Clara's courses aren’t just lectures.

Clara’s courses on leadership are holistic learning experiences, where we learn to see our daily experiences with new eyes, and discover powerful skills we didn’t know we already have.

Clara studies the pedagogy of leadership - how to teach leadership so the theory comes alive in our daily lives.  Clara has us thinking about what it feels like to lead, and she facilitates the sessions so everyone gets involved - even on Zoom! 

She’s also deeply rooted in the Christian faith, and helps everyone to feel how the Holy Spirit is at work in and through us.  It’s really uplifting and encouraging, even in this period of high burnout among clergy coming out of the pandemic.

Clara assumes that everyone in these courses already has skills for leadership, and that no one comes like a “blank slate” knowing nothing.  But even Olympic athletes are always honing their skills. 

Like a great coach, Clara accommodates a wide diversity of experience in her classes.  For the brilliant leader, and the anxious novice, and the burned-out parish priest, there is an invitation to a life-giving, faithful new practice here. 

Doctoral Research Study 2024 & 2025

In 2024 and 2025, a new way of teaching adaptive leadership for church leaders will be tested across Canada as part of Clara's doctoral research study. This is a one-day workshop exploring the adaptive challenges that face clergy at this moment in the life of the church, and equipping clergy with new skills and resources to address these challenges.

The workshop will be tested in three different locations in Canada (Vancouver area, Edmonton area, London ON area), with clergy networks from three different denominations: the United Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Anglican Church in each region.

If this new approach to teaching leadership is successful, it can be expanded to other regions and denominations in Canada and the United States. It will also have significant implications for how leadership is taught to lay leaders and to seminary students.

Funding for this study is provided by generous individuals who care about the future of the church, as well as the participating denominations.  Vancouver School of Theology is acting as the funding partner.

To support Clara's research, click here, and in the "private message" box, write "Adaptive Leadership Pedagogy Study".

Contact Clara

to discuss offering cutting edge adaptive leadership training at your Clergy Conference, Clergy Retreat, or denominational conference. 

Online and in-person available.