Heart & Mind
Real Support
for Real-Life
Leaders
Building on the strong foundation laid by founding director Nikki Daniels, new Leadership Enrichment Director Sam Rima and Program Coordinator Diane Madison seek to serve an ever broadening leadership constituency.
The Bethel Leadership Enrichment program puts legs on Bethel Seminary’s commitment to support the ministry leadership community. Developed with a grant from the Lilly Foundation, Leadership Enrichment facilitates the seminary’s intentional interaction with and response to the ministry needs and concerns of those laboring in the trenches of ministry.
Bethel Seminary serves a diverse student population, with coast-to-coast campuses committed to a single, unifying purpose: to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ among all people by preparing whole and holy persons for effective ministry. But even the best-prepared ministry professionals can find the challenges of real-life leadership daunting. When “ministry reality” hits, leaders need professional enrichment opportunities and support that move beyond theory and get to the heart of ministry in the real world.
Leadership Enrichment was designed to offer just such opportunities. Meeting ministry practitioners at their point of need, Leadership Enrichment provides ongoing development, enrichment, and vital peer interaction. Help comes through three primary venues: Leadership Enrichment Seminars, the Bethel Ministry Coaching System, and the “Leading from the Inside Out” leadership formation experience.
Leadership Enrichment Seminars
Well-known speakers, writers, and leadership practitioners lead a series of four-hour seminars on the campus of Bethel University. Participants grapple head-on with pertinent issues for today’s ministry leaders.
Stephen A. Macchia introduced this year’s series with his well-attended September seminar on 
“Becoming a Healthy Ministry Team.” Upcoming seminars include:
- “One Size Doesn’t Fit All,” Gary L. McIntosh • December 7, 2004
- “Spiritual Disciplines for Spiritual Leaders”, Jeannette Bakke • February 15, 2005
- “The Faces of Forgiveness,” F. LeRon Shults and Steve Sandage • April 5, 2005
- “Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership,”Samuel Rima • June 14, 2005
- “Ecclesiology in the Emerging/Postmodern Church” A panel discussion with: Erwin McManus, Thorsten Moritz, and Charles Conniry Jr. • September 20, 2005
Ministry Coaching System
In partnership with “Ministry Advantage,” Leadership Enrichment forms cohorts of pastors from around the country who are coached through an 18-month curriculum focused on sharpening strategic and organizational leadership skills.
Weekly coaching appointments guide participants through the instruction and implementation process, as well as provide for regular accountability. Cohort members also meet on the Bethel Seminary campus for up to five day-and-a-half workshops to process what they have learned and debrief with trained coaches. Curriculum topics include:
- Planning and Implementing Strategically
- Leading Change
- Organizing and Delegating
- Maximizing Key Ministry Positions
- Optimizing Outreach and Assimilation
- Maturing Your Church Financially
- Developing Leaders and Teams
Leading from the Inside Out
This one-year leadership formation process has been called “the most proactive leadership development program in the BGC” by BGC World (formerly The Standard) magazine. “Leading from the Inside Out” guides pastors through five intensives that focus on their inner life formation as it relates to healthy spiritual leadership. The intensives include:
- Leading from the Inside Out: The Art of Self- Leadership
- The Making of a Leader: Understanding Life Processes
- The Camp Big Horn Experience! A Week of Spiritual Renewal in the Montana Rockies
- Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership
- Rethinking Successful Church Ministry and Leadership
At the end of the process, pastors are trained to use the same curriculum as the basis for a “Leadership Central” program for emerging leaders in their local ministry contexts.
Reaching the Real World
The mission of Bethel Seminary’s Leadership Enrichment program is to extend the preparation of “whole and holy persons for effective ministry” beyond the seminary walls and out into the real world, where ministry leaders battle daily to remain whole, holy, and effective in furthering Christ’s kingdom. With this year’s enhancements, Leadership Enrichment is poised to provide even more effective intervention, support, and resources to leaders who face the challenges and reap the rewards of day-to-day, real-life ministry.
For more information about Bethel’s Leadership Enrichment offerings, contact the Leadership Enrichment office at: 3949 Bethel Drive |
