Brian Schubring
Director of Leadership Vision seminars

ifted, intellectual, and unique in their approaches to life, young Christians of extraordinary leadership potential sift through myriad solicitations from colleges and universities. Should I be a biochemist or a physician? they wonder. Should I earn a Ph.D. and teach English? Maybe I should be a lawyer or work in law enforcement. A call to Christian leadership may be the farthest thing from their minds.


But what if roles of significant leadership in the church are precisely what God intends for them? How much of their lives must pass before God's voice finally breaks through?"

That is why we do what we do," says Brian Schubring, director of Bethel Seminary's Leadership Vision seminars. "We want to capture the hearts and minds of the seindividuals who are not thinking about calling."

Bethel's Leadership Vision seminars are a key component of the seminary's Leadership Vision initiative, designed to encourage young people with high potential for Christian leadership, and to develop Christian leaders already in ministry.

Made possible in 1999 by a $1.5 million grant from the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment Inc., Bethel Seminary's Leadership Vision is identifying the next generation of Christian leaders, developing current seminary students in their spiritual formation, and equipping graduates with ministry tools, information, and mentorship.

Identifying future world changers

The first task of the Leadership Vision team is to cast bread upon the waters of senior high and college students, as well as adults 30-plus years in age who still seek the right career fit.

"Much of what we see happening today, particularly in large churches, is that we are moving beyond the traditional pastor in the traditional pastoral role," Schubring says. "Many larger churches are growing in areas where a non-traditional leader is needed. The Lilly grant has enabled us to enter a variety of contexts to identify new and emerging leaders who are unique in their very essence--both in how they lead and in how they view leadership. They won't be thinking in terms of 'traditional' ministry." Without initiatives like Leadership Vision, Schubring explains, young hopefuls who are turned off by the image of a male minister in business attire behind an oak pulpit may not consider Christian ministry at all.


"These are highly talented people who are involved in tons of activities in school and in their communities," Schubring says. "They have offers to continue their education pretty much anywhere they want. To them, the traditional ministry setting would be confining."

Through the Leadership Vision seminars, Schubring encourages young people to consider the possibility that God may be calling them into ministry-oriented careers. He and co-workers at all of Bethel's locations--Bethel Seminary San Diego, Bethel Seminary St. Paul, and Bethel Seminary of the East--have made Bethel a national brand name for identifying Christian leaders through seminars across the country. Schubring and his colleagues work with local pastors to identify young people within their churches who have the makings
of strong church leaders.

"They could be people who are up in front every Sunday already serving in some kind of leadership role," Schubring says. "Or they could be actively leading in their church's junior high or high school ministries. Or they could be among those in whom the pastor or other church leaders have observed significant potential, but who have yet to act on it."

In preparation for the seminar, participants undergo a variety of self-assessment procedures to identify strengths, weaknesses, personal styles in ministry, and approaches to working with other people. During the seminar, Schubring and other consultants guide participants through a day of discovery as they learn what direction they might pursue in Christian service.

But it is as the seminar comes to a close that Schubring's job really begins. Assembling a profile for each top leader candidate, he incorporates observational notes from other

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"Bethel Seminary's Leadership Vision is identifying the next generation of Christian leaders, developing current seminary students in their spiritual formation, and equipping graduates with ministry tools, information, and mentorship."
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Erwin McManus
Lead pastor of Mosaic and president of Global Impac

 

Nikki Daniels
Director of Enrichment for Pastoral Ministries

 

 


team members and summarizes the academic and practical challenges participants might face in heeding a call to ministry. He also determines what manner of follow-up each individual should receive.

"Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I will find delight."
--Psalm 119:35

Seminar organizers unanimously agree that these events are not feel-good arenas intended primarily to recognize aptitude and achievement. "It's not just for affirmation, to see what you do well," explains Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic, an innovative church in Los Angeles. "It's a way of saying, 'Here are some things you may need to work on to shore up your character.'"

Nor is Leadership Vision a boot camp
during which drill instructors transform any willing participant into leadership material. "We're not committed to making everyone a leader," McManus says. "There are some people who shouldn't be in leadership positions."

McManus, a futurist and distinguished professor of Bethel Seminary, helped create many of the materials and assessment tools used in the seminars--including a revealing character matrix that provides the basis for his forthcoming book. Mosaic has sponsored three Leadership Vision seminars thus far.

Developing students

Over the years Bethel Seminary has established a strong tradition of nurturing the spiritual
formation of its students. The second emphasis of Leadership Vision's three-pronged initiative


dovetails that commitment as it seeks to develop current Christian leaders in their spiritual
formation and in their personal and
vocational growth.

Seminary students undergo an array of assessments to help identify talents, gifts,
passions, and special interests, as well as
participate in interviews, covenant groups, focus groups, and supervised ministry programs. According to Nikki Daniels, director of Enrichment for Pastoral Ministries at Bethel Seminary, one goal of Leadership Vision's development initiative is to uncover the
questions Bethel should be asking of its
current student body.

"In the last year and a half, we have taken a lot of time to listen to students," Daniels says, pointing out that 19 focus groups have been conducted among Bethel Seminary
students since Leadership Vision began, with more scheduled in coming months. Students are asked to evaluate how well their expectations are being met, not only as they continue their course work, but also as they participate in Bethel's covenant groups and supervised
ministry program.

"We take very seriously the input we receive from student surveys," Daniels says, "and we already have made changes to some programs based on that feedback."

Equipping leaders in ministry

In addition to identifying and developing Christian leaders, Leadership Vision also offers assistance to pastors or church leaders whose seminary days are long past, but who still must face those inevitable times of heavy trial or stress, by pairing ministers with capable mentors and coaches.

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Pickup Sticks
Simple exercises teach young leaders valuable lessons about cooperation and group dynamics.
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"Our major concern now is how we can best serve our alumni, particularly those who are doing solo ministry," Daniels says. "How can we help them the most?"

One way Bethel addresses such concerns is through a partnership with Ministry Advantage, a coaching organization created by pastors for pastors. Bethel alumni meet on the St. Paul campus for a day and a half of workshops during three different "cohort conferences" over the course of 18 months. Then leadership coaches call each pastor for an hour-and-a-half phone session every other week. The purpose of the calls is not just to deliver pep talks, though that is important, but also to coach pastors as they implement the operational systems in their churches that will help them maximize their ministries.

"I am grateful to Bethel and to the Lilly grant for making this possible," says Doug Green (M.Div. '74, D.Min. '97), solo pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cloquet, Minnesota. "Ministry Advantage is a tremendous resource, providing tools to help us restore God's redemptive purpose for the church, and thereby bring the greatest honor to Him, the greatest joy to His heart. Bethel is becoming more and more aware of what pastors need while in the trenches." "I'm not alone!" adds Brad Moore (M.Div. '96), solo pastor of Homestead Baptist Church in Florence, Wisconsin. "The cohort groups

and phone conferences put me in connection with others who are in situations similar to mine. Our accountability to each other is so important, so helpful. And now I have a track to run on--I don't have to start everything from scratch."

"We are not just trying to sell a new program," Daniels explains. "Rather, we want to put into place a structure that will enable participants to move ahead and meet their ministry objectives." Future cohort programs will target spouses of clergy, addressing the stresses they must endure as they support their partners in marriage and ministry.

"Our goal is to open the door to other Christian organizations so that they can share in the wealth of resources we are uncovering," Daniels concluded.

Schubring considers the richest reserve of such untapped resources to reside in the hearts of those identified through the Leadership Vision seminars. He acknowledges that there will always be a need for pulpit-driven church ministries and the many gifted pastors who lead them, but his passion is to locate creative young thinkers who are not yet aware of God's calling. "It's really cool to be part of that process of transition when the light goes on for them," he says. "That just amps me more than anything else." •

James C. Pittman earned his B.A. in writing from Bethel College in 1999 and is a freelance writer and internal security specialist with the St. Paul, Minnesota, public schools.

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"When Jesus has quite clearly called us to certain circumstances in life, given us a certain vocation, we need fear nothing, but should attack the most insurmountable obstacles without hesitation."

Meditations of a Hermit
Charles de Foucauld
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