By Jennifer Johnson
Although this NACC workshop was designed to find new ways for churches and colleges to work together, some are already leading the way with innovative programs and creative solutions.
“ยข Hope International University, Fullerton, California, created its School of Advanced Leadership Training, or SALT, program several years ago after its president, Dr. John Derry, observed the increasing number of churches creating their own leadership training programs. Derry and his team created a flexible curriculum to offer practical and biblical material to church members and staff at a range of commitment levels.
“Participants may audit the courses for their own benefit or take the class for either undergraduate or graduate credit,”ย Derry says. “We also ask each church to identify a mentor to facilitate group discussion and contextualize the information.”ย
Each class is about eight weeks long, and students pay only $1,200 for the first 12 credit hours.
SALT will introduce a new “Business as Mission Social Entrepreneurship Certificate”ย at the International Conference on Missions this fall.
www.hiu.edu/salt
“ยข Point University, West Point, Georgia, partnered with Savannah (Georgia) Christian Church in 2012 to launch a campus based out of SCC”s adult ministries building, with dedicated space for classrooms, a computer lab, and faculty offices.
“We have a fully online program as well as our Access program which offers degree programs in Christian ministry, organizational leadership, and human relations,”ย says Stacy Bartlett, Point”s vice president of enrollment management. “Last spring we also started a dual enrollment program that allows high school students to earn high school and college credit at the same time.”ย
Point currently offers classes at several other locations in Georgia and Alabama and plans to open more this year.
“ยข Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University worked with Indian Creek Christian Church (Indianapolis, Indiana) and its lead minister, Gary Johnson, to create one of the first fully accredited Christian college extension sites at a church. Students at the Indian Creek location can earn a master of arts in leadership studies with a specialization in pastoral leadership; classes meet one night a week and are taught by both Cincinnati-based faculty and Indian Creek staff members.
“It”s really a unique experience because students aren”t just sitting in a classroom”โthey”re part of the “หliving laboratory” of the church,”ย says Alex Eddy, director of graduate admissions at CCU. “The coursework is designed to help the student not only meet degree requirements but grow in his or her own ministry.”ยรย
To this end, students must attend a conference, complete an internship, and work with a mentor in addition to completing classroom work.
www.ccuniversity.edu/graduate/indianapolis/
“ยข Milligan College in Tennessee and Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, worked together to create the semester in ministry program, which involves studentsรย as full contributors to the Mountain staff team for four months. The interns earn 15 hours of academic credit,รย the equivalent of a full-time course load in the classroom, while participating and learning from the life of a local church.
Even more than skills and knowledge, however, the Mountain team focuses on helping students grow spiritually. Each intern is assigned a mentor from a different professional area and the entire cohort participates in field trips, spiritual retreats, and other experiences.
A group photo of this year”s residents of the Leadership Institute at CCV.
“ยขรย The Leadership Institute at Christ”s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, works with a number of schools to provide undergraduate, graduate, and professional residency options. Each student studies seven leadership competencies, including events and project management, volunteer management, staff development, and leadership practices. In addition, they can choose an area of emphasis, such as children and family, church administration, multisites, worship/production, and more. The program is designed to offer one year of practical application with multiple opportunities for mentoring.
“We”ve found that 85 percent of Bible college graduates leave ministry within a few years,”ย says Rick Penny, leadership institute lead pastor. “We wanted to work with the colleges to provide hands-on, real-life ministry experience that supplements their classroom learning.”ย
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