EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

• A Clergy Tax Seminar led by Deb Oskin will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Students, clergy and anyone who deals with clergy finances are invited to participate in this online Zoom seminar on how to prepare clergy taxes correctly and legally. Participants can earn 0.3 CEUs for attending the first two sessions of the seminar (the third session is optional). Registration is $40 per person; registration deadline Jan. 23. Register online at: www.bethanyseminary.edu/brethren-academy. 

• Upcoming courses from the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership include “Cultivating an Everyday Faith,” online Jan. 21-March 17, led by Joan Daggett (registration deadline Dec. 17); “Church of the Brethren Beliefs and Practices,” online March 4-April 28, led by Denise Kettering Lane (registration deadline Jan. 21); “Church History 1,” online March 18-May 12, led by Tim Harvey (registration deadline Feb. 4); “Church of the Brethren History,” online asynchronous, March 16-May 11, led by Craig Gandy (registration deadline Feb. 20); and “Introduction to Preaching,” online hybrid with onsite class in Richmond, Ind., May 19-22 (note new dates), and two Zoom sessions before, led by Dava Hensley (registration deadline Apr. 7). Register and pay online at Brethren Academy Course Registration/Biannual TRIM Payment | Bethany Theological Seminary (bethanyseminary.edu). Other courses on the schedule for later in 2026 include “Introduction to Biblical Studies,” “Multivocational Ministry,” and “Introduction to the New Testament.” 

• McPherson College’s “Ventures in Christian Discipleship” series will offer “Building Bridges Between Brethren through Compassionate Listening: Let Thy Kingdom Come!” Jan.  20 & 27, led by Joe Vecchio, Barbara Date’ (Madtown), and Harriet Koscho; “The Ecology of Vitality: Mutuality in Pastoral and Congregational Well-Being,” led by John Fillmore, Feb. 21; and “God’s Earth, Our Home: Engaging Creation Care through Faith,” led by David Radcliff, March 28. All sessions are via Zoom. Suggested donation is $25 per course. Learn more and register at www.mcpherson.edu/ventures/. 

• Lombard Mennonite Peace Center offers a variety of training sessions. Upcoming options include “Conflict Transformation Skills,” Jan. 22 or Aug. 27 via Zoom; “Restorative Conversations,” Dec. 10, March 11, or May 12 via Zoom; “Strengthening the Body of Christ,” Sept. 16 via Zoom; and “Peaceful, Productive Pastor-Parish Partnerships,” March 2 via Zoom. For details and registration information, go to www.lmpeacecenter.org/trainings. LMPC has also begun offering free quarterly clergy roundtable events. Watch their website for details on future roundtable opportunities (next on April 16).

 • The L.E.A.D. (Listen – Equip – Adapt – Disciple) Conference Planning Team is now offering “Third Thursday” quarterly webinars with the goal of providing congregational leaders with tools to grow in their leadership abilities. Continuing education credit is available. The next such webinar is Jan. 15, “Adaptability in Leadership,” led by Jeremy Ashworth at 6 p.m. Central. Learn more at www.brethren.org/thirdthursday.

• Designed particularly for ministers new to the Church of the Brethren denomination, Bethany Theological Seminary’s new certificate of achievement in ministry studies (CAMS) includes six courses that focus on Brethren history and theology, practical experience with the ordinances and preaching of the church, biblical interpretation, and peace studies. The certificate can be completed in two years or even one year, depending on course offerings. Five of the six courses can be completed at a distance. For more information go to https://bethanyseminary.edu.