Academy for Ministry Excellence
(A Comprehensive Probationers Curriculum for Leadership in the 21st Century)

The Rueben Job Center for Leadership Development is pleased to offer a resource that will be a benefit to individual annual conferences, and the United Methodist Church as a whole.  Following its commitment to leadership development and strengthening the ministry of Christ in the United Methodist Church, the Bishop Rueben Job Center has developed a curriculum of the three-year learning cycle for probationers of annual conferences.  The curriculum includes a wide range of important, formational areas of training that we believe will equip new pastors with the practical skills they need to serve as effective and mature ordained leaders of congregations in the 21^st century.  Such leadership is marked by the following qualities and focus:  spiritual leadership centered on God’s mission for the congregation; collaborative leadership style with laity in partnership for decision making and implementation to maximize wisdom; understanding leadership within a multi-cultural and multi-generational congregational context; utilizing the spiritual gifts of laity for the ministries to which they are called; and developing leaders who develop others in ministry for the mission of Jesus Christ.

The curriculum itself is divided into six retreats scheduled over three years.  It is suggested that the annual conference Boards of Ordained Ministry also schedule an additional retreat for their probationers each year within the bounds of each conference to cover additional areas of ministry that are also important and particular to their board's needs.  The curriculum will be offered in a three-year cycle, allowing probationers to enter the training during any year of the cycle.  The retreats will be staffed by experienced leaders in the various learning areas, which promise to offer the highest quality learning events for the participants.  There will be several assessment tools that will be utilized throughout this Academy in order to enhance self-awareness in ministry, and these tolls will be incorporated into the learning throughout the retreats.  Each probationer will bring two key lay leaders with them to experience this training and to learn through practice and experience collaborative leadership with laity that is theologically central and essential for effective ministry in the 21^st century.  Mentors of the probationers are strongly urged also to participate in this process in order to enhance their work with the probationer, as well as strengthen their own ministry skills and spiritual core for ministry in this exciting century.

It is our dream that this new curriculum of six retreats presented over a three year period of crucial ministry development will become the norm for training the next generation of clergy and lay leaders of the United Methodist Church.  This leadership will be marked by a strong, vital spirituality that leads effectively from this dynamic spiritual core.   A new century requires new understandings and practices of leadership.  As Jesus observed, new wine requires new wineskins!  The future not only of the United Methodist Church but also the mission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all who are transformed by God’s grace, depends on this dramatic shift in leadership style, development, and paradigm.  We invite you to join us in this exciting, dynamic, and essential spiritual leadership journey as we seek to faithfully follow the leading of Jesus Christ in the living out of God’s mission.

RETREAT ONE
This retreat focuses on an understanding of systems thinking, as applied to local congregations in order to promote congregational health.  Included for exploration and discussion will be basic family systems principles and their application for ministry; self-differentiated leadership as a pastor; clarifying and maintaining appropriate boundaries (including financial, sexual, and professional boundaries); and helping congregations to be mission and not pastor centered.  Discovering and affirming behaviors and processes to strength health and combat disease in a congregation will also be a significant part of this retreat.  All of this is done in the context of being a vital part of a larger, connectional system known as the United Methodist Church as a growing, aware spiritual leader.

RETREAT TWO
This retreat will help the participants gain understanding into the nature of the change process.  Discussion will also include models and processes for developing a change process in the local congregation served by the probationer, using a personal case study for real life application of the learnings.  The retreat will also examine the process for managing transitions that accompany the change (as transitions are the congregational grief that comes from the losses incurred by the changes).  This process will also involve each probationer’s case study as the vital connection of leading change and managing transitions is affirmed and clarified.  The retreat will also then examine how to steward conflict and work with difficult people.  Becoming effective agents of spiritual change among other lay leaders of change within the congregation is a goal of this session.

RETREAT THREE
This retreat centers on deepening and enhancing the people skills of the participating probationers as an expression of the spiritual life.  The session will start with the role and practice of listening skills and their use in a variety of pastoral visitation situations.  Discovering effective processes of congregational communication is another part of people skills to be explored together.  The participants will also discuss and develop models of assimilation and discipling of newcomers – as well as utilizing and expanding lay care systems to provide consistent congregational care.  Learning to express God’s love throughout the congregation will be the goal of this session.

RETREAT FOUR
Leadership is the connecting concept of this retreat.  The discussion will begin with the foundational practice of servant leadership, which is essential as spiritual leaders.  Next, the participants will explore visionary leadership, including the process of developing, communicating, and aligning ministry around this vision.  The participants will examine through role play and video models of effective leadership, like modeling, championing the vision, and developing a leadership network.  The retreat will also explore specific strategies of equipping laity for ministry through use of their spiritual gifts and involvement in ministry teams (examining the structure and process of ministry teams).  Emphasis will be placed on developing a leadership team of laity and clergy working together in God’s dynamic mission for the congregation.

RETREAT FIVE
Organizational life of the congregation is the theme of this retreat.  The session begins by exploring how churches are different by size, looking at these differences in the areas of pastoral and lay leadership, care and assimilation, programs, organization and decision making, and finances and stewardship.  Practical skills will be enhanced of working with areas such as Trustees, Finance, and Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committees in terms of roles and expectations.  The participants will look at the life cycle of congregations and the leadership styles of lay and clergy leaders that can best facilitate ministry in each phase of the life cycle, and the appropriate emphasis in that stage of its congregational life to help the congregation toward health and vitality – with each probationer developing a strategy for ministry based on this understanding.  The retreat will also explore strategic planning models to facilitate this ministry of collaboration and creative pursuit of God’s mission for the congregation as spiritual and effective leaders.

RETREAT SIX
This retreat covers several additional topics important for effective ministry as a pastor.  Developing one’s spiritual life will begin the retreat, looking at models and resources for helping pastors and laity stay spiritually vital and connected to Jesus Christ.  Small group ministry models will be discussed and experienced.  Participants will examine their time management skills for enhancement, looking at the difference between the important and the urgent.  Stewardship and finances will be discussed to understand good financial management processes, how to develop effective stewardship campaigns, the role of finances and the Finance Committee in the congregation, capital campaigns, and endowment funds.  The retreat will also look at ways to enhance indigenous, vital worship and practical models and processes for starting new worship services.  Understanding our vital role as good stewards is central to this retreat.

If your church or conference would be interested in hosting or sponsoring this series of retreats, please click on the "Sponsor Info" button or text link for information.

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