2025 Annual Event
Monday, May 19, 2025
Managing Self:
Take Your Own Pulse First
Dr. Kathleen Smith
Keynote Speaker
Monday, May 19, 2025
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Eastern
Hybrid Event:
Online via Zoom or
In-Person at
All Shepherds Lutheran Church
6580 Columbus Pike
Lewis Center, OH 43035
Keynotes and Workshops
Recordings of all Keynotes and Workshops will be available after the event.
Morning Keynote: "Asking Questions in a Quick Fix Culture: Introducing Curiosity to an Anxious System"
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Afternoon Keynote: "50 Ways for Things to Get Better: Introducing Flexibility and Creativity to an Anxious System"
Dr. Kathleen Smith
Keynote Speaker
Bio: Dr. Kathleen Smith is a licensed therapist and writer who lives in Washington, DC. A faculty member of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, she teaches Bowen family systems theory to leaders around the globe. Breaking down therapy concepts into witty, relatable stories for readers, Dr. Smith is the author of the books True to You and Everything Isn’t Terrible, as well as the popular Substack newsletter, The Anxious Overachiever.
Online Workshop #1
Church Leadership, Adaptation, Bowen Theory and Culture
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This workshop will explore Congregational leadership through Bowen Systems Theory concepts of Differentiation of Self and Emotional Process in Society
Rev. Terri Cole Pilarski, M.Div, LMSW
Bio: The Rev. Terri Cole Pilarski, M.Div, LMSW, is an Episcopal priest, currently serving two small congregation in Arizona. She has over 25 years of ordained ministry serving both large and small congregations across three different diocese. She serves on the faculty for the Center for Family Consultation in Evanston, IL, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LMSW) specializing in Bowen systems theory, which she uses to guide congregations in fostering lay and ordained leadership, and healthier congregational dynamics. Deeply committed to interfaith and intercultural engagement, Terri serves as the president of the Intercultural Community Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Her work reflects a passion for building bridges between diverse communities, nurturing spiritual growth, and supporting congregations in navigating complex challenges with wisdom and grace.
Online Workshop #2
Lather, Rinse, Repeat: The Gift of Noticing Automatic Patterns in Systems
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Faith communities are a ripe arena for automatic relationship patterns to play out. How does one notice those patterns? Can noticing help one "take their own pulse first"? And what difference does it make? This workshop will explore the challenges and possibilities presented by repeating relationship patterns, at home and at church.
Rev. Jennifer Long
Bio:
Jennifer Long is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, a trained interim minister (IMN) and currently serves a UCC congregation in Florida. She has previously served churches in Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York, including pastoring an ELCA congregation in the southern tier of New York as an ecumenical partner. She graduated from the University of Hartford (1992) and Eden Theological Seminary (1996). She has participated in a variety of programs that engage Bowen Theory including five years in the Postgraduate Program at the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family (2014-2019). In almost 30 years of ministry, she has served in staff, solo, and interim roles as well as a consultant in church conflict.
Wife, mother of two, oldest sister of four, and daughter of an only son and middle daughter, she has a particular interest in points of connection between Bowen Family System Theory and spirituality, religious practice and church conflict.
Rev. Dana Runestad
In-Person Workshop #1
Cultivating a Place for Your Own Pulse -- and Theirs -- on a Journey of Faith
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For good and ill, congregations are often bastions for togetherness. When anxiety is high, says Bowen Family Systems Theory, togetherness forces become even stronger. How might faith leaders resist the pull of togetherness forces and cultivate a climate that respects differences? How might stages of spiritual growth mirror levels of Differentiation of Self? What does this thinking make possible in a community of faith?
Bio: Dana Runestad recently retired from pastoring in the Southeast Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America where, since 1986, she has served in a variety of congregations and staff positions. She's a youngest sister of three brothers and the daughter of a pastor and a nurse. After relying on every Peter Steinke book to get her through thirty years of parish ministry, she took a deeper dive into Natural Systems Theory in 2015 with 3 years in the post-graduate program at the Bowen Center in Washington D.C. From 2018-2023 she participated in their Faith Leaders Seminar. She's been in a book club for over 20 years and enjoys hiking and good TV with her husband of forty-plus years, Barry Rabe. They have two grown sons. Dana rhymes with banana. If you need a visual to remember, ask to see her tattoo.
Anthony J. Wilgus, MA, MSW
In-Person Workshop #2
Brighten Your Little Corner of the World
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Asked to summarize the theory in a sentence or phrase, Dr. Bowen declared, “Quit your bitchin’ and brighten your little corner of the world.” To that end, building community and establishing connections in an increasingly anxious world provide unique opportunities.
This workshop explores some guiding principles for gathering people together in an ongoing effort to foster relationships in a small neighborhood community. Participants will also have the chance to speak of their own attempts to enhance relationships in their families, congregations, and communities. Establishing viable emotional contact with varied relationship networks, while challenging, can also be quite productive.
Bio: Anthony J. (Tony) Wilgus, faculty emeritus from the University of Findlay, taught social work for 28 years subsequent to a 10-year stint as a clinical social worker and administrator. After graduate school at the University of Michigan, he entered the post-graduate training program at the Georgetown Family Center from 1979-1981. Since that time, he has attended the annual symposia, presented numerous papers, and published manuscripts on a wide range of topics rooted in the family theory originated by Dr. Murray Bowen.
Schedule
On-site doors open at 9:30 AM
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Eastern
Welcome and Greeting
Morning Keynote
Q&A
Break
Morning Workshop
12:30PM – 1:15 PM Eastern
Lunch
On-site participants can purchase a Lunch add-on option during registration.
1:15 PM– 4:00 PM Eastern
Afternoon Workshop
Break
Afternoon Keynote
Q&A
Closing
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Registration
​Early Bird Rates (Before March 31, 2025):
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Current HC Member $125
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Non-Member $175
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Student Registration $125
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Group Registration $350
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​3-5 people from the same household or organization
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​Add Ons:
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In-Person Lunch $15
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Contact Hours Certificate $25
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1-year Full Membership $75
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​30% disounct on membership
-
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1-year Student Membership $37.50
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​30% disounct on membership
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​Beginning April 1, 2025:
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Current HC Member $150
-
Non-Member $200
-
Student Registration $150
-
Group Registration $400
-
​3-5 people from the same household or organization
-
​Add Ons:
-
In-Person Lunch $15
-
Contact Hours Certificate $25
-
1-year Full Membership $75
-
​30% disounct on membership
-
-
1-year Student Membership $37.50
-
​30% disounct on membership
-