic Christianity and Spirituality. The other is the itinerary of a Celtic Christian Pilgrimage my wife, Jean, and lead every other year. L.M.
An Introductory Reading List - Celtic Christianity and Spirituality