Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, “Here am I, Send me! ” Isaiah 6:8 By Valerie Mehl The passage from Isaiah provides the theme for our annual rector training weekend, a time for rectors from prior weekends to train future rectors. At Mid-Hudson Tres Dias, we treat every team experience as another step toward preparing future rectors. In the training weekend, prior rectors pass on lessons from their steps along the way, and potential rectors see how their training will impact both weekend candidates and future rectors. For most communities, the weekend committee is a relatively small group, perhaps two to four members of the secretariat. We depart dramatically from that model. Our weekend committee consists of 16 prior rectors, and this committee is responsible for all aspects of the weekend phase of Tres Dias, including:

• Training the rector, chief auxiliary, head kitchen auxiliary, and head prayer auxiliary,
• Qualifying spiritual directors and maintaining current spiritual director lists,
• Maintaining, ordering, and delivering supplies,
• Coordinating music directors,
• Qualifying rectors and teams,
• Assigning “shepherds” to each newly chosen rector (these shepherds work one-on-one with each rector to walk them through the entire process), and
• Providing all other support needed for the weekend.

Rector training, mandatory for every rector, happens on a full weekend (all day Saturday and Sunday) every year in March and is conducted by the entire committee. Since the Tres Dias model is so effective, we use it as the basis of our training. For example, male and female rectors work at separate tables along with their shepherds. (Of course, there is candy at every table.) As on an actual Tres Dias weekend, each day begins with breakfast, prayer, a devotion, and music. Also, training is presented in short teachings (like rollos) to maintain interest. Moreover, the training uses interactive teaching and role playing. In the “How to Call Your Team” module, the participants work through scenarios depicting the typical responses they will receive when they recruit team members. Also included here are ways to assure that a potential team member is in agreement with the Statement of Belief and the Qualifications for Community Leadership. In the “Building a Team” exercise, the rectors deal with the challenge of putting together a team with the correct mix of experience, demographics, denominations, ages and churches, musicians, etc. Other topics discussed provide insight into critiquing rollos, handling table dynamics, preparing a rollo, and more. Another unit dramatizes the potential difficulties that rectors might face on a weekend and asks them to respond. Since it’s impossible to cover all conceivable situations a rector may face, we use what we call our “Three Rules,” which have proved instrumental in helping rectors make decisions and defend their decisions when necessary.

1. Does it violate the Essentials? (If it does, don’t do it!)
2. Does it violate the cloister? In other words, does it involve bringing outside influences into the rollo room or where candidates are gathered? If it does, don’t do it.
3. Is it good for the candidates in supporting the purpose of the weekend, or are there other factors in play? For instance, if this is something that focuses on a particular person or persons, or if it is something being done for selfish or personally gratifying needs of the rector or other leaders, it should not be done.

We provide examples of times when the three rules were violated, to the detriment of the weekend and the candidates, as well as case studies showing how rectors used the rules in making difficult decisions. At the end of the training, a spiritual director leads a commissioning service and presents each newly trained rector with a stole to represent the mantle he or she is taking on. The rectors and their families are prayed over by their shepherds, and the service ends with communion and the song, “Here I am, Lord.” If you have any questions or would like to have a conversation, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. (Phone: 845-594-9616; email: valerie@vmehl.com)   Valerie is a member of Mid-Hudson Tres Dias and has served in a variety of positions on the Tres Dias International Secretariat, including secretary, elections chair, and administrative vice president.