Skip to main content

What Skills are Required of 21st Century Ministry Leaders?

Several blog writers that I follow have recently posted observations about the needs of pastoral leaders in the contemporary setting and in the coming years. They have asked questions like, “What are the competencies required?”  “What type of preparation is needed?”  “Will there be a place for paid, full-time clergy?”

 In one of these blogs, Alan Roxburgh made the following observations about the preparation of clergy:

“There is a disconnect between the kind of leader seminaries are producing and the growing sense of the kinds of leaders now needed on the ground in congregations. There is a heightening of anxiety across church systems that what seminaries are producing is simply out of step with what is needed. There is a growing conviction that the established model of the ‘professional’ clergy will go the way of the dodo bird. We are in need of shaping new kinds of contextual learning communities which are working at discovering together what the new leadership needs to look like. This is not an abandonment of classical or intellectual skills but a loss of confidence in the existing professional, degreed models of leadership.”

He also pointed out that the financial crisis in many churches and denominations will have an impact on full-time clergy:

“At the same time, we are reaching the point where, in many denominations, over 50% of congregations can no longer afford full-time clergy and many of the remainder can’t pay their clergy the salaries needed to maintain a decent living and pay down their student debt.”

In a recent blog, I addressed the second concern as I pointed to Jeff Woods’ ideas about alternative support systems for ministers.  In this posting, I want to share some ideas about addressing the apparent disconnect between the kind of pastoral leaders that seminaries are producing and the type of leaders that churches need or will need in the future.

There are several skill sets that ministers will need to meet the changing needs of faith communities in the decades ahead.

First, ministers must be equipped to be spiritual directors.  Not only will this strengthen the life of the minister, but this will help the clergyperson to guide individuals as they identify, learn and practice the spiritual disciplines that will enrich their relationship with God.  This is a key aspect of discipleship and one that churches have long neglected. As a result, Christians have often felt compelled to explore non-Christian practices to give them spiritual grounding.

Second, ministers need to learn how to read their culture.  This does not mean uncritically embracing the popular culture, compromising the Gospel message, or “going native.”  It does mean that the minister needs to learn the skills of the cultural anthropologist in order to fully comprehend the context in which he or she ministers—the innate values and norms in the culture,  the way that people really communicate with one another, and the nature of authority, for example.  In so doing, the minister can function more effectively as a leader, pastoral minister, proclaimer of the Gospel, and change agent.

Third, the “dirty little secret” of many seminary degree programs is that they devote very little time in the curriculum to developing communicators.  Students can complete some courses of study and take only one preaching course.  Of course, communication is not limited to preaching, but many seminary graduates are poor writers and have only the basic skills of teaching.  Ministers need to be able to communicate effectively both orally and verbally in a variety of media and settings.

Fourth, today and tomorrow’s minister must be an intentional networker.  He or she must be able to connect with people in various contexts in order to advance the ministry that God has provided.  This starts in seminary by exposing students to leaders in all kinds of settings—religion, business, education, health, media—so that they can “learn the language” and be able to relate to people both in the church and in the marketplace.

Finally, most 21st century ministers will need to have entrepreneurial skills.  Traditional resources for ministry are becoming scarcer, so the minister is going to have to be able to find, cultivate, and use resources—personnel, finances, space, and technology—from new and unexpected places.  The resources are there, but they must be repurposed for Kingdom work.

Of course, I realize that no one individual will possess all of these skill sets, but various ministry settings will require several of these.  This will require both theological educators and prospective ministers to embrace new approaches to formation for ministry.




Labels:

Comments

Nancy said…
Ircel, I agree wholeheartedly in what you are saying about equipping pastors. Seminaries are missing the importance of developing pastors who can lead, teach, preach, and direct on a spiritual, human, and cultural level.
6:51 PM
Post a Comment

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist.  I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age.  I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving.  This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students.  We supported missionaries at home and abroad.  We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course).  I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition.  Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect.  There were significant theological differences, often geograp
1 comment
Read more

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself.     The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church.  Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs.  What once worked no longer seems to be effective.  Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s  “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the
Post a Comment
Read more

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor.   He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.”   In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.”   Jesus turned this around.   In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner.   His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced.   He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality.  These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church.   On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter.  Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year.  He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg
Post a Comment
Read more

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business.  For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates.  He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.
Post a Comment
Read more