Black Seminarians | The Disciples House | GDR Colloquia |
Nashville Citysearch | Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual
Concerns | Office of Women's Concerns | Student Government
Association | Divinity Catalog | Wesleyan Studies and
United Methodist Programs | Worship
The Turner Center for Church Leadership & Congregational Development
In cooperation with Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, the Turner Center serves the development of clergy and lay leadership in the regional church.The Christian Church in the United States, including the United Methodist Church, is facing a crisis in leadership. Fewer are choosing to enter the ministry and more are leaving over time. Any solution to the church’s leadership crisis must go beyond merely attracting good and gifted people to the calling of ministry. It also must provide for the continued care and development of those called into ministry. Faithful and imaginative ministry must be sustained by creative and consistent efforts from those responsible for the quality of ministry: theological schools, regional church bodies, and concerned lay leaders.
These difficult times in the church are compounded by disruptions in the civil society, the economy, and the culture. The current generation of leadership in the church is often not prepared to deal with these changes or to lead the congregation in new ways of being the faithful church of Jesus Christ. These leaders are in urgent need of formation in effective forms of leadership, in theologically sound reconceptualizations of ministry and mission, and in the spiritual formation that would give them the courage and perseverance to lead in this time of crisis. The Center commits itself to bringing the best possible resources of academy and church to the task of creating new leadership in the church.
The Center carries out five types of educational programs for clergy and lay leaders:
- Intensive Courses: These sessions are offered twice a year giving ministers and lay leadership opportunity for intensive study and development. Projected courses include:
- Preaching the Gospel for These Times
October 28 - November 1, 2007 Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, TN
Preaching the Gospel Brochure and Registration 1 (PDF)
Preaching the Gospel Brochure and Registration 2 (PDF)
- Congregational Leadership
Conference on Church Leadership
April 6-10, 2008, Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, TN
Registration Form (PDF)
Schedule (PDF)
- The Church and Poverty
- Worship, Music, and the Arts
- The Church and Its Finances: Stewardship in a New Key
- Theology and Ecclesial Practice
- Weekend Courses offered several times per year with possible topics such as Prison Ministries, Faithful and Effective Evangelism, Health Care for the Poor, Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture, Revitalizing Rural and Urban Ministries, Theology and Ethics of Congregational Mission, or The Prophetic Ministry of the Pastor.
- In consultation with the Bishop and Cabinets of the two conferences, assistance or training for local church or districts is available to address identified needs. An outside facilitator can be brought in to work with the local group.
- Specialized mini-sabbaticals are available for individual pastors or lay persons to pursue research or writing with conferral with Divinity School faculty.
- The Transition into Ministry Program continues to support Vanderbilt Divinity School United Methodist graduates in their first ten years of ministry through retreats and specialized courses.
The Center for Church Leadership also interfaces with other programs at Vanderbilt through:
- Cooperation with the Vanderbilt Religion and Economy Group
- Cooperation with the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership
- Cooperation with various Vanderbilt Initiatives on ecology
- Development of Program in Ecclesial Art, Hymnody, Drama, and Music
- Cooperation with The Program in Theology & Practice
For more information on the Center for Church Leadership, please contact Danny Redding-Rhodes at Vanderbilt Divinity School, 411 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372140 (615-343-4073) or by email at danny.redding.rhodes@vanderbilt.edu.
