Covenant News

Leadership Program Expands to Three Locations

CHICAGO (April, 2000) - Building on its success last year, the Church Leadership Certificate Program will expand to three locations this year, incorporating three new courses designed to train both professional and church lay leaders.

The three-day program, believed to be the first of its kind, responds to a top priority identified in Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) surveys – training church leaders. "Leadership development is consistently mentioned as one of the top needs throughout the denomination and is a key objective in ECC's strategic plan," observes Dean A. Lundgren, director of the Center for Management Education (CME) at North Park University and treasurer of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Although the program is not offered for academic credit, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

"North Park University is committed to development of nonprofit and church leadership," Lundgren said, noting that the certificate program complements the new Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management that opened last year.

The three courses that will be conducted at each location are:

• Discerning the Ministry and Shaping the Future: Will assist leaders in looking at vision and mission with the intent of developing a strategy for the future. Instructor is Bruce Lawson.
• Developing As a Leader: Will examine biblical principles and management skills that will enhance one's development as a leader in the church. Instructor is Sharon Stenger.
• Developing a Dynamic Team: Will help leaders understand team dynamics and development within the context of increasing the effectiveness of ministry teams in he local church. This course is designed for both staff and lay ministry teams. Instructor is Alan Forsman.

The idea for remote training sites came from requests that CME take its MBA program off-campus and offer it to a wider audience, Lundgren said. Noting the cost-prohibitive expense of offering full-scale MBA curriculum at remote locations, Lundgren said careful evaluation suggested that "what people want most are practical leadership and management skills, not necessarily another degree."

"This program provides a way for individuals to be better equipped to fulfill their roles as church leaders," said Alan Forsman, a training consultant to Andersen Worldwide and adjunct faculty member of CME. Forsman is responsible for development of the program. "The idea is to stress the practical nature of the training, not the theoretical," Forsman added. Who should attend? "Anyone involved in church leadership – people on church boards, councils, committees and program directors," Forsman answered. "We have put together Biblically based instruction that addresses what local leaders experience."

Dates and locations are as follows:

• August 9-11, 2000: Covenant Bible College, Windsor, Colorado.
• October 20-22, 2000: Bethany Covenant Church, Bedford, New Hampshire.
• January 13-15, 2001: Hillside Covenant Church, Walnut Creek, California.

Fee for each conference is $174 and includes attendance, materials, continental breakfasts and lunches. Lodging is an additional expense. With three paid registrations from a single church, a fourth registrant may attend for free. Payment may be made by check or credit card.

Registration may be completed online at campus.northpark.edu/cme/churchleadership. To register by mail, send your name, address, telephone number and fax number or e-mail address to Beth Wenell, Church Leadership Registration, 3225 W. Foster Avenue, Box 27, Chicago, Illinois, 60625. Registration may also be completed by faxing the information to 773-244-5285.

It is recommended that registration be completed for a given conference no later than 30 days prior to the start of the event to assure a place in the class. Further information may be obtained by contacting Wenell at 773-244-6270 or by e-mail at bwenell@northpark.edu. (From the April 2000 report)

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