Leadership in Ministry Course - Your Input Needed

I have been a layperson for 68 years.  The churches that are full have preachers that are deligent in applying God's word to everyday life.  So on Monday morning I know what to do.  Heavy duty theology without a very practical application puts parishioners asleep and they go places where the application is made.  The other general observation I have made is that grace is often emphasized and dicipleship is often under emphasized.  There needs to be a balance.  Living the christian life involves more than just believing that Jesus is your savior.  In a leadership role, the pastor needs to initially lead the elders.  If the elders are not following, there needs to be a change in stragedy.  The elders and pastor need to be in the same camp to move forward in an effective way to expand God's kingdom. 

What a great question!

Here's my view, as a lay person and CRC campus chaplain. I wish Calvin Seminary prepared students more in...story-telling. I know, it seems trivial. But the Gospel is a story--Good News--and Jesus was a story-teller. Think of all those parables! I have no doubt that Calvin Seminary students graduate with an accurate understanding of the Gospel, and probably also how it relates to 'all of life.' But can they creatively tell The Story to those they encounter? Can they narrate the Gospel Story in an engaging way for a diverse congregation in a postmodern culture? Can they embody the Story in their communities, and relate it to those currently outside their flocks? Consider making a theatre class at the college manditory, to help our leaders learn skills like improvisation, expressive reading, narration, memorization, and story telling. We can speak all the biblical truths we want, but if we can't creatively relate them to current realities or share them in a way that will engage, we may end up yelling into the wind. Why do we stop sharing stories when we 'grow up'?   

I hope the seminary provides training for leadership of funerals, weddings, baptisms, and the Lord Supper.  Coming out of Seminary I had never led a funeral or knew what to do.  I had never officiated at a wedding and new what pre-marital counseling materials to use and what a wedding would or could or should look li.e  I had never been part of a baptism service or Communion Service - so what are some of the things you do to lead those types of services. 

The "church leadership" explosion occurred after I graduated from Sem in '78.  I wish I had been better prepared to navigate my way through the quagmire.  Having been a student of leadership / management literature over the years, and having observed the good/bad/ugly in church and marketplace leadership, I believe Calvin Sem would do well to reinforce the pastoral nature of ministry leadership (see Eugene Peterson, William Willimon...).  Also pay attention to the sound wisdom in leadership/management on book shelves today. In the tradition of biblical wisdom, there are those who pay close attention to best practices [e.g. Pat Lencioni] and we are wise to listen.  Clarify the nuances of leadership that pastors face -- leading down (those who are following), leading across (with staff & colleagues), & leading up (helping to equip the council to whom you are accountable).  And today there is a growing collection of insightful literature on the practice of individual and communal discernment [Wes Granberg-Michaelson, Leadership Inside Out; also Alban Inst publications].

I have been in lay leadership in the CRC and in one other denomination since graduating from Calvin College in 1967.  You have asked a great question with respect to how graduates of Calvin Seminary can best serve the churches they are called to.  In my own experience a congregation will become robust  when it  understands that Christians are "dead to sin but alive to Christ".   Unfortunately this is not understood and therefore not accepted by many congregants as there continues to be more emphasis in the Seminary on the life and teaching of John Calvin as opposed to the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.  Secondly, almost 300 years ago one of the strongest Calvinists on the planet at the time, George Whitfield,  insisted that ministers of the gospel be "born again" for he asked " how can dead men begat living children?"  This challenge continues today.  Addressing these two issues at the Seminary will result in changes in the pew.

5 and a half years into my first pastoral ministry post these are the things I wish I had learned more about (in no particular order):

- How to be empathetic, compassionate and "pastoral" without losing yourself in other people's problems. I'm not talking about avoiding the thought that "I must fix everyone's problem's." It's been very clear to me for many years that I cannot and should not attempt to "fix" everything. Instead I'm talking about how to "care" very much about others' problems, but still put those problems appropriately at Jesus' feet and not to carry them everywhere as my own burden.

- What people mean when they talk about being "fed" in a sermon--some people seem to mean that they will have had a deeply emotional connection with the sermon, others people seem to mean that they've learned some new facts, etc.

- How to be humble, vulnerable, transparent, etc., without sabatoging your own leadership qualities. It's very important and good to be those things, but sometimes, if you're not careful, those things can turn around and bite you if you're not careful about how you communicate these things.

- How to disciple people, so that they can disciple others. I have been discipled, and have discipled others, but no one ever taught me how to disciple others in such a way that they would then be able to go out and disciple more people in their turn. In other words, I would've liked it if I'd learned how to make self-replicating disciples--not clones, but people who with spread discipleship to others.

Hope that is somewhat helpful.

Dan.

As a lay leader, I would like to see a stronger focus on management systems, motivation and budgeting. In my experience, the difference between top down leadership and management by exception is the difference between dysfunctional and contentious council meetings and a cordial sharing of the great things God is doing in the fellowship. It is the difference between continually begging the same folks to step forward and the joyful experience of seeing nearly every member owning their program and contributing to the kingdom in a way that utilizes their unique gifts. And the role of the pastor requires familiarity with "corporate" budgeting and financial controls as a means of advancing the mission of the church in the community.

Thank you for asking. 

Re:  Ken Vandegriend's comment: " Biblically based and Christologically focused".    Bingo!!

You should explore the work of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, a leadership development program for youth ministers. It has been in existence for 16 years and many seminary graduates have participated in it including my husband who is a Calvin Sem grad. We often hear "why didn't we have something like this in seminary?" It's about being a good leader, fostering leadership in others, and working collaboratively. We have outstanding stories from our alumni and solid data that shows they are staying in ministry for the long haul, finding more satisfaction in their work, taking better care of themselves and their families, and growing in their commitment to God's call on their life. I would be happy to share the foundational principles and content with you. Eileen Kooreman, Director of Operations, DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative. www.dvuli.org

Julius, my perspective comes from an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and concentration in Management followed by 13 years in corporate management before seminary and 22 years in pulpit ministry. As I follow some CRC blogs I believe there is a debate going on about whether the pastor provides church leadership or simply assists the congregational leaders.

Many do not agree with me that the pastor is typically the only full time paid person to focus on the local church, is the only one trained in church leadership and therefore should be the person to provide that leadership. I acknoledge that if the pastor does not possess the spiritual gift of leadership and members of the church council do, then the pastor can delegate that to the laity, however I believe the pastor is the SHEPHERD of the flock. As such I believe it is the pastor's responsibility to lead the congregation from one green pasture to the next green pasture.

This is what we expect from church planting pastors...they are missionary pastors...they are the visionary pastors who attract other Christians to follow them. They recruit others to serve as staff members who are both ordained and non-ordained. This is what was expected of me as a pastor when I was called by the three churches I served. They also expected pastoral care, teaching, preaching and administration, but their acknowledged need was for a pastor to lead the congregation from where it was to where it believed God wanted it to be.

What that requies is that the pastor be proficient as a "change agent" and that ability is difficult in the private sector where you have the power of the paycheck.

Specific to your question, I believe that seminary students need to know their specific spiritual gifts offering them a sense of direction for their personal ministry. They need training in the art of being an effective "change agent". And they need training in how to solve problems effectively.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer input. Blessings in the great challenges you face with this project and the seminary!
Jim Vander Slik

Ed, thank you for your interest. Let me start with the easy one...#2. What I meant was that even in the corporate sector where the "change agent" (manager) possesses the power of the paycheck, systemic change is still difficult to accomplish. As a pastor of a church where membership is voluntary, bringing about change is that much more difficult

Now the hard one! Being proficient as a "change agent" means possessing both the knowledge and ability to lead a social group through the process of change. Jesus was a "change agent"...Paul was also. The OT prophets were God's messengers announcing that "change" was on the way.

I don't believe that there is a formula for bringing about change but it must start with a clear vision of what could be which contrasts with what already is. The vision must not only be shared with the broad leadership team but also those who in fluence the thinking of the group, but must be accepted by them.

Let me make a couple of assumptions: the group is ineffective in carrying out it's mission and they realize it but don't know what to do about it. You may think that THAT is the key to succeeding, but it often is not. "Change" is HARD! Status quo is easy and it is comfortable...we feel secure with it. Therefore in order to bring about even modest change requires that the benefits of going from one green pasture to the next be clearly shown to the group. It also needs to be presented to the group as an easy process (not hard, difficult nor sacrificial). Additionally each person needs to understand what it means for him/her in terms of actions and benefits. Finally the group must agree to "follow the plan" for 90 days. 90 days will establish a new norm. 90 days will reduce/end the old behavior/ways. 90 days will show new results which in turn will reinforce moving in this new direction.

I've wanted to write about "church as coutry club" for some time now and I believe it fits here. When I was that I mean that on a gut level many church members want church to be for them. Members think nothing about complaining about pretty much anything...the way the grass is cut...the cleanliness of the bathrooms...the length of the pastor's message or the style of the music. They don't think of the mission of the church in their criticism but only how they feel that it affects them...the same as the CC!

I and others in ministry that I know of were specifically called to a church to "help them move from an inward focused church to an outward focused church. Theg had a vision statement...a mission statemwnt, plans and programs for outreach, yet when the pastor arrives the message becomes clear that at best they just want to tinker around the edges. Why?...because when they see that change will require them to also change, that is when change has gone too far.

Now if a pastor is not proficient as a change agent he will wilt and back off the change stuff to keep the peace. But if he has had the training and possesses the knowledge of how to properly proceed, he will know how to proceed.

In order to say any more you would have to ask some more questions. I have donated my personal library but one of my books was titled simply The Change Agent...do not remember the author. I am sure there is a wealth of resources on the subject.

I hope something I have said is helpful .
Blessings!
Jim Vander Slik