You who are clergy have this in common: You practice leadership within in a particular community (congregation, hospital, prison, military, retirement home); you practice theological reflection, connecting the narratives of God with the narratives of communal and individual lives; and you practice spiritual disciplines that nourish the Source of your calling.

What if … you regularly gathered with a few colleagues and offered to each other support, collaboration and accountability in these practices of leadership, theological reflection and discernment, and soul nurturance?

As pastor I found the isolation debilitating. To a significant degree, I felt on my own to interpret the gospel, elicit feedback, read the “signs of the time” in our history, judge appropriate responses to crises, establish practices of self-care, and integrate the learning from the plethora of resources available to me. The model of lone leader is familiar and well established. It’s the norm of our work. The ruts are deep. The wheels of our vehicle turn unbidden in that direction.

I began to look for a few pastor friends with whom I could be out-of-role, yet peers who experienced the role daily. For many years I met weekly with three other clergy friends for a Sabbath time that included silence, prayer, conversation about our work, rest and laughter. Since retiring from being pastor in 1998, I have continued to experiment with a model of clergy community. AnamCara is the fruition of this effort. In 2008 I was ready to write about this vision and make it available to others.

AnamCara (Celtic for “soul friend”) is a network of small collegial circles of five to eight clergy who meet for one full day a month to offer mutual support, collaboration, and accountability in their practices of theological reflection and discernment, leadership and soul care. So that these clergy can be free from their accustomed leadership roles, a skilled facilitator guides the flow of this day. In addition, along with intercessory prayer, AnamCara participants will connect informally during the other weeks either face-to-face over coffee or a meal, by telephone, or through the internet.

AnamCara redefines ministry. It is not an “add on” to an already full schedule. Rather, it embodies a shift from seeing ourselves working solo to identifying ourselves as pastors in a peer community. Vocationally, “I” becomes “we.” It is a radical alternative to our culture’s pervasive individualism. Within a small circle of colleagues, we learn and acknowledge,“ Without you, I cannot be the minister I want to be; without me, you cannot be the minister you want to be.”

Steve, a participant of an AnamCara circle entering its fifth year, makes this very point: “I can no longer imagine doing pastoral ministry without my group of soul friends. Our time together often feels like a taste of the Kingdom, a feast of deep laughter and friendship among competent peers who respect each other. In a wonderfully paradoxical way, the worship, study, and conversation we share makes a better pastor and reminds me there is more to my life than ministry.”

Among the many resources available to clergy in our day, AnamCara is one. It stands in the long tradition of offering ministry from within intentional community.

If you want to explore these collegial clergy groups, there are two ways to proceed.

One, CareNet of North Carolina, a network of faith-integrated counseling, has adopted AnamCara as an extension of its ministry. You may contact Bryan Hatcher, Director of Professional Services, CareNet, Inc., bhatcher@wfubmc.edu or a pastoral counselor within CarnNet known to you. CareNet also offers certified training of facilitators who want to lead AnamCara groups both within and beyond North Carolina.

Secondly, you may contact my Web site. Copies of the booklet, AnamCara: Collegial Clergy Communities are available both through CareNet and links on my Web site: http://www.mahansiler.com and info@mahansiler.com

Finally, the Upper Room program, Companions in Ministry Two has chosen to incorporate the AnamCara model as a component of the Lilly-funded program now accepting applications.