Qualified to Serve

A group of friends and I were recently discussing the question, "How do we know if a person is qualified to become a pastor once their training is complete?" Is it enough that all the required courses were taken, that all the boxes have been checked? Certainly, the completion of a rigorous process of preparation demonstrates persistence, which is a commendable quality. In addition, there are certain pastoral proficiencies that can be evaluated, such as preaching and pastoral care skills. However, our churches and classis organizations recognize that there must also be a confirmation of Christian character in order for a person to be commended as a candidate for ministry. So, along with exams in the areas of Bible content, Reformed theology and church history, and in addition to evaluation of preaching and teaching capability, the classis must be satisfied that a candidate has demonstrated personal integrity and spiritual maturity; in other words, Christian leaders must be persons of Christian character. About 600 years ago, Thomas à Kempis wrote the well-known devotional classic, The Imitation of Christ. He observes, "For a person's worthiness is not to be estimated by the number of visions and comforts which they may have, or by their skill in the Scriptures, or by their placement in a high position." It is interesting that neither experience by itself, or education by itself, is deemed to be sufficient. Instead, Thomas believed that worthiness (or for our purposes, qualification for Christian leadership) is found in those who are marked by true humility, God-inspired love for others, desire for God's honor, and a willingness to put the interests of others above their own (The Imitation of Christ, III. 7, adap.). While education and experience are both good and necessary things, it is character that sets a person apart as a Christian leader. The Apostle Paul encouraged his protégé Timothy to follow this same path. He instructed him to carry out the duties of a pastor/preacher, pursuing his ministry gifts for the good of the church (1 Tim. 4:13-16). He was to know, understand, and preach the scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:14-16; 4:1-2). However, Paul also insisted that this young leader must train himself in godliness (1 Tim. 4:7-8), and that his leadership would consist of setting an example in "speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). Knowing the right things and doing things well were not enough – he was to be the right person. In its training programs for Commissioned Pastors and other Christian leaders, Church Leadership Center emphasizes learning that transforms. Leaders who are living out God's call on their life find themselves "transformed and transforming." Throughout candidates' training plan experiences, they are personally mentored by experienced leaders in the church, as well as further observed and encouraged by their supervisory team. Admittance into candidacy is dependent upon recommendations from their church and their classis, and their final commissioning is an affirmation by those who know them that these leaders have not merely completed a course of study, but are also men and women of Christian character. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Special thanks to Dr.Mark Veldt for writing the above article. He is CLC's leadership development specialist.

Whose Dream Are You Living?

Even though it was over 30 years ago, the conversation still stands out in my mind. He was a seminary student recruiter making a campus visit to the college at which I was teaching. We were having coffee at Mr. Fables on Michigan Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI. I asked the recruiter, "With a seminary M.Div. degree, why is it that you are a recruiter and not serving a church?" His reply startled me: "I wanted to be an attorney, but my father discouraged me. 'They'll eat you alive,' he said. 'You should be a pastor.'" The recruiter went on to say something like, "I took this recruiting job for a year. Then I'm going to law school. I had been following my father's dream for me, rather than my own." The above conversation came to mind when I read Michael Hyatt's blog, "Are You Living Your Own Dream or Someone Else's?" Click here to read it for yourself. He asks three questions. Am I living my own dream or someone else's? If we are not careful we can unconsciously be following the agenda of someone else for our lives. This can happen if we do not take full responsibility for our own life-directing decisions. What is my dream? Sometimes in an effort to please those who are important to us, we put more weight on their input than on our own understanding of our talents, gifts, calling, or vision. What is it that we believe that God is calling us to be and to do? What are our passions? If money were not holding us back, what would we do? What can I do to move in the direction of my dream? What are the substitutes for achieving our dreams that we should start rejecting… one at a time… from the smallest to the largest? What are a few baby steps that could move us in the direction of our dreams? Whom could we ask to be accountability partners (coaches or mentors) so that we are certain to make progress in the direction our dreams? Last Sunday, CLC participant Chris Hall was installed as Commissioned Pastor of Elevation Church, Wyoming MI. As a construction coordinator with Habitat for Humanity, he chose Church Leadership Center to move him toward his dream (calling) of becoming a Commissioned Pastor. He wanted a practical, "tool box" approach. After his commissioning he conducted four baptisms. Segments of the service are portrayed below. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.

Family Matters

One of the joys of my job is to conduct assessment interviews for Commissioned Pastor applicants and other Leadership Development candidates. It is inspiring to hear so many stories relating how God calls people to follow Him and forms them to live out that call. There are, however, challenges that often show up in many of those stories. It seems that many of those who grew up in the homes of pastors and other Christian leaders share unique struggles. A Barna survey asked pastors why they think their children often struggle in the development of their personal faith, here is how these pastors answered.  -28 % Unrealistic expectations others place on them  -18% Exposure to the negative aspects of the church  -17% Pastor is too busy for them  -14% Faith is not modeled consistently at home While there are no simple formulas or easy advice for making family life less challenging for families of ministry leaders, here are two important basic guidelines to keep in mind. Be Real: Too often, there has been a discrepancy between who the pastor is as a church leader and who he or she is as a private person and family member. In public, the pastor knows how to do and say all the right things, but at home another side becomes evident. The pastor's spouse and children see who he or she really is, and when there is an obvious contradiction, the results can be tragic. God replaced King Saul with David for this very reason. As pastors, we would do well to remember that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams;" and that people may "look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."* Service in the church and public reputation are no substitute for personal integrity and authentic holiness. Be There: One pastor's kid (PK) expressed the peril this way: "One of the biggest reasons PKs get so rebellious is that they don't really have a dad – they have a live-in, full-time pastor who treats his kids more like a member of his congregation."** Other PKs would say that they'd settle for being treated like a member of the congregation, so that they would at least get some parental attention instead of being completely overlooked. The Bible is clear that there is no pastoral priority higher than one's own family: "For if someone does not know how to manage his own household well, how can he take care of God's church?" (1 Timothy 3:5). The good news is that the people I talked to are still following Jesus! In spite of what might have been missing in their parents' lives, these emerging leaders have hung on to the good things they were taught, and they are seeking to serve God in ministry and in their homes. Our mission at Church Leadership Center is to support them in their personal and professional development, and we invite you to join us in this awesome calling. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. *1 Samuel **Scott Thomas, Hey, You're a Pastor's Kid – Why Aren't You Crazy? www.churchplanting.com This article was written by Mark Veldt, Ph.D. He is a Leadership Development Specialist with Church Leadership Center and may be contacted at veldtmark@gmail.com

Mentoring Matters

"And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well" (2 Timothy 2:2). "Likewise, tell the older women to . . . encourage the young women" (Titus 2:3-4). It has always been God's plan of leadership development to connect people with others from whom they can learn by word and example. Joshua was trained to lead the people of Israel by serving as a personal assistant to Moses. Elijah invited Elisha into a relationship that led to an extension of his prophetic ministry into the next generation. Jesus called twelve men to follow him, and for a period of three years, they were formed into his disciples as they observed Him in all the joys and demands of everyday life. In each of these biblical examples, emerging leaders were formed by the personal relationships they enjoyed with their mentor. Recently I received a quarterly newsletter from Scott, my financial advisor. The focus of this communication was not the state of the market or any investment advice. Instead, he shared stories about his family and his office staff, and he also told about another aspect of his work that I had not known before. He said that his firm "is a unique company in that we foster a culture of volunteerism," which is expressed through mentoring relationships. Scott continued: "Just as I received a tremendous amount of support during the early stages of my career, I have recently been asked to take a more active role in training some of our new advisors. This has resulted in volunteering many days and weeks to training the future of [our company]. Most notably, for a six month period, I am working closely with a new financial advisor in West Michigan to ensure that they are up to speed with how to grow and operate a successful branch office. In addition to this support, I am committed to spending three separate weeks in our home office to serve as a 'visiting veteran' . . . with thirteen new financial advisors from all over the country . . . " It is apparent that Scott does this, not grudgingly or out of obligation, but cheerfully, because he enjoys helping these new advisors as he was helped by others earlier in his career. He observes that "by serving in these volunteer roles, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be with [this company] and to work with you all on a daily basis." How interesting that the value of mentoring is so widely recognized! In our work with Commissioned Pastor candidates, we have also become convinced as to how crucial these kinds of relationships are. We believe that a well-designed training plan and top-notch courses contribute in important ways to the development of people as leaders in Christian ministry. We are also convinced, however, that the personal investment made in each life by one's mentor is equally important. God uses mentors today, as He did in biblical times, to form and transform people to become the leaders He has designed them to be. Current and past Commissioned Pastor candidates have been blessed by the willing service of several dozen pastors and other Christian leaders who have served as mentors. These mentors have also experienced blessing as they are reminded of how privileged they are to have the opportunity to serve God as leaders in their faith communities. If you are interested in learning more about our guidelines for mentoring or mentoring a lay leader in your church, please reply to this email. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.   This article was written by Mark Veldt, Ph.D. He is a Leadership Development Specialist with Church Leadership Center and may be contacted at veldtmark@gmail.com

Taking Care of You

There are times when leaders wonder… How can I be an example of hope and light on days that seem down and dark? How will everything work out? How will I be able to keep up with my emails? How will we meet our budget? How do I respond to critics gracefully? How can I provide meaningful encouragement to colleagues and friends? During challenging situations, I sometimes think of the song, "God will take care of you." The lyrics include, No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you; Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you. (verse 4) God will take care of you, Through every day, o'er all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you. (chorus)  Listen to Aretha Franklin's rendition of the song from her "Gospel Greats" album by clicking here. Another perspective that keeps me going is Spurgeon's devotional writings. An example is his reflection on "God's Provision" (May 21). It is based on Genesis 4:2, "There is grain for sale in Egypt." The following excerpts are liberally edited. May they also speak to you. Leader, though all things are apparently against you, rest assured that God has made a reservation on your behalf. In the roll of your troubles, there is a saving clause. Somehow He will deliver you, and somewhere He will provide for you. Your rescue may come from a very unexpected source, but help will definitely come, and you will praise the Lord. If men and women do not feed you, ravens will; and if the earth does not yield wheat, heaven will drop manna. Be of good courage, and rest quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the west if He pleases and can make the source of distress a living steam of delight. God provided for Jacob with grain from Egypt (Genesis 4:2) through the hands of Joseph; he opened or closed the granaries at will. And so the riches of providence are all in the absolute power of our Lord Jesus, who will dispense them generously to His people. Joseph was abundantly ready to help his own family; and Jesus is unceasing in the faithful care for His sisters and brothers. Our responsibility is to go after the help that is provided for us: We must not sit and sulk, but, rather, stir ourselves. Prayer will bring us quickly into the presence of our royal Brother. Once before His throne, we have only to ask and receive. His stores are not exhausted. There is still grain:. His heart is not hard; He will give the grain to us. Prayer: Lord, forgive our unbelief and constrain us to draw largely from Your fullness and receive grace for grace. One supportive help that is provided is Church Leadership Center, which works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here

Songs of Life

His shrunken frame and age-diminished voice were almost lost at the front of our large church auditorium. He had been a medical intern at a small hospital in Arnhem when Hitler's war machine rolled through the Netherlands and set up a puppet Nazi government. Radios were destroyed to prevent BBC "propaganda" from demoralizing folks who needed nothing other than German "truth."   But among the clutter of equipment in one surgical suite, someone had managed to hide a short wave set. At 5 p.m. each Sunday afternoon the doctors and nurses gathered secretively and tuned softly the worship service of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields on the edge of London. My friend could not remember a single sermon heard in those covert assemblies, but one thing he never forgot. At the close of each broadcast swelled the choral power of Henry Lyte's magnificent melody, "Abide with Me."   "In the distance we could hear the guns," the old doctor whispered, "and the cupboards of medical supplies rattled with falling bombs. We huddled together, standing close to the single speaker, weeping as we were transported for a few moments into the congregation in London, and with it to the very throne of God."   "This," he said, as we turned our own hymnbooks to the song, "is how we survived those dark and awful hours." And so we sang with him: Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide! The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide! When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, O, Thou who changest not, abide with me!   I think of him often when my students walk into class with buds in their ears linked to phones. "What are you listening to?" I ask them, and they tell me of the latest hits and greatest groups and hottest tunes and newest metal. I love music, and I share their passions, often playing videos of recent songs for classroom discussions.   But in the noisy archives of all the wonderful melodies I've loved and sung with pounding intensity or heart-throbbing intimacy, I wonder, sometimes, what music actually changes my life, or places me in the company of those who need to enter another realm in order to remember what this one is truly all about. What are you listening to?   The greatest music, of course, is the melody of creation, echoing the timeless beauty of its Creator. And those who sing that song best have learned the lyrics from Jesus, the one who sang life itself into being and taught us the song of salvation.   CLC is training people who can sing these songs well, and who then can teach them to others. Partner with us so that the choir of grand music can swell in your neighbor, and in others as well--particularly those places that have too long heard only the discord and dissonance of evil. It is time for the music to begin again.   Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.   Special thanks to Dr. Wayne Brouwer for writing the above article. He is CLC's theological editor, professor at Hope College, and adjunct professor at Western Theological Seminary.

Let Freedom Ring

This past weekend we celebrated Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July. The day commemorates freedom of the original American thirteen colonies from Great Britain. The weekend provides an opportunity to identify education and leadership perspectives on freedom that are embraced by Church Leadership Center. The following quotes are foundational to the ways in which CLC approaches teaching and learning. The quotes meet no particular criteria for selection other than being favorites of this writer. They are from John Calvin, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Martin Luther King, Jr. John Calvin (French Reformer, 1509-1564) There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence. The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart. Therefore, in reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them should remind us, that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. John Dewey (American Educator, 1859-1952) Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. We always live at the time we live and not at some other time, and only by extracting at each present time the full meaning of each present experience are we prepared for doing the same thing in the future. Paulo Freire (Brazilian Educator, 1921-1997) Liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information. One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people. Such a program constitutes cultural invasion, good intentions notwithstanding. The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves. Reading is not walking on the words; it's grasping the soul of them. Teachers and students (leadership and people) co-intent on reality are both Subjects, not only in the task of unveiling that reality, and thereby coming to know it critically, but in the task of re-creating that knowledge. As they attain this knowledge of reality through common reflection and action, they discover themselves as its permanent re-creators. If I am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change the world without a certain dream or vision for it, I must make use of every possibility there is not only to speak about my utopia, but also to engage in practices consistent with it. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Civil Rights Leader, 1929-1968) The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the Good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.

Summer time, Summer time, Sum Sum Summer time

Church Leadership Center Schools often slow down in the summer time. It's as if it is okay to stop learning and to live the lyrics of the 1958 classic, "Summertime, Summertime" by the Jamies, or "In the Summer Time" by Andy Williams (1960). If you are too young to remember these or need a dose of nostalgia, for the first, click here and for the second, click here. Church Leader ship Center continues with our typical roster of courses. Check these out and forward this email to a lay leader for her or his continuing education. Many of the courses are available through distance learning. Leadership and Ministry The course provides an overview of leadership and ministry, biblical teachings on leadership, examples from Scripture pointing to leadership practices, and the New Testament call for leadership in the Church. Specific topics include: leading the faith community, calling and equipping, and accountable relationships. Meets six Thursday evenings (July 17, July 31, August 14, August 28, September 11, September 25) from 6:30-8:30pm. Location to be determined. Pastoral Care and Counseling From New Testament beginnings, "pastors" were uniquely gifted elders in congregations, functioning in the powerful tradition of shepherds who led and cared for human flocks, and taking their ecclesiastical cue from Jesus, who declared himself to the Good Shepherd. The course provides an overview of pastoral responsibilities and disciplines. Wednesday mornings (10-12 am); five discussion sessions on every other week, beginning on July 16. Online discussion group. RCA History and Missions This mini-class of three sessions is about more than a history lesson. It is about the legacy of faithfulness and struggle inherited by the Reformed Church and her ministries. The design of the class is simple; i.e. to appreciate the stories of the Reformed Church in America in the past, to see how those stories have shaped our present, and how they can inform the ministry of our churches/organizations today. This is about far more than history- it is about getting engaged in God's mission today. Monday evenings; three discussion sessions during July – August. Online discussion group. RCA Standards and Government A survey of the Constitution of the Reformed Church in America in the areas of church government and theological standards (creeds and confessions). Participants will demonstrate a functional understanding and adherence to the government and Standards of the Reformed Church in America . They should be able to show an understanding of and appropriate adherence to the creeds and confessions (Apostles' Creed, Nicene, Creed, Athanasian Creed, Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort, and Belhar Confession). Meets late June – early September. Spiritual Formation This course, through selected readings and directed spiritual exercises, introduces the spiritual disciplines and the formation of Christian character. Participants are guided in reading Scripture for personal application, being attentive in prayer, and co-operating with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification as these relate to life and ministry. Five bi-weekly discussion sessions. Meeting times and location to be determined. Participation Details -Please pre-register by June 16, 2014 by sending an email to Mark Veldt: veldtmark@gmail.com, 616-366-2954. Course meeting date and time options will be discussed with participants. Classes begin throughout the Summer. -Work load: 5 CEUs (50 hours), meeting 3 – 5  times for 1 -  2 hours each time. -Delivery: small group, phone and internet conferencing, (e.g., Skype, Google Hangout) or guided study -The cost for each course is $300 (with the exception of RCA History and Missions, which is $150), to be paid prior to the first class meeting. Send check to: RCA Synod of the Great Lakes, Attn: Alison DeBoer, 4500 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.

Dark Glasses

Why did the teacher wear dark glasses? Because her students were all so bright! For all of us who "finished" our education recently or long ago, perhaps this is the year to rethink our truancy and develop a plan for continuing education. Thomas Rollins remembers the grind of Harvard Law School and recalls being surprised by one of his professors who said that one day they would wish to be back in a place like this. As he later crammed for a Federal Rules of Evidence exam, Rollins felt woefully unprepared and managed to obtain videotaped lectures of a noted authority in the field. "I dreaded what seemed certain to be boring," Rollins said, planting himself in front of the TV and playing all 10 hours nearly non-stop. To his amazement, the lectures "were outrageously insightful, funny, and thorough." When he felt the wisp of educational nostalgia resurging, in later life, Rollins founded The Teaching Company (www.teach12.com), capturing the best university lecturers in many disciplines on audio and video recordings. My friend and I first bought "Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition" together (I think we each paid $20 to get it on sale), and I thank Rollins ever since, every time I'm in my car. These stimulating lectures have broadened my horizons and deepened my understanding of so many dimensions of human existence as I drive. Religion, history and philosophy are my draws, although I constantly dabble in all disciplines. Professor David Zarefsky's final lecture on "Abraham Lincoln: In His Own Words" brought tears to my eyes. I've since added The Modern Scholar lectures of Recorded Books (www.modernscholar.com) to my ear candy collection. Though the lecturers are less consistently out-of-the-ballpark-great as those of The Teaching Company (and sometimes there are obvious editing mistakes), these on sale are also more than worth the price. Listening to Timothy Schutt recounting the "Wars That Made the Western World: The Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, and the Punic Wars" is about as fascinating and intriguing as human communication can get. Marvelous! While these two companies are my favorites for educational stimulation, a host of resources can be found free of charge online. YouTube, the great video broadcaster, has created a separate address (www.youtube.com/edu) for college and university lectures. The sheer volume of presentations available is daunting, but any beginners will quickly find fascination simply by clicking on the "Most Viewed" videos. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is to be commended as a leader in the field of online open classrooms. While the focus is obviously largely on the sciences, the courses found at http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/are incredibly interesting, even for non-scientists. Most engaging for its truly broad diversity of scintillating presentations of all kinds on all topics, with none over 20 minutes in length, is TED.com. A dose each day will make you the most interesting conversationalist on the block. Even if you find yourself on a summer break from education, true learning never ends. That is what we know at CLC. We are in the business of training in season and out of season. Year round. Every month. In all places. Learning cannot be confined to a few classes in a few schools. It is a life discipline. Especially when it comes to learning the wisdom and ways of the Kingdom of God. Partner with us. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Special thanks to Dr. Wayne Brouwer for writing the above article. He is CLC's theological editor, professor at Hope College, and adjunct professor at Western Theological Seminary.

Questing Savannah

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Church Leadership Center Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful city of gardens and cemeteries and parks. Our youngest daughter went to college in Savannah just as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil became popular in both book and movie versions. She even had a job for a summer working in one of the cemeteries, where she reset gravestones and restored family monuments. Some of them had been looted and reconfigured by General Sherman’s troops after his infamous Civil War “March to the Sea” from Atlanta to Savannah ravished many communities. Sherman loved Savannah, however, and we could understand why. When platted in 1769, Savannah’s founders created four “squares” of public park space to enhance the social life of its residents. As the city grew, the “squares” multiplied to twenty-four, enhanced by other larger parkland areas and marvelously-crafted cemeteries. Today Savannah’s southern charm is enhanced by ghost stories and haunting sightings in its ancient buildings and sultry public places lined by Spanish moss hung oaks. John Wesley preached his first sermons in the New World in the squares of Savannah, cementing the gospel link between gardens and cemeteries and parks. Today his image stands in bronze downtown, still crying out about eternity among those plagued by the fatal human disease of death and reminding us of Wesley’s leadership in lay discipleship and evangelistic preaching. Interestingly, the story of our race, according to the Bible, begins in a garden, ends in a park-like city, and is focused in between on a cemetery. Gardens speak of well-sculptured horticulture and minimal human engagement. Friends walk through parks and gardens. Lovers stroll secluded paths, picking flowers for one another and hiding smooches from public view. Birders relish the quiet of muted breezes carrying fowl calls of the wild. Cities, on the other hand, rush and roil, bump and burn, stomp and shout, push and pluck, and assault every sense all at once. Cities are made for crime, particularly if you read of their origins in Genesis 5. The sons of Adam and daughters of Eve who heard from their first parents of the delights of communion with God and one another, once ejected from the Garden of bliss tried to recreate the great societies by building cities! That solution didn’t work then, and rarely to the present have cities ever been agents of great grace. And yet, it was to the city that rural Jesus came, when he brought home the divine message of salvation. And it was to the cities that Paul and others traveled with the Good News about Jesus. In fact, the word “pagan” originally meant “farmer” or “rural person” in Greek, only picking up its negative connotations when the cities of the Roman world had become “Christianized” by the fourth century, and those out in the country were left behind in the evangelization process. Today the cities of our world cry for renewal. There are many social programs that seek to address small or great needs. But above all stands the call for the rebuilding of the City of Humanity into the City of God. Though the final design and construction will require another mighty act of God at the end of time, today we participate in the global quest through restoring communities of faith, redeeming social structures, and renewing urban blight into blessing. Training leaders to make these things possible is the work of CLC. And you. Partner with us. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Special thanks to Dr. Wayne Brouwer for writing the above article. He is CLC’s theological editor, professor at Hope College, and adjunct professor at Western Theological Seminary.

Missional Church Leadership

Church Leadership Center One of this week's meetings was an assessment conference for developing a contextualized training plan for a missional church leader and commissioned pastor candidate, Rodrigo Cano. He is the Hispanic church planter of Alas Conexion (Connections) Church, Grand Rapids, MI. Pastor Cano is pictured with his mentor and friend, veteran missionary to Mexico, Rev. Jim Heneveld. Rodrigo was born in Mexico. He has a BA in Business Administration from San Diego State University. His ministry experiences include preaching, leading worship and Bible study, youth ministry, and translation work. His leadership style, and that of mentor Jim Heneveld, is consistent with the content of a classic resource on the missional church. Following is a review of The Ministry of the Missional Church (Craig VanGelder) by CLC facilitator, Rev. Andy Bossardet. Church leadership books can be a mixed bag. Some offer support on nurturing a relationship with God, while others rely heavily on current systems thinking and sociological data. The Ministry of the Missional Church manages both in a way that calls leaders to fully rely on the Holy Spirit, while also taking advantage of the shared wisdom of the Body of Christ. It is a landmark piece of work. The beginning of the book is filled with deep theology and a well-rounded discussion of the Holy Spirit, which aims to include people of various traditions and backgrounds. (Anyone who desires to have a brief summary of the work of the Holy Spirit would be well-served to check out the opening chapters of VanGelder's book.) The Ministry of the Missional Church also takes a look at the current state of the Church and her identity. VanGelder argues that the Church is missional by nature, and, therefore, mission is to be viewed less as an optional activity for a few and more as the very center of the Church's activity. Also, the Church is a community by nature, and so the mission of the Church is meant to be practiced in community and not simply by individuals. The community of Christ, the Church, exists in a greater context- the world.  And since the world is always changing, the Church is also always changing. Sometimes congregations change because of circumstances - persecution, major cultural shifts, or crises. Other times, congregations change because of intentional and strategic realignment with God's mission in the world. VanGelder spends a fair amount of time explaining the relationship between understanding one's congregation both as an open system and as a community called by the Spirit. The author explains characteristics of an open systems, missional approach as the following: -Starts with the context in which the congregation is located. -Identifies the boundaries that give the church its identity within its community. -Seeks feedback and examines results: i.e., people and resources flowing in, ministry flowing out. -Defines its purpose (mission), core missional practices, and vision. -Develops visionary leaders and a strategic infrastructure. -Recognizes Holy Spirit-guided transformation. While VanGelder's work is an introduction to the theological work of church strategy, it is also among the best, most faithful, and most thorough that we have read. Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Please forward this email to a lay leader or church staff member who may benefit from information about leadership development and Church Leadership Center. To contribute financially to CLC or to learn about options for leadership development in your church, reply to this email. . With thanks to Rev. Andrew Bossardet for this book review. Andy is an online course facilitator for Church Leadership Center and pastor of Glen Lake (MI) Community Reformed Church. He is pictured here with his brand-new son, Micah Thomas Bossardet, born April 7 2014.