A Program for New and Renewed Leadership in the United Methodist Church, Vanderbilt Divinity School
Vanderbilt Divinity School
A Program for New and Renewed Leadership in the United Methodist Church
The Christian Church in the United States, including the United Methodist Church, is facing a crisis in leadership. Fewer are choosing to enter the ministry and more are leaving over time. According to the Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation, the number of college students electing to enter the ministry continues to drop at an accelerating rate. This decline is in great part fueled by the increasing cost of education at undergraduate and graduate levels paired with the limited earning potential of those who choose the ministry.
Any solution to the church’s leadership crisis must go beyond merely attracting good and gifted people to the calling of ministry. It also must provide for the continued care and development of those called into ministry. Faithful and imaginative ministry must be sustained by creative and consistent efforts from those responsible for the quality of ministry: theological schools, regional church bodies, and concerned lay leaders.
We believe that we can help stem the crisis in ministerial leadership by: 1) Attracting, recruiting, and training new promising candidates for the ministry for our region and, 2) Strengthening the leadership skills of current pastors and lay ministers through the creation of a regional center for continued education and development. Thanks to the generosity of Cal Turner, Jr., Vanderbilt is launching a two-fold program to address this crisis.
The Cal Turner Jr. Leadership Scholars
Vanderbilt Divinity School will provide fellowships to qualified United Methodist candidates who demonstrate a clear intent to pursue congregational ministry. The Cal Turner Leadership Scholars will enroll in the three year Master of Divinity program. They will receive a fellowship including full tuition and an annual stipend dependent on congregational work. During their tenure, they will work in a local United Methodist congregation as part of their experience. They will benefit from the program and offerings already provided at Vanderbilt Divinity School for United Methodist students such as the opportunity to participate in a Wesley Heritage Immersion Program in England, and the United Methodist Student Association. This opportunity is available for 7 students each year starting in 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 for a total of 21 Cal Turner Scholars.
Turner Center for Church Leadership and Congregational Development
In cooperation with Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, the Turner Center will serve the development of clergy and lay leadership in the regional church.
These difficult times in the church are compounded by disruptions in the civil society, the economy, and the culture. The current generation of leadership in the church is often not prepared to deal with these changes or to lead the congregation in new ways of being the faithful church of Jesus Christ. These leaders are in urgent need of formation in effective forms of leadership, in theologically sound reconceptualizations of ministry and mission, and in the spiritual formation that would give them the courage and perseverance to lead in this time of crisis. The Center will commit itself to bringing the best possible resources of academy and church to the task of creating new leadership in the church.
The Center will carry out five types of educational programs for clergy and lay leaders:
· Intensive Courses: These sessions would be offered twice a year giving ministers and lay leadership opportunity for intensive study and development. Projected courses include:
+ Preaching the Gospel for These Times
+ Congregational Leadership
+ The Church and Poverty
+ Worship, Music, and the Arts
+ The Church and Its Finances: Stewardship in a New Key
+ Theology and Ecclesial Practice
· Weekend Courses offered several times per year with possible topics such as Prison Ministries, Faithful and Effective Evangelism, Health Care for the Poor, Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture, Revitalizing Rural and Urban Ministries, Theology and Ethics of Congregational Mission, or The Prophetic Ministry of the Pastor.
· In consultation with the Bishop and Cabinets of the two conferences, assistance or training for local church or districts will be available to address identified needs. An outside facilitator will be brought in to work with the local group.
· Specialized mini-sabbaticals will be available for individual pastors or lay persons to pursue research or writing with conferral with Divinity School faculty.
· The Transition into Ministry Program will continue to support Vanderbilt Divinity School United Methodist graduates in their first ten years of ministry through retreats and specialized courses.
The Center for Church Leadership will interface with other programs at Vanderbilt through:
- Cooperation with the Vanderbilt Religion and Economy Group
- Cooperation with the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership
- Cooperation with various Vanderbilt Initiatives on ecology
- Development of Program in Ecclesial Art, Hymnody, Drama, and Music
- Cooperation with The Program in Theology & Practice
For more information on the Turner Center or the Cal Turner Jr. Leadership Scholars program please contact Danny Redding-Rhodes or Douglas Meeks at the Vanderbilt Divinity School, 411 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372140 (615-322-2776) or by email at danny.redding.rhodes@vanderbilt.edu or m.douglas.meeks@vanderbilt.edu.
A Program for New and Renewed Leadership in the United Methodist Church
The Christian Church in the United States, including the United Methodist Church, is facing a crisis in leadership. Fewer are choosing to enter the ministry and more are leaving over time. According to the Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation, the number of college students electing to enter the ministry continues to drop at an accelerating rate. This decline is in great part fueled by the increasing cost of education at undergraduate and graduate levels paired with the limited earning potential of those who choose the ministry.
Any solution to the church’s leadership crisis must go beyond merely attracting good and gifted people to the calling of ministry. It also must provide for the continued care and development of those called into ministry. Faithful and imaginative ministry must be sustained by creative and consistent efforts from those responsible for the quality of ministry: theological schools, regional church bodies, and concerned lay leaders.
We believe that we can help stem the crisis in ministerial leadership by: 1) Attracting, recruiting, and training new promising candidates for the ministry for our region and, 2) Strengthening the leadership skills of current pastors and lay ministers through the creation of a regional center for continued education and development. Thanks to the generosity of Cal Turner, Jr., Vanderbilt is launching a two-fold program to address this crisis.
The Cal Turner Jr. Leadership Scholars
Vanderbilt Divinity School will provide fellowships to qualified United Methodist candidates who demonstrate a clear intent to pursue congregational ministry. The Cal Turner Leadership Scholars will enroll in the three year Master of Divinity program. They will receive a fellowship including full tuition and an annual stipend dependent on congregational work. During their tenure, they will work in a local United Methodist congregation as part of their experience. They will benefit from the program and offerings already provided at Vanderbilt Divinity School for United Methodist students such as the opportunity to participate in a Wesley Heritage Immersion Program in England, and the United Methodist Student Association. This opportunity is available for 7 students each year starting in 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 for a total of 21 Cal Turner Scholars.
Turner Center for Church Leadership and Congregational Development
In cooperation with Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, the Turner Center will serve the development of clergy and lay leadership in the regional church.
These difficult times in the church are compounded by disruptions in the civil society, the economy, and the culture. The current generation of leadership in the church is often not prepared to deal with these changes or to lead the congregation in new ways of being the faithful church of Jesus Christ. These leaders are in urgent need of formation in effective forms of leadership, in theologically sound reconceptualizations of ministry and mission, and in the spiritual formation that would give them the courage and perseverance to lead in this time of crisis. The Center will commit itself to bringing the best possible resources of academy and church to the task of creating new leadership in the church.
The Center will carry out five types of educational programs for clergy and lay leaders:
· Intensive Courses: These sessions would be offered twice a year giving ministers and lay leadership opportunity for intensive study and development. Projected courses include:
+ Preaching the Gospel for These Times
+ Congregational Leadership
+ The Church and Poverty
+ Worship, Music, and the Arts
+ The Church and Its Finances: Stewardship in a New Key
+ Theology and Ecclesial Practice
· Weekend Courses offered several times per year with possible topics such as Prison Ministries, Faithful and Effective Evangelism, Health Care for the Poor, Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture, Revitalizing Rural and Urban Ministries, Theology and Ethics of Congregational Mission, or The Prophetic Ministry of the Pastor.
· In consultation with the Bishop and Cabinets of the two conferences, assistance or training for local church or districts will be available to address identified needs. An outside facilitator will be brought in to work with the local group.
· Specialized mini-sabbaticals will be available for individual pastors or lay persons to pursue research or writing with conferral with Divinity School faculty.
· The Transition into Ministry Program will continue to support Vanderbilt Divinity School United Methodist graduates in their first ten years of ministry through retreats and specialized courses.
The Center for Church Leadership will interface with other programs at Vanderbilt through:
- Cooperation with the Vanderbilt Religion and Economy Group
- Cooperation with the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership
- Cooperation with various Vanderbilt Initiatives on ecology
- Development of Program in Ecclesial Art, Hymnody, Drama, and Music
- Cooperation with The Program in Theology & Practice
For more information on the Turner Center or the Cal Turner Jr. Leadership Scholars program please contact Danny Redding-Rhodes or Douglas Meeks at the Vanderbilt Divinity School, 411 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372140 (615-322-2776) or by email at danny.redding.rhodes@vanderbilt.edu or m.douglas.meeks@vanderbilt.edu.
