March 17-19 and November 10-12, 2025
Course Description
Leadership in Ministry is a twice-a-year, peer based, clergy leadership development program. It is part of the Pastoral Excellence Program of the Center for Lifelong Learning of Columbia Theological Seminary. Many participants have attended for several years, with some participating for over a decade, reaping the benefits of long-term commitment to personal and professional growth. This program's goals are to:
- Provide a peer-learning forum for clergy to explore the issues particular to their congregational or non-profit ministry contexts;
- Help participants develop a theoretical framework for interpreting ministry practice and context using Bowen Systems Theory;
- Help clergy and organizational leaders to accurately identify and name the particular challenge of ministry in their context;
- Provide clergy and other religious professionals with a safe and stimulating peer group experience for renewal and challenge.
The Leadership in Ministry workshops will apply Bowen Family Systems Theory as further developed by Edwin Friedman, author of Generation to Generation and A Failure of Nerve, to ministerial and organizational leadership. Most of the time is spent in peer group case studies led by experienced faculty coaches. As such, participants work to apply the theory to the “real world” realities of their ministry context.
Location
Facilitators
Michael Lee Cook, Vanessa Roulette Ellison, Skip Johnson, Dan Koger and James Lamkin
Schedule
Gathering will begin at 10:00 AM on Monday and end at Noon on Wednesday.
Program Fee
$880 for both the spring and fall sessions. $528 for the single session rate. All registrations include a nonrefundable, nontransferable $200 deposit.
Housing & Meals
Housing will be on campus in the Harrington Center at Columbia Theological Seminary. Check in for both sessions is on Sunday, and check out is on Wednesday.
There are two room types available: Queen Suites, which have one queen bed, and Twin Suites, which have two twin beds. See the list below for prices. All guest rooms have a private bathroom.
| |
Single Session |
Both Sessions |
| Queen Suite |
$437 |
$874 |
| Twin Suite |
$398 |
$796 |
Meal fees are built into housing costs. Meals will start with Monday dinner and end with Wednesday breakfast. The meal rate for commuters is $200 for both sessions and $100 for a single session. Commuter meals include Monday dinner and Tuesday lunch and dinner.
Additional Information
Limited scholarships are available. Submit your financial aid request
HERE. Aid is limited to 50% of the program fee. Payment plans can also be arranged. If requesting aid, you can still complete your registration to hold your spot—select “pay by check” on the payment page. You will be able to pay with a credit card once your aid has been applied.
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