Training and Equipping Leaders for God’s Church
One of the most important things we can do for the long-term growth and health of our churches is the work of training and equipping leaders. The Chicago Church along with the Midwest family of churches have invested heavily in that work over the past several years and have recently taken new steps to expand and multiply its effectiveness. We are greatly encouraged by all that is happening in the Midwest School of Missions (MSM)!
We graduated our first cohort of 12 this past December and are proud of the work they are doing in Chicago, in the Midwest, and abroad. Ten of them are currently in full-time ministry work and one is training to be a teacher. As we plant and strengthen the churches in the Midwest and in the broader mission field, we are excited to be able to send these people out to do God’s work!
As we began a new cohort in 2018, it was clear that we had a big opportunity in front of us to impact the future of the church. There is growing appetite and interest in getting this kind of training in the Midwest. We now have a continually growing number of students from all walks of life. We have new staff hires, current college students, house church leaders, young professionals, and older mature Christians from around the Midwest, all enrolled and seeking further training. We currently have about 50 students enrolled, and about 20 students in any given course. We even have a second campus in Minneapolis, where we share teachers and curriculum. This is great news for the future of the church, as we are looking to multiply the number of well trained and thoroughly equipped leaders we have in every part of the church.
We also took this opportunity to retool and expand our curriculum and it is encouraging to see the depth of training our leaders are receiving. Students in our Certificate in Ministry Foundations program now take 13 courses on a wide range of topics, each one foundational for leaders in a church setting. Our seminars include: Leadership in the Church, Making of a Disciple, Small Group Development, Old Testament, New Testament, Culture and Tradition, Church History, The Gospels, Basic Exegesis, Spiritual Formation, Marriage and Family, Navigating Conflict, and a course entitled Theology, Doctrine & Hot Topics. Teachers are brought in from around the Midwest and teach in their areas of expertise.
These courses are rigorous but accessible. Each course involves substantial reading, 12 hours of class time, as well as papers and projects designed to make each course effective and immediately useful to the student. The program is challenging, but is structured in such a way as to make it manageable even for students who are currently not in full-time ministry. We offer seven courses a year on a rotating schedule, and students take however many they can, given their ministry responsibilities. A highly motivated and available student can finish this certificate in less than two years.
For our staff, we offer an additional level of training through a more advanced certificate from Harding School of Theology (HST). The Chicago Church has a relationship with HST going back to 2004, and has four staff members who have masters degrees from the university. That relationship continues to bear fruit in our work to train and equip leaders. We have designed a certificate program in partnership with HST, comprised of some of the best foundational courses the school has to offer. Students pursuing the Certificate in Spiritual Leadership take seven graduate-level courses and finish the program with an accredited certificate from HST. Together with the MSM Certificate in Ministry Foundations, this second level of training thoroughly equips students for the work of ministry.
Lastly, students in our program participate in a 12-week ministry practicum. This focused supervised ministry work is tailor made for each student and is flexible enough to accommodate students from various walks of life. Students spend these 12 weeks with a particular ministry focus and take principles learned in class and apply them to their current ministry context. They also have weekly conversations with a School of Missions advisor to debrief and to continually make real-world connections between all they’ve learned and the work they are doing in the church. Our goal at every point in the MSM program is to make this training practical and immediately useful.
The scope of this program has required significant investment in Chicago and the Midwest. To accommodate the number of students and to provide the kind of training we want our leaders to have for the future requires people and money. Chicago has launched this work with an investment in both areas and is committed to the work of building a program that meets leadership needs in the local church and on the mission field. We have already seen the impact this kind of work can have on the church and we are looking forward to it bearing lasting fruit in the future! If you would like to learn more about the program or get in touch, visit our website at midwestschool.org.
