because of deeply held beliefs, pastors can begin to unearth the actual
underlying assumptions that inform people in their decision-making
and reticence to change or try something new.
Manion: Clarity of mission. Many leaders can mistakenly confuse
how they do church with why their church exists. In this pandemic,
the mission hasn’t changed, but the means to fulfilling it have
changed dramatically. It’s crucial for church leaders to remind people
of the mission and help them understand how it can be fulfilled in
this new environment.
Managing remote work. The skills to lead a team or ministry when you
can’t be physically present to each other are different. Communication
is more difficult, and misunderstandings can occur more easily. Also,
priorities need to be clarified, and expectations must be adjusted.
Leaders should expect people to be less productive as they juggle a
new work setup with the additional stress of managing their home life
during a pandemic.
Self-care. This is always a challenge for other-centered Christian
leaders, but the risk is even higher in a crisis. Leaders can’t give what
they don’t have, so they must make time each day for prayer and
renewal. They must overcome the temptation to sprint through the day
and collapse at the end. It’s a poor leadership example, and fatigue can
decrease our immune system, which is even more crucial these days.
Martin: Staff management and culture; vision (strategic direction);
and communication.
In terms of staff management and culture, church leadership demand
and complexity are greater than ever. Failure to pay attention to this
will cause serious discord in an organization.
With regards to vision (strategic direction), an organization must
have a clear contextual focus that drives the mission and work to the
congregation. Leadership must have a central focus to communicate
this and focus the work.
Finally, related to communication, it’s more diverse and complicated
than ever before. Understanding options and direction require a clear
plan and continued focus.
What training does your organization offer to help
church executives address these in-demand areas of
leadership development?
Manion: Villanova’s Master of Science in Church Management and
our non-degree programs have always had elements that help leaders
better align their resources for the mission of the church. We have also
always had courses and content to develop self-leadership. Our human
resources and organizational management courses have general
principles on managing work that have been adapted to managing
remote work.
Martin: The Church Network (TCN) focus is around 14 domains:
Personnel/Human Resource; Staff Development; Congregational
Leadership; Theology of Stewardship; Office Management; Information
Management; Property Management; Communication and Marketing;
Strategic Planning; Financial Management; Stewardship of Self; Legal
& Tax Matters; Christian Perspectives & Theology of Church; and
Theology and Ethics of Church Administration. (You can find complete
details at www.thechurchnetwork.com/Online/Education.) We offer
training through a certification program, local network groups, web
seminars, an annual national conference, and an eLearing 24/7 lab.
Ricketson: The Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) at Luther Rice
teaches a Conflict Resolution course. Using the work of Ken Sande, the
course teaches the student the reasons why conflicts arise and prescribes
specific steps to resolve the conflict and bring about reconciliation.
The MAL teaches a course specifically regarding Strategic Planning
within an organization. The student is given a framework to develop a
unified purpose within the body and the steps needed to avoid ‘silos’ by
creating a churchwide, agreed-upon plan to which everyone can focus
and commit.
The MAL teaches a course on organizational culture that begins
with understanding that all organizations have a culture that has been
created over years. To try and change them without proper preparation
is a formula for conflict and division.
Many of our readers work as many as 80 hours per week —
maybe even more right now, as they help their staff and
members navigate the pandemic. What leadership training
options can you offer for them?
Martin: The 14 domains I named in the previous question help
to inform both the certification and CEU programs of The Church
Network. Our national conference, regional events, distance learning
and chapter programs are all shaped by this body. We offer training
through a certification program, local network groups, web seminars,
an annual national conference, and an eLearing 24/7 lab.
Ricketson: The information delivery system at Luther Rice is
perfect for the busy pastor. Spring and fall semesters are 15 weeks,
and the summer semester is 11 weeks. Classes are offered 100-percent
online or in combination with on-campus classes; we let the student
choose. Each week, students are presented lectures, videos, and reading
and writing assignments and can work at their own pace.
The MAL degree is a 36-credit-hour program composed of 12
three-hour courses. The course work begins with the theories and
foundations of leading and them moves toward the more practical skill
sets that leaders need.
Manion: Since the crisis started, Villanova has been hosting
regular webinars to equip church leaders for these unique
challenges. Those webinars have been recorded and posted to
our website along with relevant articles and resources (www.
VillanovaChurchManagement.com). Hundreds of leaders are joining
the webinars to connect with peers and share ideas on how they are
navigating this pandemic. And hundreds more are accessing the
recordings and resources to support their leadership development
when the time of the webinar conflicts with their other duties.
What leadership development options can you offer for
pastors who don't thrive in online learning?
Ricketson: Although the majority of teaching at Luther Rice is
done online, on-campus classes are still available in metro Atlanta. I
encourage pastors who might be hesitant to begin online studies to
take a “test drive” first via our free, online, no-credit lessons offered
through Project FOCUS [ www.projectfocus.education ]. These
classes give people an opportunity to experience the online delivery
of information and how online learning isn’t that dissimilar from
in-class learning.
Manion: The Center for Church Management in the Villanova
School of Business has facilitated a few videoconferences for small
groups of pastors, many of whom had no prior online learning
experience. Keeping it small and focused on a finite number of issues
made it more accessible for those who were new to online learning.
They liked to chance to see and hear from fellow pastors and this
opened the door to future training opportunities for them.
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