Church Executive LEADERSHIP TRAINING OPTIONS FOR PASTORS | Page 4

In general, have full-time church leaders shown increased interest in
leadership and management training?
Bo Rice: With the world changing as fast as it is, solid leadership skills
are often what keep the ship right. So, yes, I’ve seen significant increased
interest in leadership and management training in the past decade.
“Leaders are born and not made” was once a widely held belief. But
today, we see this is only half of the issue.
Yes, many leaders are born — either through their upbringing or
through life's situations. But, leadership is also a skill that can be taught.
Many church leaders today see the need to reach new audiences. If
we're going to continue to reach our world for the Gospel, it's important
that we’re giving our church leaders the best tools to do it.
Larry Steven McDonald: Today’s church leaders definitely show a
markedly increased interest in leadership training. Some of this is fueled
by excellent leadership books and conferences from the business world.
These works deal with issues such as vision casting, branding, time
management, social media use, organizational structure, excellence in
hiring, and teambuilding.
Yet, some of this interest is a pendulum swing away from a cultural
model of pastoral leadership toward a CEO model. I believe there are
strengths and weaknesses with both of these models, as they both
represent separate extremes of the pendulum. In other words, development
of leadership and managerial skills cannot be an end unto themselves;
these skills must be undergirded by Christian integrity, character and
maturity so that they can be used for a spiritual purpose. Christian
leadership must be built firmly upon a biblical basis, as it also draws from
successful business principles. Rather than merely approaching life in
general — and church leadership in particular — from a strictly temporal
vantage point, we gain the greatest strength when we apply the ancient
wisdom of God’s Word to our current day setting.
Most church leaders recognize the need for a deeper level of leadership
training than secular models alone can offer.
Matthew F. Manion: We’ve seen a 300% increase in students in our
Master of Science in Church Management degree in the last four years,
and a similar increase in our non-degree certificate program.
The context for ministry has changed dramatically. In the 20th
century, we formed church leaders to manage and maintain the status
quo in a world where religion was a given, and faith communities grew
through generations of large families. Today, families are much smaller,
and children are being raised in a culture where trust in institutions is
severely damaged.
In many ways, the church requires the innovation and creativity of early
missionaries, yet most church leaders were not formed for that reality.
What areas of leadership and management skills development most
in-demand among busy church leaders?
Manion: A particular challenge is ending activities that do good and
have historical significance, but need to be stopped so that resources
can be reallocated to new initiatives which do more good today and for
the future.
Another great challenge is change management. In a church setting,
this becomes more complex, as many of the people who need to be the
champions and agents of change are volunteers. A different set of skills
is necessary to engage, motivate and support them.
The final area is nuts-and-bolts management competence. Developing
basic skills in finance and budgeting, human resources, technology, and
vendor contracts can free up church leaders to devote more time and
energy to pastoral needs.
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • L E A D E R S H I P T R A I N I N G O P T I O N S F O R P A S T O R S
Rice: Becoming a visionary is a great need among church leaders. It’s not
enough simply to lead for today; having the foresight to articulate — and
then invest in — the future of the church, along with the leadership
skills to move the church body, is essential for church leaders.
Another is the need for advanced communication skills. How you
delegate, speak consistently through different forms of media, and even
navigate conflict. These are big areas of need.
And while both of these are essential for leading and management,
effective church leaders are continuously navigating change. It’s no longer
good enough to go to school and move on; instead, today’s successful
leaders are adopting a ‘continual student’ mindset.
How have your seminary’s educational offerings evolved over the past
several years to help meet full-time church leaders’ emerging leadership
and management training needs?
Manion: The first significant development is a Certificate in Church
Management that Villanova University offers in collaboration with
several dioceses. This one-week summer program, offered in addition
to the core seminary curriculum, exposes future church leaders to a
breadth of church management topics at a time when they’re not facing
the pressure of the normal academic calendar and can think more about
their post-ordination life.
The other, newer initiative is a result of a generous grant from the
Lilly Endowment. The Villanova Center for Church Management is
developing a series of case studies — inspired by real-life scenarios —
that seminary faculty can use to help future church leaders practice
how they’d respond, and get feedback, before facing these situations in
the parish or community.
Rice: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) has always
believed in the need for good leadership.
For instance, the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a professional degree
providing qualified students the opportunity to achieve a high level
of excellence in the practice of ministry. You can earn a DMin in
Denominational Leadership, as well as Strategic Leadership.
The Doctor of Educational Ministry (DEdMin) is a professional degree
in the areas of educational ministry, where we also offer a focus in
Leadership and Administration, as well as Denominational Leadership.
And most recently, the seminary approved a new PhD in
Christian Leadership.
Whether you’re looking at a doctoral or a master’s degree, we want
to make sure you’re prepared to navigate the challenges facing the
church today.
McDonald: In the Graduate School of Christian Ministry at North
Greenville University (NGU), we have done three things to help meet
full-time church leaders’ emerging leadership needs.
First, we believe the most important book on leadership is the Bible.
We think the leadership models and teachings from Jesus, Paul and
Nehemiah provide a pastor with the very best that is available. And they
are timeless!
Second, the New Testament uses three words to describe leadership
in the church: elder, overseer and pastor (shepherd). Although these words
are used interchangeably (Acts 20; 1 Peter 5), they each emphasize an
important element of the pastoral role. The word “elder” highlights the
mature character needed (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1) in a church leader. The
word “pastor” focuses upon the guiding and feeding role (Ephesians 4) of
a church leader for his congregation. And the word “overseer” underscores
ministry leadership. All three of these roles are strategic and important.
When one role is overly accentuated, the leader and the church swing to a
pendulum extreme. At NGU, we emphasize a biblical shepherding model
that exhibits all three of these leadership qualities.
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