Davidson Clergy Center – the founding initiative of the Davidson Centre – is a five-day intensive, integrative experience, with follow-up coaching, that focuses on self-care to advance professional and personal fulfillment.
Download the Clergy Program Brochure
The Clergy Program offers a unique, comprehensive personal assessment and continuing leadership skills for clergy and church professionals of all faith traditions.
Participants receive access to experienced professionals who provide tools to build stronger resilience, health, and wholeness. The leaders have high levels of experience, education, and training with and for clergy.
The Clergy Program is designed as an opportunity for church professionals to sustain faithfulness to their vocation as well as discern options in time of transition, sabbatical, and retirement
Program Overview
The Clergy Program includes an on-site, five-day experience with follow-up Professional Coaching.
Located in the college community of Davison, North Carolina, we provide a welcoming, comfortable place apart from the normal distractions and interruptions of everyday life. Group size is limited to no more than six individuals so each person can engage fully in afternoon seminars and have essential one-on-one time with leaders. The one-on-one leader/participant ratio is unique among leadership programs.
On-Site Program Schedule: Monday morning through Mid-Afternoon Friday
The morning sessions begin at 8:00 a.m., and schedules are individualized for each day. Afternoon group consultations typically conclude at 4:30 pm. Throughout the week, participants receive:
- Daily individual consultations with a Licensed Professional counselor (LPC).
- All consultants are state-licensed counselors, have served in parish ministry, and bring a faith-based perspective.
- Consultants focus their work using systems analysis, cognitive behavior, and positive psychology. Positive psychology emphasizes the development of personal agency, self-efficacy, learned optimism, mindfulness, and hope.
- In these consultations, clergy assess their emotional health and develop short-and long-term goals to initiate positive changes.
- Afternoon seminars build on the individual consultation and are led by a specialist in the areas of:
- Stress management and resiliency
- A fresh look at system dynamics
- Secondary stress & psychodynamic dimensions of clergy leadership
- Personal call to service and maturity
- Forming a plan with specific goals
- Individual physical assessments
- Personal fitness evaluation
- Individual lab tests (optional)
- Individual consultation with a registered nutritionist
- Individual fitness training sessions
- Individual spiritual direction
- Goal-setting consultations
Follow-up Services
On the final day of the program, the participant meets with a Professional Coach to discuss his or her goals. The Professional Coach then helps the client to set out a specific plan that will include:
- Two months of follow-up sessions with a Professional Coach
- Telephone or email consultation follow-up with the nutritional, fitness, or other consultants upon request
- Availability to contract additional sessions with any of the seminar leaders
- Continued connection with fellow alumni at the discretion of the participants
Reservations and Registration
Programs are held throughout the year, approximately once per month. Please access the Registration & Calendar page for the Clergy Program to view available weeks. After a convenient date is reserved, participants receive a program packet outlining the schedule of events, including foundational readings and preparatory forms to fill out and return. Reservations are recommended at least four weeks in advance.
Transportation, Lodging and Accommodations
The Centre is located in the small, pedestrian friendly town of Davidson. The offices are a short walk from the town center and historic Davidson College, as well as numerous inns, shops, cafes, and restaurants. Please see our Travel and Accommodations page for further details.