Healthy Boundaries for Clergy, Spiritual Teachers, and Lay Leaders

Healthy Boundaries for Clergy, Spiritual Teachers, and Lay Leaders is an ongoing curriculum for issues that impact those in the role of leadership in faith communities. Founded on a theological and ethical discussion of power and vulnerability, it focuses on the particular roles that pastoral caregivers fulfill within a spiritual community. This curriculum was developed to strengthen the understanding of the needs for boundaries, as a method of self-care and community care.

• Healthy Boundaries 101 – Fundamentals is a workbook for an individual participant and is to be used in conjunction with a boundaries training course. It is intended to cover fundamental principles of healthy boundaries in pastoral and teaching relationships. This training course workbook, Healthy Boundaries 101 – Fundamentals, is part one of a two-part* FaithTrust Institute training program designed for clergy and spiritual teachers. 
• Healthy Boundaries 201 – Beyond Basics is a workbook for an individual participant to be used in conjunction with a boundaries training course. It is intended to deepen faith leaders’ understanding of the importance of healthy boundaries in ministry and teaching, and critically discern the complexities of boundaries in light of new challenges and emerging issues. Understanding boundaries can help us manage the difficulties inherent in the role of clergy or spiritual teacher. Knowledge of what is appropriate, what is not, and whether an action is in the best interest of congregants or students can help us avoid possible boundary violations. This training course workbook, Healthy Boundaries 201 – Beyond Basics is part two of a two-part FaithTrust Institute training program designed for clergy and spiritual teachers. 
• Teacher's Guide – This teacher's guide leads facilitators through teaching A Sacred Trust, which is a four part video training curriculum.
• Taking it Back: Talking to Your Congregation About Healthy Boundaries – Explaining the need for clergy boundaries to our congregation is not always simple or easy. This module, building on the Teaching Healthy Boundaries curriculum materials, was created to help facilitate this conversation between leaders and laity. The Taking It Back curriculum is designed as a first step to foster conversations about healthy boundaries with the members of a local spiritual community or congregation. "Taking it Back" fills an important gap for clergy and spiritual leaders, providing an opportunity to discuss roles, expectations, and the importance of healthy boundaries to create a safe and dynamic faith community. This facilitator’s guide is written for a local religious leader to talk with and educate their congregation about healthy boundaries as a faith community value. The local pastor/faith leader may receive their boundaries training as a part of their affiliated regional training or certification and then take this educational material back to their individual congregation/faith community. This supplemental module includes a Facilitator's Guide and 2-page participant handout. The handout can be copied for your training purposes. We are also including a PDF document of example slides that can be used to foster this conversation.