THE VOYAGERS: A View from one of the Crew Larry L. Foster July 13, 2006

A newsletter called Voyagers recently opened with:

"This is the first (and maybe the only) effort at a newsletter for a crew of remnants who directly or indirectly sat at the knee of the late Rabbi known as Ed who sat at the knee of Murray who read logs of the Beagle. These seekers and explorers continue a voyage toward a vision of differentiation while inviting see-worthy guests on deck or pulling into faculty ports. Sailing the seas of anxiety looking for a passageway, this ragtag bunch has sailed for nine years. Memory recalls Bob Hunter and Pete Steinke formulating the original launch plan and mission. Some of the original crew have put into settled ports. New recruits joined over time."

On the occasion of the tenth year since Rabbi Edwin Friedman's death this crew member is prompted to reflect on the current state of this phenomenon. Questions emerge in the process of planning a commemorating reunion with consideration of future directions. Who and what are the Voyagers? What is represented in this gathering of individuals from a variety of church traditions? Is there a distinctive difference in the existence of such a group and does it matter or make a difference? Is there a function being served through such a vehicle? And does it have lasting or temporary features that lend some contribution toward leadership, particularly in church and synagogue?

When Dr. Murray Bowen died Ed Friedman presented his view on their relationship, where it had gone, how insights prompted further use and exploration, and how the nature of this relationship had played out over time. When Dr. Ed Friedman died the clergy students who participated in his postgraduate seminars were faced with the loss of a creative and profound thinker/leader also. In the aftermath a number of participants either shifted toward other pursuits, or remained in the faculty-led seminars, or eventually found alternative ways to continue their exposure to this "new way of thinking." A small number in one of Ed's advanced seminars decided to seek some form of continuity for staying in touch around the focus of clergy leadership in family and congregation. This volunteer contingent had known each other over the years and were identifying a directional course of interest toward congregations and clergy leadership in today's context.

A core thrust for this writer centered on Friedman's thesis of the interlocking nature of the clergy leader's emotional position, one's own family--nuclear and extended, the congregation as an emotional system, and families within the congregation. These three systems are on the same emotional current so that one can address the process in any system. At Voyagers' inception this emphasis played an important part in exploring a new format of meetings and contact. What emerged appears to be the benefit of staying in touch with a spectrum of resources on the theory and application frontline. Meeting sessions are tailor-made and formatted around current interests and issues brought to bear by the diverse voyager group. Yet the effort remains one of staying anchored in Bowen Theory and Friedman's ideas of congregation and leadership. For example, current research and development of theoretical concepts from the Bowen center faculty as well as the tracking of Friedman's thinking toward civilization's stuck ness and challenge to get unstuck are underlying pieces in setting up the Voyager program. Included also is the aim to stay on course with family of origin work.

In intervening years the notion of a Bowen/ Friedman Axis has come into play for some, perhaps most of those gathered as Voyagers. It has been useful in suggesting that the nature of this relationship, such as: the common thinking as well as differences, the direction each has taken in later years, and the effort to stay in touch while, as Friedman said, considering what it means to "differentiate from the differentiated one," has presented a stimulating process for the student of family systems thinking. To the extent this stimulation for knowledge and clarity of each thinker's emphasis leads one to focus on oneself in relationships, then a richness and challenge become a unique process for clergy leaders. Such a frame of reference that comes from the focus on this axis offers new pathways and discoveries for theologians and religious leaders, "the soul growers," looking for creative responses to the human phenomenon, the human condition.