Clergy Circles
Tending the Ground
Tend the inner life before another ministry season begins.
An invitation for the last weeks of summer before committees restart, programs launch, and stewardship season begins.
Four Mondays: August 10 - August 31 2026
All sessions via zoom: 9:00 am Pacific; 10:00 am Mountain; 11:00 am Central; 12:00 pm Eastern
An Invitation
You spend most of the year creating meaningful space for others.
This is a place where someone else holds that space for you.
When fall arrives, the ministry year gathers momentum. Committees restart. Programs launch. Stewardship season begins. Before long, Advent is already on the horizon.
The weeks before all of that begins offer a chance to pause before another ministry season is fully underway.
What we tend beneath the surface eventually shapes everything people experience above it.
Faithful ministry is cultivated long before it becomes visible.
Before the sermons.
Before the meetings.
Before the pastoral conversations.
Before the ministry year asks everything of you.
During these last weeks of summer, we'll make space for what often gets overlooked.
Quiet reflection.
Grounded presence.
Meaningful conversation.
A simple practice to carry into your week.
Nothing to prepare.
Nothing to produce.
No homework.
Just spend time with colleagues who understand this season of ministry, making space together for what often gets overlooked.
Four Mondays
August 10 to August 31
Suggested contribution: $60 to $80
(Pay what fits)
Four Weeks | Four Invitations
Week One: Arriving on the Ground
We begin by noticing where we actually are.
As another ministry year approaches, where are you truly standing, not where you think you should be? What is already true beneath the effort, before the pace begins to accelerate?
Week Two: Deep Roots
Healthy ministry grows from a well-tended inner life.
What is quietly feeding your spirit right now? What is taking root beneath the visible work of ministry, and what might that suggest about what is preparing to grow?
Week Three: Faithful Attention
Every season of growth requires attention.
What are you already cultivating, intentionally or not? What is asking for your care? What has become crowded? What wants more space, nourishment, or release before the ministry year unfolds?
Week Four: Trusting the Growth
Not everything that matters in ministry can be measured immediately.
What in your life or ministry is asking to be trusted rather than hurried?
What to Expect
Rather than trying to accomplish one more thing, these gatherings invite you to pause, notice, and reconnect with the inner life that quietly sustains your ministry.
A gentle grounding practice
Guided meditation and embodied contemplation
Quiet reflection
Meaningful conversation with fellow clergy
Session Rhythm
Each sixty-minute gathering follows a simple rhythm that balances quiet reflection with shared conversation.
We begin by settling into the present moment through a brief grounding practice.
Together we'll explore the week's theme before moving into a guided contemplative practice that invites greater awareness of body, mind, and spirit.
A shared poem, piece of music, or brief reflection offers a common place to begin, followed by quiet time for personal reflection.
From there we enter conversation, listening deeply, sharing honestly when we choose, and allowing one another's wisdom to enrich the experience.
Each gathering concludes with a simple practice to carry into the week ahead.
This Might Be for You If...
You would like a ministry space where you don't have to lead, facilitate, or produce anything.
You value spending time with colleagues who understand the unique rhythms and challenges of ministry.
You sense summer giving way to fall's demands and want to meet the season intentionally rather than reactively.
You want to pay attention to what you're cultivating beneath the visible work of ministry before the year asks everything of you.
You want to enter September feeling grounded, present, and rooted in what matters most.
Why Circles?
These gatherings are about remembering what becomes possible when we slow down in the company of people who already understand.
No need to explain congregational life.
No expectation to pretend everything is fine.
No pressure to have answers.
Just ministers making space for one another, listening deeply, noticing together, and remembering that none of us tends the ground alone.
Small group of approximately 8 to 12 clergy. Space is intentionally limited to allow for meaningful conversation.
About Vince
Rev. Dr. Vince Tango is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ whose work has centered on theological education, leadership development, and accompanying clergy through seasons of discernment, transition, and growth.
Over the past seventeen years, his ministry has included higher education, coaching, organizational leadership, and creating spaces where ministers can reconnect with the inner life that sustains faithful ministry.
Vince holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Denver and a Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology. His work integrates coaching, contemplative practice, human development, and leadership formation to help clergy and congregational leaders cultivate greater clarity, groundedness, resilience, and faithful presence in the midst of complex ministry.
He is based in Huntington Beach, California, and works with leaders and organizations across the country, both virtually and in person. Learn more about Vince.
Registration Details
Suggested Contribution: $60-$80 for the four-part series.
Choose the contribution level that best fits your circumstances.
After registering, additional event details and the Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days before the event.
Please contact hello@vincetango.com for more information.
