Henderson Church Leadership Webinar Series As a continuation of the 2025 Henderson Church Leadership Conference, PTS is offering four of the scheduled workshops as free lunchtime webinars this fall. Each webinar helps ministry leaders and congregations to be faithful and flexible for emerging possibilities. Register today to attend one or more, and invite others to join the conversation!
The Rev. Karie Charlton (’08) is a PCUSA pastor, writer, and menstrual health advocate. She volunteers as the USA special projects coordinator for Days for Girls International, managing the PA Collection Point inventory and filling orders for menstrual product distribution.
The Rev. Dr. Charles Cotherman (’12) is executive director of the Center for Rural Ministry and an assistant professor of biblical and theological studies at Grove City College. He is also a pastor at Oil City Vineyard, a church he and his wife, Aimee '11, had the privilege of planting in 2016. He has written on rural ministry, church planting, and history for a variety of publications including Evangelicals, Modern Reformation, Front Porch Republic, and Plough. He is the author of To Think Christianly (IVP Academic) and a contributing editor of Sent to Flourish: Guide to Planting and Multiplying Churches (IVP Academic). He is currently working on a book on entitled Strip Mine Jesus: Hope for the Rural Church, Small Towns, and Overlooked Places (Baker, forthcoming in 2026).
Dr. Lisa Hosack is an assistant dean and professor of social work at Grove City Colleg. She holds a Ph.D. in social work from Michigan State University and is licensed as a clinical social worker in Pennsylvania. Dr. Hosack has published a faith-based textbook, Development on Purpose, as well as numerous peer-reviewed articles related to her research in vulnerable narcissism, child welfare, and street children in Liberia.
Dr. Vanessa Vassar-Bush received her BSW at Shepherd University. She then earned an MSW from West Virginia University and a doctorate in healthcare ethics from Duquesne University. Her research is focused on the effects of culture on giving and receiving medicine, sexual ethics among cultures, and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on teenage girls. She is the current director of field education and part-time lecturer at Grove City College in the Department of Social Work. She has more than 30 years of social work experience, including medical social work, long-term care, juvenile delinquency, adoption, and post-adoption.
Thurs., Oct. 30, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Charles Cotherman ’12, Executive Director of the Center on Rural Ministry at Grove City College, Pastor at Oil City Vineyard Church
Description: This workshop will identify the opportunities and challenges in each context and build a network of other pastors and lay leaders who care about rural and small-town congregations.
Tues., Nov. 4, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: Dr. Vannessa Bush, Lecturer and Social Work Field Placement Director, Grove City College Coordinator for Days for Girls International
Description: This workshop explores the intersection of Christian faith and ethical decision-making, specifically for leaders. It will cover biblical foundations for ethics, common ethical dilemmas faced by Christian leaders, and a framework for navigating these challenges with wisdom, integrity, and faith-based discernment
Tues., Nov. 11, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Hosack, Assistant Dean, Professor of Social Work, Grove City College
Description: Anxiety goes hand-in-hand with leadership. And at low levels, it’s a productive companion, leading to conscientiousness and focus. Yet often, leaders experience a level of anxiety — tethered to perfectionistic self-expectations — that paralyzes versus motivates. This workshop will explore the origins of maladaptive perfectionism and practical ways to cultivate the peace of Christ within.
Wed., Nov. 19, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: The Rev. Karie Charlton ’08, PCUSA Minister, USA Special Projects Coordinator for Days for Girls International
Description: This session explores how the period positive workplace movement could inform the ways churches hold space for people with periods. Period positive practices provide ways churches can acknowledge that we are more than souls and brains. We can honor and recognize our real bodies, creating safe and welcoming space for our community.
Please contact or call 412-924-1345.