Rev. John Beck, Ph.D., has served as pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church (Portland, OR) for the past 10 years and teaches pastoral care at the Northwest House of Theological Studies in Salem, Oregon. He has also been an ELCA interim pastor, hospital chaplain, and pastor in several parishes in Iowa. John combines the teachings of Jesus about shalom-making with systems theory and organizational development thinking. He understands congregations as systems where leaders are a key part of the congregation’s immune system and must be prepared to lead the difficult adaptive work that all change requires. John is trained in Peter Steinke’s Bridge Builders and Healthy Congregations, has a Ph.D. in marital and family therapy from Iowa, is a trainer for Healthy Congregations, and has trained with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. John has led workshops and consulted with congregations in a wide range of settings. He taught this material as a summer school course in Berkeley, CA in July. Currently he is finishing a three-year research project funded through the Louisville Institute. This project is seeking to identify which kinds of training will most enhance resilience among congregational leaders and thus help them avoid slipping into debilitating conflict.