Teaching LCMS Pastors to be CEO's
Why PLI Does Not Belong in the LCMS
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

This article contains the reading list and curriculum for PLI.

For the uninitiated reader, PLI, Pastoral Leadership Institute, is an organization operated by Dr. Norbert Oesch to retrain LCMS Pastors in "leadership" as defined by the Church Growth Movement.

It is funded by the LCEF, AAL, LB, LCMS Foundation, COP, Wheatridge, and many LCMS District Offices and many more cooperate and private donors.

The LCMS Convention delegates were not given the opportunity to vote on this program to teach LCMS Pastors. The right to teach LCMS pastors, according to the LCMS Constitution, only belongs to the LCMS Seminaries.

Many of the LCMS "Conservatives" included Balance Inc, Affirm, Rally, and its other publications actively suppressed and/or ignored the book "Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS" (available 573-237-3110) which exposed PLI's objectives to the 1998 Convention delegates. They now fain a belated objection to PLI, but offer no position on Church and Ministry to refute PLI.

A hundred plus LCMS pastors now enrolled in PLI, projected to exceed 220 or more in enrollment by the fourth year of operation, were hand picked by PLI and District Presidents.

These pastors will be schooled in trickle down Harvard School of Business theory to run congregations like a corporation and apply the latest market theory as motivation for member participation.

These changes will result in the removal of LCMS hymnbooks, catechisms, agenda, and church administration by Voter Assemblies as established by C.F.W. Walther.

They will also promote contemporary worship, drama, and cooperate style church management with pastors functioning as the CEO.

In their "Theological Foundation" statement, PLI misapplies the Lutheran Confessions as justification for these changes being introduced by the pastor as follows:

"They (principals of administration) also have much to do with good order, as the same article also states, namely that pastors are given (as are bishops) the right to make regulations so that 'everything in the church is done in good order' (Aug. XXXVIII, par 53) as they work with the church in the exercise of its 'right, authority, and power to change, to reduce, or to increase ceremonies according to its circumstances.'" (Formula, Solid Dec. X, 9).

The LCMS Board for Higher Education (BHE) is scheduled reconsider PLI's request for Recognized Service Organization Status (RSO) in Portland, Oregon on October 19th.

The "Theological Foundation" statement also tells us that PLI has nothing to do with the Gospel.

"And, although one could say about many of the principles of administration and organization what Augsburg goes on to say, namely, such powers, 'have nothing at all to do with the office of the Gospel.'"

The Apostles and the last 2000 years of Christianity appear to be ineffective in dealing with the administration of LCMS congregations in the new millennium.

We were able to obtain their reading list for the pastor two sessions for PLI Pastors, in what appears to be the first and second years of the four-year program.

Reclaim News has received a copy of Doctor Norbert Oesch's Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) curriculum. We are not surprised to see Dr. John Johnson, President of the St. Louis Seminary, as one of the lecturers for PLI. We are also not surprised to see that the St. Louis Seminary is arranging graduate credit for PLI students.

This is all taking place before PLI has received Recognized Service Organization (RSO) status from the LCMS Board for Higher Education (BHE).

Only a quick glance at the curriculum will show that the St. Louis Seminary is an active participant in establishing secular business standards as the criteria for the pastoral ministry in the LCMS.

What else should we expect from a Seminary that no longer endorses Walther's writings on congregational polity, Voter Supremacy, and Pastoral Theology as the only official polity for all LCMS Congregations?

In fact, at this time, neither LCMS Seminary endorsed any particular polity for LCMS congregations. The word "Synod" is becoming obsolete in the LCMS. "Walking together" no longer includes a unified congregational polity.

Without a clear vote from the 2001 LCMS Convention endorsing Walther's Voter Supremacy as the only congregational polity of the LCMS, the laity must inevitably surrender the administration and ownership of their congregations to the corporate hierarchy being taught by PLI and see their pastors recast as CEOs.

PLI's Most Recent and Extensive Reading Lists

Required and Recommended Reading
Year Two Ellisville, 2000

Required Readings:

Pre-Conference:

Johnson, Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1998 [94 pages]

Thrall, Bill and Bruce McNicol and Ken McElrath. The Ascent of a Leader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999 [194 pages].

Post-Conference:

Ficken, Jock. Change: Learning to Lead It and Living to Tell About It. Lima, Ohio: Fairway Press, 1999 [180 pages].

Kotter, John. Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press, 1996 [187 pages].

Life@Work, Vol.2, No. 6. A Journal by LIFE@WORK CO., PO Box 469048, Escondido, CA 92046-9644.

Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker, A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1997 [281 pages].

Recommended Readings:

Beckhard, Richard and Wendy Pritchard. Changing the Essence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992 [96 pages].

Bridges, William. Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1980.

Bridges, William. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1991.

Champy, J. and Nitin Nohria. Fast Forward: The Best Ideas on Managing Business Change. Harvard Business School Press, 1996 [278 pages].

Drucker, Peter F. Management Challenges for the 21st Century. Harper Business, 1999 [207 pages].

Jacobs, Robert. Real Time Strategic Change. Berrett-Koehler, 1994 [354 pages].

Kanter, R. M. and Barry Stein and Todd Jick. The Challenge of Organizational Change. Free Press, 1992 [535 pages].

Senge, Peter and Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Bryan Smith, George Roth and Richard Ross. The Dance of Change. Doubleday, 1999. [596 pages].

Wheatley, Margaret J. Leadership and the New Sciences: Learning About Organizations from an Orderly Universe. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 1992.

Web Sites and Education Programs:

 

Provides C-Map testing and personal diagnostics for people in organizations who are anticipating, participating in or reestablishing after change.

www.change-management.org

Change Management Resource Library provides a comprehensive site for the top books, links, articles and training in the areas of change management and organizational change.

www.people.cornell.edu/pages/he13/dea653/ib5/idea5.htm

A guide to managing, initiating, facilitating and leading change successfully within an organization.

Required and Recommended Reading
San Antonio, 2000

Required Readings:

It is expected that the PLI student will have read the following before arriving at the initial conference event:

Hesselbein, Francis. Goldsmith, Marshall and Richard Beckhard, editors. The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996. [319 pages]

 

This book gathers some of the finest thinkers of this time on the topic of leadership. The Drucker Foundation sponsored its printing.

The following is the required reading list for summer and fall after the initial conference event:

De Pree, Max. Leadership Is An Art. New York: Doubleday, 1989. [176 pages]

Grothe, Jonathan. Reclaiming Patterns of Pastoral Ministry: Jesus and Paul. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988. [127 pages]

Kouzes, J.M. and B.Z. Pozner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Get Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987. [405 pages]

Mead, Loren. Five Challenges for the Once and Future Church. The Alban Institute, 1996. [100 pages]

Recommended Readings:

Every candidate is urged to use one or more resources for daily spiritual growth. Besides the Bible, the following is highly recommended:

Fryar, Jane. Today's Light. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999. A superb daily devotional. One year (12 issues)B$18. Order from CPH, Today's Light Subscription Department, 3558 S. Jefferson Ave. St. Louis, MO 63228

In addition to the required reading, it is highly encouraged that the PLI student will read one or more of the following:

Barna, George. Leaders on Leadership. Ventura, California: Regal Books (A Division of Gospel Light, 1997.

Barna, George. The Power of Vision. Ventura, California: Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, 1992.

Bennis, Warren and B. Nanus. Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge. New York: HarperCollins, 1985.

Bennis, Warren. On Becoming a Leader. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1989.

Bickel, P.M. and R.L. Nordlie. The Goal of the Gospel. St Louis: Concordia, 1992.

Blanchard, Ken and Sheldon Bowles. Gung Ho! New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1998.

Blanchard, Ken and Sheldon Bowles. Raving Fans. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993.

Collins, J.C. and J. I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

Covey, Stephen R. Principle-Centered Leadership. Summit Books, 1990.

Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly-Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.

de Beauport, Elaine. The Three Faces of Mind. Wheaton, Illinois: Teosothical Publications, 1996.

De Pree, Max. Leadership Jazz. New York: Currency Doubleday, 1992.

Drucker, Peter F. Managing the Nonprofit Organization. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.

Gardner, John. On Leadership. Free Press, 1990. A classic that is quoted consistently in leadership materials.

Glass, Lillian. He Says, She Say. New York: The Putman Publishing Co., 1992

Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1977. A classic. The committee nearly chose this to be the required reading, and most likely it will be required in preparation for a future conference.

Hower, Stephen D. Sharpening the Sword: A Call to Strong and Courageous Leadership. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1996.

Knauft, E. B. and Renee A. Berger and Sandra T. Gray. Profiles of Excellence: Achieving Success in the Nonprofit Sector. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1991.

Kueng, Hans. The Church. New York: Image Books, 1976.

Leider, Richard J. The Power of Purpose. Berritt-Koehler, 1997.

Luecke, David S. New Designs for Church Leadership. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1990.

Maxwell, John C. Developing The Leader Within You. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

McGinnis, Alan Loy. Bringing Out the Best in People. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1985.

Minear, Paul S. Images of the Church in the New Testament. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1977.

Nouwen, Henri J. M. Reflections on Christian Leadership. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989.

Ries, Al and Jack Trout. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. New York: HarperBusiness, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.

Schaller, Lyle E. The Seven-Day a Week Church. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1992.

Tannen, Deborah. You Just Don't Understand. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1990

Recommended Journals, Periodicals and Magazines:

Fast Company. This is not a spiritual-based magazine. However it has many articles about the latest in leadership thinking. It features many outstanding companies and leaders in the secular world. It can be purchased at a book/magazine stand. Order from PO Box 52760, Boulder, CO 80328-2760.

Leader to Leader. JosseyBass Inc., Publishers. Can be ordered from publisher at 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 941-4-9960. If ordering, inquire if a copy of The Leader of the Future (required reading) comes with the subscription. One year (4 issues) $149. Two years (8 issues) $269.

Weavings. This is a journal of the Christian spiritual life coming from Upper Room. It can be ordered from PO Box 37156, Boone IA 50037B2156. One year (6 issues) $24. Two years (12 issues) $42.

PLI's Curriculum

SYLLABUS: CONFERENCE EVENT #1 -
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

Guest Presenters: Dr. Andrew Bartelt, Mr. John Busacker, Dr. John Johnson, Dr. Norbert C. Oesch, Ms. Eunice Otte, and Dr. William Thompson

Coordinator: Dr. Norbert Oesch, Executive Leader, Pastoral Leadership Institute Conference: Credit to be established by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Conference Description
Participants will gain new perspectives on leadership and clarify their ministerial philosophies and their personal and congregational values. They will see and affirm their God-given natural talents and their Spirit-given spiritual gifts and have opportunity to articulate their personal mission statements. Throughout these growth experiences, focus will remain on the fundamental mission of the church-connecting people to Jesus.

Conference Objectives
Upon the completion of the conference, participants will:

  1. have strengthened their commitment to the primary biblical mission of the church-connecting people to Jesus;
  2. have re-examined the biblical model for pastoral leadership;
  3. be able to assess the mission effectiveness of their ministries;
  4. understand the concept of "leading from within;"
  5. understand the values and qualities of leadership;
  6. be able to create a plan of action for their congregations;
  7. understand the "brain differences" between men and women and how this understanding can help them communicate with their congregations and help their spouses be a more integral part in the mission of the congregation;
  8. be able to articulate their personal mission statements and philosophies of ministry.

Conference Outline
Introduction:
Orientation to the conference and its purposes

Unit One: "Connecting People to Jesus
The necessity for keeping the focus on the church's primary mission"

Unit Two: "Visionary Leadership"

  1. Biblical components of leaders - different styles of leadership
  2. Biblical components of leaders - the style of Moses
  3. Biblical components of leaders - the style of Joshua

Unit Three: "Leading From Within"

  1. Essence profile-concepts of inner motivation
  2. Values and qualities in leaders
  3. Purpose for and creation of a personal Board of Directors
  4. Vision, mapping, commitments

Unit Four: "Biblical Foundations for Pastoral Leadership"
The confessional Lutheran components of leadership

Unit Five: "Tag-along Team"
Panel: The pastor's wife as a partner in mission

Unit Six: "Developing the Action Plan"
Local lay involvement, 12-month goal setting, developing a system of accountability, and planning mentor events

Summary:
Synthesis and evaluation

Required Reading before the Conference

Hesselbein, Francis, Marshall Goldsmith, and Richard Beckhard, editors. The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996. [319 pages]

Required Reading after the Conference

De Pree, Max. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Doubleday, 1989. [176 pages]

Grothe, Jonathan. Reclaiming Patterns of Pastoral Ministry: Jesus and Paul. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988. [127 pages]

Kouzes, J. M. and B. Z. Pozner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Get Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987. [405 pages]

Mead, Loren. Five Challenges for the Once and Future Church. The Alban Institute, 1996. [100 pages]

Recommended Reading on the Conference Theme

Barna, George. Leaders on Leadership. Ventura, CA: Regal Books (A Division Of Gospel Light), 1997.

Barna, George. The Power of Vision. Ventura, CA: Regal Books (A Division of Gospel Light), 1992.

Bennis, Warren and B. Nanus. Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge. New York:HarperCollins, 1985.

Bennis, Warren. On Becoming a Leader. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1989. Bickel, P. M. and R. L. Nordlie. The Goal of the Gospel. St. Louis: Concordia, 1992.

Blanchard, Ken and Sheldon Bowles. Gung Ho! New York: William Morrow, 1993.

Blanchard, Ken and Sheldon Bowles. Raving Fans. New York: William Morrow, 1993.

Collins, J. C. and J. I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

Covey, Stephen R. Principle-Centered Leadership. Summit Books, 1990.

Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly-Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.

de Beaupart, Elaine. The Three Faces of Mind. Wheaton, IL: Teosothical Publications, 1996.

De Pree, Max. Leadership Jazz. New York: Currency Doubleday, 1992.

Drucker, Peter F. Managing the Nonprofit Organization. New York: Harper Collins, 1990.

Gardner, John. On Leadership. Free Press, 1990.

Glass, Lillian. He Says, She Says. New York: Putnam, 1992.

Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1977.

Hower, Stephen D. Sharpening the Sword: A Call to Strong and Courageous Leadership. St. Louis: Concordia, 1996.

Knauft, E. B., Renee A. Berger, and Sandra T. Gray. Profiles of Excellence: Achieving Success in the Nonprofit Sector. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.

Kueng, Hans. The Church. New York: Image Books, 1976.

Leider, Richard J. The Power of Purpose. Berritt-Koehler, 1997.

Luecke, David S. New Designs for Church Leadership. St. Louis: Concordia, 1990.

Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leader with You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1993.

McGinnis, Alan Loy. Bringing Out the Best in People. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1985.

Minear, Paul S. Images of the Church in the New Testament. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1977.

Nouwen, Henri J. M. Reflections on Christian Leadership. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1985.

Ries, Al and Jack Trout. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. New York: Harper Business (A Division of HarperCollins), 1994.

Schaller, Lyle E. The Seven-Day-a-Week Church. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992

Tannen, Deborah. You Just Don't Understand. New York: William Morrow, 1990.

Pre-Conference Requirements

Read all of the required books, choose three of the essays, and complete the following four assignments for each of the chose essays (1-2 pages each).

  1. Write a brief summary of the content of the essay.
  2. Write a personal reflection on the content-what new thoughts were triggered by your reading?
  3. Identify possible applications of the reading to your ministry.
  4. List questions about the content not answered by your reading.

Post-Conference Requirements

1. Read the four books required for post-conference reading and complete the four assignments above for each (1-2 pages each, 5 pages total).

2. Conference Paper
This paper will be a composite of your reflections on each of the following presentations: (½ page on each, 2 pages total)

  1. "Connecting People with Jesus"
  2. "Biblical Foundations"
  3. "Tag-along to Team"

3. Plan of Action
Your Plan of Action for your congregation should include: (1 page)

  1. The specific details of your plan
  2. A time-line for implementation
  3. A system of accountability

4. A Response to "Leading from Within" (2 pages)
Included should be the following:

  1. A brief summary of your discoveries from these presentations
  2. Your philosophy of Ministry
  3. A listing of your personal values
  4. An analysis of both your natural and spiritual gifts
  5. Your personal Mission Statement

Evaluation [to be determined in consultation with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis]

SYLLABUS: CONFERENCE EVENT #2 -
NURTURING TRANSFORMATION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

Guest Presenters: Mr John Busacker, Rev Jock Ficken, Mrs Deb Herman, Mr Rick Herman, Mrs Carol Hower, Rev Steve Hower, Dr John Johnson, Mrs Jackie Oesch, Dr Norbert C Oesch, Mr Les Stroh

Coordinator: Dr Norbert Oesch, Executive Leader, Pastoral Leadership Institute
Credit: Credit to be established by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Conference Dates: May 17-21, 2000

Conference Description
Participants will first learn how change is part of the Biblical picture of God's world. After study of and reflection upon current theories of organizational transformation, they will learn how to nurture the change process in the congregation. They will learn about current cultural changes and how these impact the church and ministry, and they will design an action plan to facilitate a change process in the local congregation.

Conference Objectives
Upon completion of the conference, participants will have

  1. gained theological insight into change as a part of the Biblical picture of God's world;
  2. read and reflected upon current theories about organizational transformation;
  3. gained knowledge about and skills for nurturing the change processes in a congregational setting;
  4. learned, reflected, and dialogued about two case studies on congregational change;
  5. gained insight into and understanding of current cultural changes and how they impact the church and ministry;
  6. designed an action plan around a change process in the local congregation;
  7. selected the next two mentoring sites from the collegial groups;
  8. helped deepen the collegial relationships among members of the group.

Conference Outline

Introduction: Orientation to the conference and its purposes

Unit One: "A Biblical View of Nurturing Change"
An examination of how change is both natural and Biblical

Unit Two: "Making the Vision Come Alive at Our Congregation"
Two case studies on change strategies in the local congregation

Unit Three: "Nurturing Transformation"
An ongoing process activity: Learning and preparing to use the eight-stage process of creating major change

Unit Four: "Change: How to Do It and Live to Tell About It"
Recognizing, welcoming, and handling the challenges of change

Unit Five: "Church on the Brink: Cultural and Theological Transformation in the 21st Century"
The impact of cultural change on the church

Unit Six: "Developing the Action Plan"
Local lay involvement, 12-month goal setting, developing a system of accountability, planning mentor events

Summary:
Synthesis and evaluation

Required Reading before the Conference

Johnson, Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese? New York: Putnam's, 1998 [94 pages].

Thrall, Bill and Bruce McNicol and Ken McElrath. The Ascent of a Leader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999 [194 pages].

Required Reading after the Conference

Ficken, Jock. Change: Learning to Lead It and Living to Tell About It. Lima, OH: Fairway Press, 1999 [180 pages].

Kotter, John. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996 [187 pages].

Life@Work, Vol. 2, No.6. A Journal by LIFE@Work CO., PO Box 469048, Escondido, CA 92046-9644

Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997 [281 pages].

Recommended Reading on the Conference Theme

Beckhard, Richard and Wendy Pritchard. Changing the Essence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992 [96 pages].

Champy, J. and Nitin Nohria. Fast Forward: The Best Ideas on Managing Business Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996 [278 pages].

Drucker Peter F. Management Challenges for the 21st Century. Boston: Harper Business School Press, 1999 [207 pages].

Jacobs, Robert. Real Time Strategic Change. Berrett-Koehler, 1994 [354 pages].

Kanter, R. M. and Barry Stein and Todd Jick. The Challenge of Organizational Change. Free Press, 1992 [535 pages].

Senge, Peter and Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Bryan Smith, George Roth, and Richard Ross. The Dance of Change. New York: Doubleday, 1999 [596 pages].

Web Sites and Educational Programs

www.hr2000.com/inreach/main.htm

C-Map testing and personal diagnostics for those in organizations anticipating, participating in, or reestablishing after change.

www.change-management.org

Change Management Resource Library provides a comprehensive site for the top books, links, articles, and training in the areas of change management and organizational change.

www.people.cornell.edu/pages/he13/dea653/ib5/idea5.htm

A guide to managing, initiating, facilitating, and leading change successfully within an organization.

Pre-Conference Requirements

Read the two required books and complete the following four assignments for each. (1-2 pages each)

  1. Write a brief summary of the content of the book.
  2. Write a personal reflection on the content - what new thoughts were triggered by your reading?
  3. Identify possible applications of the reading to your ministry.
  4. List questions about the content not answered by your reading.

Pre-Conference Requirements

1. Read the four readings required after the conference and complete the four assignments above for each. (1-2 pages each, 5 pages total)

2. Conference Paper
This paper will be a composite of your reflections on each of the following presentations: (1/2 page on each, 2 pages total)

  1. "A Biblical View of Nurturing Change"
  2. "Making the Vision Come Alive at Our Congregation"
  3. "Change: How to Do It and Live to Tell About It"
  4. "Church on the Brink"

3. Plan of Action
Your Plan of Action for your congregation should include: (1 page)

  1. The specific details of your plan
  2. A time-line for implementation
  3. A system of accountability

4. A Response to "Nurturing Transformation" (2 pages)
Included should be the following:

  1. A brief summary of your discoveries from these presentations
  2. Your Philosophy of Change/Transformation
  3. Identify an innovation you are committed to leading in the near future.

Or, if you have already begun a change you may use this as your project. Include the following:

1) The condition/situation/ministry that needed changing and why

2) The process in planning the change. Special attention should be given to

  1. Climate for the change (trust and distrust factors, timing, leadership)
  2. Dissatisfaction raising
  3. Loss analysis
  4. Vision casting
  5. First steps (strategic and operational planning)

3) The involvement in the planning process

  1. Staff and leader involvement
  2. Congregational involvement

4) The change implementation

  1. Points of conflict
  2. Resolution of conflict, if any

5) The satisfactions/results

  1. Current status of change
  2. Ministry gains and losses
  3. Personal gains and losses
  4. A reflection on a specific congregational change from the past where conflict arose and how the components of the change process given here might have reduced the stress generated by the change
  5. Your personal Mission Statement

Note: All writing assigned to meet Pre-Conference and Post-Conference assignments will be submitted to the following:

(1) PLI office,
(2) members of the collegial group, and
(3) file for future use with Concordia Seminary faculty member.
Evaluation [to be determined in consultation with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis]

Mentoring Events Syllabus

Participating Mentors:

(These are included in the descriptions of each mentoring site.)

Coordinator: Dr. Norbert Oesch, Executive Leader, Pastoral Leadership Institute

Event Credit: Credit to be established by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Mentoring Events Description
Over the course of four years, participants will experience first hand the ministry of eight mentoring churches. They will have opportunity to engage in dialogue with the local staffs, experience the worship life of the mentoring congregations, observe the "signature ministry" of the mentoring churches in action, process the experience with other members of their collegial group, evaluate the experience, determine what of the experience might be incorporated into their own ministry, and determine how this might happen, and review, critique, and support one another's progress at their home church.

Mentoring Events Objectives
Upon the completion of the eight mentoring events, participants will have:

  1. experienced the ministry of eight highly effective large LCMS congregations for the purpose of
    1. broadening vision,
    2. observing and evaluating the signature ministry of eight large congregations and making decisions regarding the usefulness of such ministries in their own congregations,
    3. experiencing and evaluating the worship practices of the mentoring congregations, beginning to establish a network of support with the staff and senior pastor of each mentoring congregation for future consultation;
  2. have strengthened, supported, and held fellow PLI pastor/participants accountable for action plans and implementation by
    1. reviewing action plans of each pastor that were developed at the conference event and holding each accountable for his stated plans,
    2. encouraging and advising each other regarding plans being made and courageous actions being taken,
    3. growing in care and support for each other so that when there are times of difficulty and/or crisis, each can reach out to others;
  3. have expanded their knowledge by
    1. gaining insights into various staff configurations and functioning,
    2. gaining additional knowledge at mentoring events about eight signature ministries,
    3. gaining vital information needed to effectively relate to the international mission personnel through the mission events planned by The LCMS.

Collegial Groups
An integral part of the Mentoring Experience is the "Collegial Group." This randomly- formed group of six or seven participants will remain intact through all eight of the mentoring experiences over the four-year period. Ideally, the members will grow in appreciation for each other, and the group will provide a place where participants can be honest and open with each other, where ideas can be safely tested, where confidentiality is maintained, and where each member holds the others accountable for his work and actions. The group will also be a place where frustrations, victories, and actions can be shared, a source for ideas and support when working in one's own congregation, and a place of ongoing prayer support for each other's ministries.

Mentoring Events Outline

DAY ONE

  1. Introductions
  2. Review the staffing model and ministry of the mentoring congregation
  3. Participate in the signature ministry of the congregation, if possible

DAY TWO

  1. Sunday worship in mentoring congregation
  2. Visit with congregational leaders and members
  3. Collegial group meetings
  4. Dinner and fellowship with senior pastor

DAY THREE

  1. Collegial group meeting to review and critique the work they have been doing since the Conference Event
  2. Participation, if possible, in the signature ministry

DAY FOUR

  1. Group meeting with senior pastor and staff to give feedback and encouragement in ministry
  2. Group planning for next mentoring/conference event and evaluation of the mentoring experience

Required Reading Prior to Beginning the Mentoring Experience

Hendricks, Howard and William. As Iron Sharpens Iron: Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship. Chicago: Moody Press, 1995. [270 pages]

Recommended Reading Prior to Beginning the Mentoring Experience

Biehl, Bobb. Mentoring: Confidence in Finding a Mentor and Becoming One. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996.

Clinton, Robert. The Mentor Handbook. Altadena, CA: Barnabas Publishers, 1991.

Hargrove, Robert. Masterful Coaching: Extraordinary Results by Impacting People and the Way they Think and Work Together. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1995.

Required Reading Prior to a Specific Mentoring Experience

Each participant will be required to read those items from the following list that are specified by his mentoring congregation:

[this bibliography will be compiled in the months ahead from recommendations made by the mentor and staff of each mentoring congregation.]

Requirements Prior to Beginning the Mentoring Experience

Read the Hendricks book and complete the following four assignments: (2 pages, 1/2 page each)

  1. Write a brief summary of the content of the book.
  2. Write a personal reflection on the content--what new thoughts were triggered by your reading?
  3. Identify possible applications of the reading to your ministry.
  4. List questions about the content not answered by your reading.

Requirements Prior to a Specific Mentoring Event

Read the assigned reading(s) for the mentoring event and complete the following four assignments: (2 pages, 1/2 page each)

  1. Write a brief summary of the content of the reading(s).
  2. Write a personal reflection on the content--what new thoughts were triggered by your reading(s)?
  3. Identify possible applications of the reading(s) to your ministry.
  4. List questions about the content not answered by your reading(s).

Requirements After a Specific Mentoring Event

Complete the following three assignments (2 pages total):

  1. Write a personal reflection on the overall ministry of the mentoring congregation.
  2. Identify what you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of the congregation's signature ministry.
  3. If you believe the signature ministry could be used in your own congregation, explain why you believe so and how it might be used.

Note: All writing assigned to meet Pre-Conference and Post-Conference assignments will be submitted to the following:

(1) PLI office,
(2) members of the collegial group, and
(3) the assigned Concordia Seminary faculty member.

Evaluation [to be determined in consultation with Concordia Seminary]

Cooperating Mentoring Churches Mentoring Churches will change from time to time.

September 8, 2000