HELPING LEADERS BECOME
Leadership training for pastors Featuring: Jason Hiles, Ph.D.; Chris Kalna, MS; Brent Powell, Ph.D
B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .
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Table of Contents LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR PASTORS 4
Here, three continuing education experts examine the most in-demand offerings for today’s church leaders— plus, training and educational offerings to address these needs that work with pastors’ demanding schedules. Featuring Jason Hiles, Ph.D.; Chris Kalna, MS; Dr. Brent Powell
COLLEGE OF THEOLOGY AT GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY
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Grand Canyon University’s College of Theology embraces and supports GCU’s commitment to educate students from a distinctively Christian perspective rooted in an evangelical heritage. It provides leadership and support to all of the colleges within GCU, as the university works diligently to integrate faith, learning and work across all of its academic disciplines. Our guiding pillars are: • Gospel-centered • Church-focused • Missions-oriented
ABOUT PIEDMONT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Whether you are overseeing a church, directing a school, or managing a for-profit or non-profit business, leadership is crucial for the development and success of your organization. Piedmont International University values this important truth and has been successfully training Christian leaders for more than 70 years.
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Leadership training for pastors
3 continuing education experts examine the most in-demand offerings for today’s busy church leaders
Jason Hiles, Ph.D. Dean College of Theology and Grand Canyon Theological Seminary
Chris Kalna, MS Regional Director of Operations College of Theology Grand Canyon Theological Seminary and Christian Counseling
[Our training on] emotional intelligence ... stresses the importance of self-awareness, social awareness, empathy — “soft” leadership skills pastors really need. Pastoral ministry today is extremely complex compared to when I started out as a pastor 34 years ago. You wear a lot more hats, now. — Brent Powell, Ph.D
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Brent Powell, Ph.D Dean School of Leadership & Professor in the School of Leadership Piedmont International University
As your educational institute develops its advanced education offerings, what areas of need are emerging most from church leaders? Powell: Several key leadership concepts come to mind. The first is emotional intelligence. It stresses the importance of selfawareness, social awareness, empathy — “soft” leadership skills pastors really need. Pastoral ministry today is extremely complex compared to when I started out as a pastor 34 years ago. You wear a lot more hats, now. Second, pastors are asking for organizational change training. The Message doesn’t change, but the methods do, as do our churches and culture. Pastors need practical training on how to lead change without destroying their churches or their lives. Third, in many churches, training on conflict management and conflict resolution is crucial. We’re seeing a lot of demand for that. Next, pastors are expressing a need for training in the area of authentic leadership. That’s part-and-parcel of servant leadership, steward leadership, and transformational leadership. Finally, pastors need to be trained in multicultural leadership. churchexecutive.com
(O)ur advanced degrees through the seminary require both a mentor, as well as to serve in supervised ministry with a church. This will give students a very accurate picture of a day in the life of a ministry leader and help them make sure this is the proper direction for them. — Jason Hiles, Ph.D. Kalna: A few of the current issues facing the church have to do with being able to keep the ministry staff engaged, enriched and able to serve for long tenures. We’ve observed an uptick in the number of pastors that leave ministry early in their journey. Many feel compelled to leave the church due to financial pressures, a lack of understanding of what their role may be, an inability to connect with their peers or congregation, or to pursue other paths and be in a bi-vocational role.
What training and educational offerings do you offer to help church leaders address these areas of need? Hiles: The College of Theology and Grand Canyon Theological Seminary exists to prepare future ministry leaders and to enrich current leader’s knowledge to impact the Kingdom. We’ve done our best to craft programs that best incorporate ways to overcome some of the challenges with being in ministry. The first is that our advanced degrees through the seminary require both a mentor, as well as to serve in supervised ministry with a church. This will give students a very accurate picture of a day in the life of a ministry leader and help them make sure this is the proper direction for them. The next is that we’ve made advanced training accessible and convenient, where leaders don’t need to leave their ministry to pursue education. Traditionally, one would have to move to a seminary and immerse themselves in that education and life for several years to become prepared, and then move to where the opportunity has presented itself. With our distance learning model, a student can be a full-time student with Grand Canyon University without having to leave their own home, family or ministry. The last is that we’ve made it easier and more cost-effective to pursue an education. Our Bachelors, Graduate Certificates, Master of Arts and M.Div. have been intentionally priced so that church leaders can pursue the education without having accumulated massive amounts of debt. This will lessen the burden once they’re in the church, which we hope will lessen the amount of early-career attrition.
We’ve observed an uptick in the number of pastors that leave ministry early in their journey. Many feel compelled to leave the church due to financial pressures, a lack of understanding of what their role may be, an inability to connect with their peers or congregation, or to pursue other paths and be in a bi-vocational role. — Chris Kalna, MS Powell: The program that most effectively addresses emerging leadership challenges is our new PhD in Leadership. (We also have an M.A. in Leadership.) We offer three concentrations: organizational management; ministry administration; and educational administration. We have a full course in contemporary issues in leadership that focuses on emotional intelligence. We take the students right through the full gamut — why it’s important and how it applies to your particular context or ministry environment. We have a course in organizational change that identifies how to package the need for change. How you create “the burning platform” so the church sees the need for change. Then, how to address resistance to change and promote buy-in at all levels. In our conflict resolution course, we address how to approach varied churchexecutive.com
conflict situations. For instance, you’ll have a particular side in the conflict; someone else will have their side; then, there’s a third side: the consultant’s side. You’ve got to be able to deal with conflict from that third perspective. With regards to authentic leadership, we have a full course on ethical leadership. It undergirds who we are as a Christian college. To help develop multicultural leadership, we offer a 21st-century leadership course that trains leaders to work with other cultures. In our Western world, we tend to be individualist; in the Eastern world, it’s a much more collectivist context. Leaders must learn the difference, especially in a growing church.
Are these educational offerings workable for busy fulltime church leaders? Powell: They are; in fact, I came through this program myself as a full-time pastor for 35 years. We’ve designed the format of our PhD in leadership to be accomplished in three years; it’s a 60-hour course. The M.A. in leadership is shorter and has fewer courses. The only on-campus requirement is a residency week. For that, we have students who come from all over the world — most recently, Asia, Africa, Australia and Canada. Aside from the residency, the entire program is online. They’re very interactive programs. Students participate in discussion forums, and the teacher has online office hours daily and weekly. Kalna: While every student is unique in their learning style, we do see a lot of success in students who are also full-time employees, as well as working in their churches. Our learning model is predicated on accelerated classes, one class at a time. This allows students the ability to truly understand material and concepts before moving on to the next subject in their studies. This model allows students to be full-time learners, earn 24 college credits per year, and still be able to have a good work / life balance. Students have reported spending anywhere from 15 to 20 hours per week for their education, all of which is at their own pace and not on any predetermined schedule from the University. This asynchronous learning environment allows students to juggle everything in their lives, while still incorporating education into their routines. — Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh Chris Kalna joined Grand Canyon University [ www.gcu.edu ] in 2008. He is a three-time GCU graduate, with a bachelors, masters and graduate certificate. Since joining GCU, Kalna has been involved in leadership of the admissions, academic and financial advising teams, supporting the faithbased student population. Jason Hiles joined GCU in 2013. He is a graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where he received a BFA in sculpture in 1998. He also earned an MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2001 and a PhD in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008. Upon graduation from Southeastern, Dr. Hiles was appointed assistant professor at Louisiana College and later named associate dean of the Caskey School of Divinity. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological and Evangelical Philosophical Societies. Brent Powell, Ph.D [ www.piedmontu.edu ] attended The University of Western Ontario, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and later a Certificate of Honors Standing in English. He earned a Master of Divinity from London Baptist Seminary and a Master of Information and Library Science from The University of Western Ontario. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership from Tennessee Temple University. Dr. Powell has served in full-time pastoral ministry for more than 30 years. L E A D E R S H I P T R A I N I N G F O R P A S T O R S • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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COLLEGE of THEOLOGY Grand Canyon University’s College of Theology embraces and supports GCU’s commitment to educate students from a distinctively Christian perspective rooted in an evangelical heritage. It provides leadership and support to all of the colleges within GCU, as the university works diligently to integrate faith, learning and work across all of its academic disciplines. Our guiding pillars are: • Gospel-centered • Church-focused • Missions-oriented
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he College of Theology offers transformative degrees with realworld relevance; courses enable students to apply Christian values and ethics to their studies and the workplace. We also offer seminary degrees within GCU’s Theological Seminary, an interdenominational, evangelical seminary that helps prepare Christian leaders to minister faithfully and effectively. It prepares future ministry leaders and enriches current leader’s knowledge to impact the Kingdom. UNDERGRADUATE AND SEMINARY DEGREES Our bachelor programs offer a variety of degrees — from Christian studies with an emphasis in biblical studies, global ministry, philosophy, worship leadership or youth ministry to worship arts with an emphasis in media and production or worship ministry. Our master programs offers graduate certificates of completion in biblical foundations, Christian theology, global ministry or worship leadership; or a Master of Arts in Christian leadership, Christian ministry, urban ministry or youth and family ministry. The Theological Seminary offers a Master of Divinity with two emphases: global ministry and worship leadership. The programs are designed to overcome some of the common challenges associated with working in ministry. The Master in Divinity degree requires a mentorship and serving in supervised ministry within a church; this way, students are able to gain an accurate, real-world picture of what it means to be in ministry leadership. The seminary also offers advanced online training that can be done from anywhere, so no relocation is required. ABOUT GCU Grand Canyon University, Arizona’s premier private Christian university, leads as a transformative higher learning institution in next-
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generation education, helping students Find Their Purpose and achieve their potential. In fall 2016, GCU welcomed over 17,000 traditional students to campus and nearly 60,000 online students. We offer more than 200 academic programs with 150 online programs for both campus students and working professionals. Our vibrant, expanding campus continues to thrive with brand-new classroom buildings, contemporary residence halls and resort-style pools, popular eateries and state-of-the-art athletic facilities such as our newly built GCU Stadium. Along with academic excellence, our distinguished Christian worldview, beliefs and values provide a unique academic foundation from which a values-based curriculum is developed. Students learn and live in a supportive community based upon our faith and rich diversity. We believe this type of community helps grow our students toward success— academically, personally and spiritually. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important information, please visit our website at gcu.edu/disclosures. Please note, not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities. Program availability is contingent on student enrollment. Grand Canyon University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. (800-621-7440; http://hlcommission.org/) Important policy information is available in the University Policy Handbook at https://www.gcu.edu/academics/ academic-policies.php. GCU, while reserving its lawful rights in light of its Christian mission, is committed to maintaining an academic environment that is free from unlawful discrimination. Further detail on GCU’s Non-Discrimination policies can be found at gcu.edu/titleIX. The information printed in this material is accurate as of JULY 2017. For the most up-to-date information about admission requirements, tuition, scholarships and more, visit gcu.edu. ©2017 Grand Canyon University
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GAIN LEADERSHIP SKILLS Rooted in Biblical Knowledge Grand Canyon University’s College of Theology
K E Y A DVA N TAG E S
enables students to apply Christian values and ethics to their studies and workplace. With emphases ranging from global, youth or worship ministry to philosophy and biblical studies, graduates earn a degree grounded in biblical truth and theology.
• Integrate faith, knowledge and leadership within academic disciplines • Seminary degrees offering a Master of Divinity with various emphases • Advanced studies available for careers in church leadership
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
visit gcu.edu/churchexec For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important information, please visit our website at gcu.edu/disclosures. Please note, not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities. Program availability is contingent on student enrollment. Grand Canyon University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. (800-621-7440; http:// hlcommission.org/) Important policy information is available in the University Policy Handbook at https://www.gcu.edu/academics/academic-policies.php GCU, while reserving its lawful rights in light of its Christian mission, is committed to maintaining an academic environment that is free from unlawful discrimination. Further detail on GCU’s Non-Discrimination policies can be found at gcu.edu/titleIX. ©2017 Grand Canyon University. 17COTE0032
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hether overseeing a church, directing a school, or managing a for-profit or non-profit business, leaders are crucial for the development and success of any organization. Piedmont International University values this important truth and has been successfully training Christian leaders for over seventy years. The institutional mission makes the emphasis clear: “. . . We serve churches by equipping leaders . . . .” Today, Piedmont International University is nationally recognized for its quality and innovative leadership programs. Just recently, TheBestColleges.org ranked Piedmont’s MA in Leadership among the top ten onl ine leadership programs in the US for 2017. Piedmont International University is acknowledged as one of the leading schools for training Christian leaders for today’s complex and fluid leadership landscape. Presently, Piedmont offers residential and online degrees in a variety of disciplines ranging from an Associate of Arts degree to a PhD. The flexible and affordable format of Piedmont’s online degree programs allows students to study from the comfort of their own home at a pace that fits their life and ministry obligations. The online classes are presented in convenient seven-week sessions with affordability in mind. Among the many undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered at PIU are the MA and PhD in Leadership, MA and PhD in Biblical Studies, and the MA in Ministry, MDiv and DMin degrees. Each of these individual programs focuses on developing Christian leaders for contemporary, increasingly global contexts and challenges. In fact, Piedmont’s students and alumni represent over 80 countries worldwide. The PhD in Leadership offers concentrations in organizational management, educational administration, and ministry administration.
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Courses include conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, strategic planning, ethical leadership, and organizational change. Graduates from the PhD in Leadership hold national and international positions in churches, para-church ministries, non-profits, educational institutions, military contexts, and government agencies. Students from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and North America presently study in the PhD in Leadership program. Students praise the program for its supportive professional network, its outstanding faculty, its contribution to career advancement, its focus on in-depth scholarship and research, and its practical application to real life challenges. The online MA in Ministry, MDiv and DMin programs are designed to prepare “key Christian influencers” (Charles Pettit, PIU President). Program faculty have the educational expertise and ministry experience to develop qualified Christian leaders. But more importantly, the faculty have the heart to impact their students as next generation leaders in churches, schools, and other organizations. The online MA and modular PhD in Biblical studies are specifically designed to advance the theological capabilities of our students as they prepare for advanced ministry experience as researchers, authors, and educators. The faculty actively engage the students by providing biblical perspective and practical skills. More importantly, they seek to mentor and to strive to develop the students’ biblical scholarship and perspective on contemporary issues. The passion at Piedmont International University is to equip, train, and send leaders throughout the world to accomplish God’s mission. This is one of the many reasons why pastors and Christian leaders are choosing Piedmont International University. Further information about the varied leadership degree programs of Piedmont International University can be found at www.PiedmontU.edu.
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Master of Arts Doctor of Philosophy
"The passion at Piedmont International University is to equip, train, and send leaders throughout the world to accomplish God’s mission." - Brent Powell, PhD Dean of the School of Leadership
PIEDMONT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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