"I LOVE the new curriculum. We've been using the new sessions since we started in Sept (at our monthly meetings we've used Transition and Power, Authority & Influence). …I particularly love this brand new session on Leadership for our Times and how the exercises give ample opportunity to engage current challenges using Heifetz's model. I've been yearning for a fresher take on a leadership session for quite a while, and this is simply wonderful. ... I really appreciate the resource sections with each session. Previously, I was struggling to find my own way to background materials, and having the resources listed is immensely helpful for my preparatory work. I also love the general bibliography with the essential resources noted in bold. I am now working on building a Fresh Start library for our program! ... I am one very happy and enthusiastic user…"
Ms. Claire Cowden

Diocese of Northwest Texas

"(Leadership for Our Times) flowed nicely and seemed to be appreciated by all. I enjoyed doing it with our group. …We all (liked it). I have had two calls thanking me. (That does not always happen). ... I did pilot the Wellness unit today. It was a hit! There is so much material here (a good thing) and I sent them home with the last two handouts. … A really good unit in my estimation!"
The Rev. Canon Ernest L. Bennett
Diocese of Central Florida

“Our diocese is faced with a tremendous geographical spread. We have congregations 8 1/2 hours away from the Diocesan Office … When you have a group of clergy gather together to hear and reflect and respond to the same material, they begin to form community. This community is then spread throughout the diocese as these clergy interact with others in their own areas.”
The Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb
Former Bishop of the Diocese of Northern California

“I recently lived, with my parish, through a period of deeply divisive conflict. Fresh Start helped me to put the last two years’ events into a much different “systems” perspective. I see that what our church community experienced is not uncommon to other such systems, and that it was the strength of the leadership of the church, that moved the parish forward in living the Gospel during a time of great discord.”
A Vestry Member

"For over 15 years the Diocese of Alabama has utilized a clergy transition program as one method of introducing new clergy into our diocese and assisting our own clergy in transitions from one parish to another. … [W]e were delighted to be introduced to the Fresh Start materials and methodology. Fresh Start has since provided our diocese with tested materials to be shared with clergy in transition and a method of full participation by clergy in transition. It has greatly helped clergy reflect on their new roles in ministry and assisted our clergy in becoming part of a community of clergy rather than functioning alone."
The Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley
Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama

“I was reminded of some things I had forgotten, and I learned a lot that was new.
I’m a big fan of Fresh Start.”
Former Program Participant