What are a pastor’s biggest indicators that it’s time to consider leadership development training? Martin: Many seek training during a crisis, or when a felt need is strong, which creates anxiety in the church’s system. Those who choose to pursue ‘lifelong learning’ are less likely to have staff conflict, mistrust or confusion in the church […]
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For busy pastors, it offers a flexible, efficient and cost-effective way to pursue an advanced degree. Here, five experts survey the landscape. Do you see a lot of full-time ministry leaders embracing advanced degrees via distance learning right now? If so, what’s driving that interest? Are certain areas of focus / concentrations proving most attractive? […]
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Overall, are pastors are adequately prepared to provide counseling to their church members? Yvonne N. Glass, Ph.D., LPCC-S: It depends. Pastors are prepared for pastoral counseling. Some are certainly well-equipped to deal with parishioners’ spiritual and emotional issues. Many more are reasonably equipped to do “non-clinical” counseling, such as grief and pre-marital counseling. They likely […]
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Which skills are most in-demand today — and how can you make this training work for you? Among busy pastors, which areas of leadership and management training have seen the most demand in the past few years — and why? Gene C. Fant: First, we’ve seen increased interest in leadership in a digital media […]
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For busy full-time church leaders, an MDiv or DMin degree might seem out of reach. Here’s the reality. Have full-time church leaders shown increased interest in MDiv and DMin training in recent years? Reggie Ogea: We have seen an increased interest in training in a variety of areas. For the MDiv, a lot of larger […]
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How can you tell which Master of Divinity (MDiv) program is the best fit for you? By Joel Short There might be practical concerns relating to cost and convenience to consider. But how can you evaluate the quality of a program and the impact it will have on your life and ministry? Here are 5 […]
Read More >Expert perspectives on the expectations church leaders face today, common pitfalls and risks, and how to rise to the challenge Overall, are pastors adequately trained and prepared with regards to counseling their congregations?
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By Jenny Williams & Mandy Ford Students at Bethany Theological Seminary and Earlham School of Religion (ESR) get more to their educational experience than meets the eye. As seminaries across the country are downsizing, merging, or closing, these two schools in Richmond, Indiana, intend to keep building on a partnership that began a quarter of […]
Read More >By Jenny Williams Educational debt is an issue for many students across the country, and seminary students are no exception. At Bethany, recipients of the Pillars and Pathways Residency Scholarship can complete their seminary education without incurring additional educational or consumer debt. “No student should be limited in following God’s call by financial debt incurred […]
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Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh In general, have full-time church leaders shown increased interest in leadership and management training? Bo Rice: With the world changing as fast as it is, solid leadership skills are often what keep the ship right. So, yes, I’ve seen significant increased interest in leadership and management training in the past […]
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