Transforming Church

Those entering this learning journey will discover a community of practitioners, willing to share the pain and joy of the leadership journey. Drawing on the experiences of mature, effective leaders, we will provide mentoring and direction to help form and support healthy, missional pastors. Pastors and lay leaders in this program will be among those called to lead the renewal of the church in mission.

The purpose of the Transforming Leadership Initiative is to equip disciple-making leaders for a missional church. Our vision is to become a learning community of leaders who are grounded in the risen Christ, living as disciples, connecting people to Jesus, multiplying to reach others, and sent into the world to use our God given gifts to serve the church and the world God loves.

For Pastors:
Participating pastors will enter into peer coaching triads which will meet monthly (phone, Skype, internet, in person, etc.) throughout the three years of this program. Participants will find friends who will pray, laugh, cry, encourage and strengthen one another. This will provide regular support, creative thinking and mutual accountability.

In addition to monthly peer coaching sessions, cohort groups of six participants will gather twice a year at Signature Ministries to learn from effective missional leaders and see these ministries in action. These cohorts will be the basis for more intensive work and application of what is being learned. Signature Ministries will serve as teaching congregations – ministries which exhibit high effectiveness in mission which includes strong shared leadership, growing worship attendance, improved stewardship, high lay involvement that honors the priesthood of all believers, and notable impact in their communities and the world. These will be chosen from a wide variety of geographic locations and contexts. Sites will provide relevant learning in a variety of contexts, sizes and styles of congregational ministry.

Finally, participants will attend an annual Transforming Leadership Gathering, held each year in January. Key principles of leadership will be shared to lay foundations for the coming year’s work. Workshops will be offered and cohort groups will meet to assess progress and plan for the coming year’s work. These larger gatherings will provide the scale needed to provide the kinds of motivating and engaging energy that will help fuel the work. Lay leadership teams will join pastors in this gathering.

Lay Leadership will join the team:
Each participating congregation will bring a team of lay leaders who will also commit to the three year learning journey with the pastor. At the annual Transforming Leadership Gathering, these lay leaders will work together with the pastor as a team to make sure that shared learning becomes action in the local congregation. Early in the journey, they will work to develop this leadership team and clarify mission, vision and values and strategies to achieve them. Together they will monitor progress in achieving the vision.

In congregations that participate in this process, the laity will learn to discern their gifts, purpose and calling. They will be invited on a discipleship journey and equipped to live out faith in daily life, at home and at work, recognizing that all disciples are called to mission and sent out in Jesus’ name. We embrace the priesthood of all believers and the doctrine of vocation as essential to renewing the missional church that is sent by Christ into the world. The journey focuses on outreach and stresses multiplication of disciples and leaders.

Support for Spouses:
For those who are married, spouses will participate to work together to craft a personal vision of a shared and ongoing call to ministry. We will have an annual program specifically designed to support spouses in ways that fit the role(s) they have. As a primary support for pastors, spouses will be introduced to key elements of this leadership curriculum, helping strengthen families who are all somehow impacted by the ministry of congregational transformation. In addition, time to reflect and work on relationships will provide a chance to grow closer, not only in ministry but also as partners in life’s journey.

A Variety of Contexts:
Effective leaders are needed in all contexts and in the wide variety of settings where the ELCA is called to be missionally present. This means that urban, suburban and rural contexts all provide places where God is calling the church to be effective in changing environments. Cohort groups will gather at Signature Ministries in diverse settings, with each cohort choosing which Signature Ministries best relate to the contexts where they serve and would provide the best place for their next gathering as a group together.

For those just starting new missions, involved in urban ministry, in small town and rural settings, or in financially stressed congregations the need for new ministry tools and paradigms is clear. The design leadership for this project includes some of the brightest and most effective leaders from smaller congregations and multicultural settings in the ELCA. Use of Signature Ministries from these contexts will teach and spark imagination in participants in ways that they can learn and apply in their own ministry settings.

For larger congregations, one of the great challenges is to find leaders to follow after those who are nearing the end of their season of leadership. The systematic approach to equipping leaders envisioned in this project will create a pool of leaders capable of growing into leadership roles in larger congregations. We will assist larger congregations meet the staffing challenges they face today, by equipping and bringing visibility to strong emerging leaders.

Visits to the larger Signature Ministries in this learning network will create opportunities for leaders to gain a deeper understanding of the unique nature of very large congregations. Leaders from the larger congregations of the ELCA have been an integral part of the design team for this project. Their continued deep involvement will insure the relevancy of the learning journey for their context. Those called to live out their ministry in such a setting will have a chance, as participants, to see several different expressions of such ministries, and develop relationships with key staff and leaders of these signature ministries.

For Synods:
The Transforming Leadership Initiative creates a developmental journey, beyond First Call Theological Education, that continues the equipping of strong leaders. Synods will benefit from this new channel to equip and support leaders. The impact will spread beyond local congregations as participants learn the skills of peer-coaching and graduates become coaching resources within their synods.

Synods participating in our project will also attract pastors who desire the opportunity for lifelong learning, mentoring and coaching. Without having to dedicate their resources to creating such opportunities alone, synods will gain the benefit of collaborating with others in supporting the creation of this learning community. Congregations emerging from this experience will bring missional energy and focus to the life of the synod, influencing many other congregations and leaders to move deeper into building discipleship communities.

For Seminaries:
For seminaries, this initiative will create a pool of candidates who could work through and beyond this process to receive a Doctor of Ministry degree with the credit received from their participation in this learning journey combined with other work determined by the seminary. Seminaries will benefit from their partnership with a community of practitioners, who are learning together to lead healthy, effective congregations into the postmodern era. The cross-fertilization of ideas between the academic community and the community of practitioners will enrich each in vibrant ways.

A Lasting Impact:
The ongoing relationships that are started in this process will last long after the three year journey is completed. Coaching and cohort groups will form bonds that will, in some cases, last a lifetime. By providing for ongoing networking through the TransformingChurch.org community, participants will find support and resources for years to come. The process is about establishing a team-based way for laity and clergy to work together in ways that will enhance church leadership for generations to come.

Our goal is to equip ordained and lay leaders with the skills to create healthy spiritual communities in their congregations. Discipleship will be enhanced and people equipped for ministry within the church. They will also be prepared and sent as missionaries into the world and able to serve intentionally as Christ’s feet and hands and voice in the midst of their daily lives. People will flourish, drawing others to Christ and transforming daily life into mission and ministry.

Partnered with the Institutions of the Church but Separately Incorporated
TransformingChurch.org is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization (application pending) created to partner with other institutions of the church. Its board of governance brings a mix of lay and ordained leaders to the table. We are designing a leadership team that will model the collaboration of lay and ordained that typifies a healthy body of Christ. We hope to replicate that healthy body of Christ in every congregation participating in our network.

Because the whole church is invested in raising effective leaders, in our financial models, participants and their local congregation will only be expected to contribute one third to one half of the cost of the experience. Agencies, foundations and private donors who believe in the power of faithful and effective leadership are investing significant financial resources in this work. For those in very economically challenged contexts, we will have some scholarship money to reduce the financial barrier even further.

The presence of effective pastors on the board insures connections to effective missional practices. The voice of effective laity on the board will help keep a focus on measurable outcomes from our work to equip leaders and engage laity. The organizational structure will keep the focus on the mission, without allowing other priorities to drain the resources from the primary goal and vision. Our vision is for lay leaders from all fields to be fully engaged with missional pastors to grow vibrant, healthy Christian communities that move beyond mere membership to committed discipleship – a missional church where lives are transformed and gifted people are called, equipped and sent out for the sake of the world.

Learn more about our Learning Journey curriculum here.

Also, to see and learn more about Transforming Leaders Initiative on its home website, click here.