Clergy Days

"Peace Without Your Walls"
September 17-18, 2026

“Peace Without Your Walls” Artwork by Lauren Elizabeth © A Sanctified Art

"Peace Without Your Walls"
Artwork by Lauren Elizabeth Wright Pittman
© A Sanctified Art
inspired by Isaiah 35:1-10 and Psalm 122

We invite all clergy to celebrate your calling and enjoy two days of reflection, education, worship, fellowship, and rest on our beautiful campus. The Lilly Endowment and Catawba College welcome you to this special opportunity to connect with other clergy and grow in faith and knowledge.

“We have continued to observe and experience alongside our participants that clergy need rest, reflection, resources, and relationships to thrive. Importantly, these needs of clergy do not operate in silos, and our clergy do not thrive when they operate in silos. We live in a society that values rugged individualism, hustle culture, and productivity, and these ideals do not create an atmosphere conducive to clergy thriving. In the more specific context of a college campus where achievement and busyness are valued (in action, if not in word), the Catawba Clergy Network leadership must be intentional to create space and systems where our staff and participants can thrive. If we follow the path of least resistance, it does not lead to thriving.

Save the Date: Clergy Days 2026
When we think of our clergy participants and the various responsibilities on their plates, they juggle a plethora of roles. They may have multiple professional roles, family responsibilities with spouses, children, or elderly parents, personal or family health challenges, and feel called to take on the brokenness of our world and lead their congregations in doing so. As we seek to continue building communities of support and camaraderie with clergy who carry so much, an image that can help guide our work is the hope of shalom- not the absence of trouble or conflict, but an active peace, or wholeness, one that means thriving in every aspect of life. A pastor’s thriving is tied up in the thriving of their congregation, yes, but also in their ability to thrive as a parent, spouse, citizen, employee, and the many roles we each live into every day. Our hope is that integrating the practices of rest, reflection, resources, and relationships can help our participating clergy, from various contexts and denominational backgrounds, become more integrated themselves, enabled to live into this hope of shalom.“

- Shannon Axtell Martin, ’08

Learn More:

 

2026 Registration

 

Stay tuned for Clergy Days 2026 registration!

 

Sponsors

Sponsored by Catawba College and the Lilly Endowment. Clergy members and community members are welcome to participate free of cost.