I recently returned from LCMC’s Annual Gathering in Missouri. It was a great Gathering, as always. This year’s theme was “All Hands on Deck” and reflected our present need for the whole church to offer ourselves, and all our gifts and abilities, to Christ and his Kingdom-building ministry in the world. Our association (along with many other denominations) is facing a leadership crisis. As pastors retire or leave full-time vocational ministry, not enough new people are entering to keep pace. Simply put, we no longer have enough active pastors for established congregations, never mind planting new ones!
The reality is that the old models that previously sustained leadership development for the American church for over a century have been in trouble for a generation or more. While some sounded the alarm 25 years ago, it has only been in the past few years that the issue has become front and center. At this year’s Gathering, our association had the courage to address this directly. Hundreds of pastors and other congregational representatives met in focus groups to share ideas, listen to concerns, and pray for God to raise up future leaders to lead our congregations in mission for Christ.
One idea to address our leadership challenge is to help equip church members to step-up to greater leadership roles and responsibilities in specific ministry areas. More congregations are looking beyond traditional models of a full-time professional pastor towards developing teams of ministry specialists (part-time paid staff or volunteer) to share the load. These specialists may already be church members who can be trained and equipped to be a care minister, youth minister, children’s minister, Bible study leader, worship leader, church administrator, volunteer coordinator, or even the Sunday morning preacher. These part-time ministers may be retired or have other full or part-time work to sustain them.
Here’s the good news: We now have a pathway for better equipping anyone whom God may be calling to step into a greater leadership role in the church! Harvest Workers recently launched a new CHURCH LEADER TRACK that is specifically designed for equipping leaders for specialized ministry roles. Students receive essential ministry training in biblical studies, theological foundations, leadership, discipleship and one area of specialized ministry to which he or she feels called.
Similar to our Pastoral Ministry Essentials Track, the Church Leader Track is fully online and on-demand, making it both very flexible to accommodate any schedule as well as affordable. The Church Leader Track can be completed in just 12 months and costs $165 a month. If you or someone you know is sensing God’s nudge to greater leadership in ministry, check-out www.harvestworkers.net to learn more about the Church Leader Track. There’s no doubt in my mind that the challenges we face today indeed call for all hands on deck!
