Tradition / Church Life Maintenance - Autumn 2026
Extended Unitarian Academy Educational retreat
October 14–18 for students in Program N (October 14–16 are optional)
October 17 for students in Program P
Wednesday, October 14 – Prague guided tour: History of the City, Prague Unitarian history
13:00–17:00 walking through the city, 6 significant footprints throughout history of Prague/Czech Unitarians
20:30–22:00 Prague at night, walk through the oldest part of the city
Thursday, October 15 –Joint spiritual theme of present time: Pilgrimages
14:00–18:30 How can we, as Unitarians, contribute to raising awareness of our history and traditions through organizing joint pilgrimages and visiting pilgrimage sites? (lectures, presentations, videos, moderated discussion)
19:00–21:00 Dinner together in a restaurant
Friday, October 16 – Personal, Professional and Practical Dynamics in Ministry
14:00–18:00 Practical exercises for ministerial students: Preparation of a traditional service – in different Unitarian cultures
18:20–19:30 Sharing circle
Saturday, October 17 – P Module – Tradition
09:30–09:45 Introduction
Global Unitarianism I:
09:45–10:30 Roots and Unitarian history in the oldest traditional regions (Transylvania, Poland)
10:45-11:30 The development of Unitarianism in Great Britain
Global Unitarianism II:
12:45–13:30 The development of Unitarianism in the USA
13:45–14:30 The development of Unitarianism in regions influenced by mutual contacts with countries having a Unitarian history
History and Personality:
15:00–15:30 The positive and negative roles of personality
15:30–16:15 Key Figures in Czech Unitarianism: Who can still inspire us today?
16:30–17:30 Key Figures in Global Unitarianism:Examples that remain inspiring today
Sunday, October 18 – N Module – Church Life Maintenance
08:30–10: 00 The Role of the Minister as Service to the Congregation in the Context of the Present Day:
What a Unitarian minister should/can/should not be; the minister as a leader; competencies and boundaries—in relation to members, lay leadership of the congregation
10:30–11:30 Sunday service
Personal Development and Growth
12:30–13:45
- Collegiality And Professionalism: Maintaining versatility in pastoral work; professional distance and a broader perspective; sources of inspiration
- Continuing Education for Ministers: The need for feedback, evaluation, detachment, reflection, and a mentor
13:45–14:30 Professional bodies: Their purpose and how they work
15:00–16:00 The Minister’s Role in Congregational Life:
appropriate and inappropriate forms of involvement depending on the type of congregation; benefits and risks;
inspiring examples, personal experiences
16:00–17:00 Discussion
November 6–8 for students of Program N
November 7 for students of Program P
Friday, November 6 – Personal, professional, and practical aspects of ministry
14:00–18:00 Practical exercises for ministerial students: Pastoral conversations 1
18:20–19:30 Sharing circle
Saturday, November 7 – P Module – Tradition
09:30–09:45 Introductions and opening
09:45–11:15 The history of Czech Unitarianism
12:30–14:30 Specifics of Unitarian history: women, key moments of development, the relationship between Unitarianism and Universalism, the evolution of religious liberalism, etc.
15:00–17:30 Introduction to the philosophy of history / macro- and micro-history, shifts in perspective (history and paradigm), the meaning of history, approaches to history
From 17:45 Communal dinner
Sunday, November 8 – N Module– Church Life Maintenance
08:30–10:00 The minister's role in defining and updating the congregation's mission and goals, development strategies, internal rules, and integrating the congregation into wider Unitarian activities
10:30–11:30 Worship service
12:30–14:30 Facilitation and the minister's role in conflict resolution
15:00–17:00 The minister and leading the services; the minister and supplementary programs