Helping Ministry Leaders Develop Skills, Relationships

By Jennifer Johnson

This month, more than a dozen pastors in the Greater Los Angeles area will begin a journey of learning, leadership, and change as Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA) kicks off its second Communitas cohort.

The program, which began as part of the Lilly Endowment, is designed to connect senior leaders who have served in ministry for 5 to 10 years and help them develop greater leadership skills; grow in their understanding of significant issues facing their communities; build networks with civic, business, and political leaders throughout the city; and develop strong relationships with each other.

“Lilly discovered there was a huge attrition rate among pastors during that first 5- to 10-year period,” says Stephanie Cupp, program coordinator for Pepperdine”s Center of Faith and Learning. “They approached us, as well as some other schools around the country, about creating something new to connect these pastors, help them develop new vision for their ministry, and introduce them to others who could help. Each participating school created different programs to fit their context.”

For Pepperdine, this meant beginning with their faculty and the resources those professors could bring to the experience. Cupp and her team developed a program that includes classroom teaching and group activities related to organizational leadership, sustainability and poverty, domestic violence, mental health, criminal justice, prison reform, immigration, and more.

Eight three-day sessions are spread across two years, and a different Pepperdine professor leads each one. One session is a special trip to Washington, D.C., to look at issues on a national and international level, with an emphasis on religious freedom. Lodging, meals, and other costs are completely covered by the Lilly grant.

“We were a bit nervous at the beginning because we intentionally included participants from different racial, socioeconomic, and theological backgrounds,” Cupp says. “But they have really bonded and challenged each other in respectful ways. When they”re together you can just feel the Spirit in the room; it”s about our unity in Christ and how we can bring our broken world back to the church where Christ can do his work. They began learning from each other and trusting each other and even working together on different initiatives. We”re excited to see what God will do with the second cohort.”

Learn more about Communitas and refer a pastor for future cohorts at https://www.pepperdine.edu/spiritual-life/communitas/.