Leadership Development

Congregational leaders (lay and clergy) face unprecedented challenges today. Churches expect ministers to possess strong skills in many areas. Consequently, developing strong leadership skills is a life-long challenge, and developing skilled leaders is vital for effective ministry.

Tennessee CBF and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner to offer educational opportunities to help clergy and lay leaders develop pastoral and leadership skills. These experiences are advertised in all of our publications.

In addition to offering leadership development events, TCBF’s field coordinator is trained in family systems theory and its implications for personal and leadership development. The more aware a minister is of his/her family of origin, the more effectively she/he provides leadership. From a systems perspective, the leader’s effectiveness is tied to her/his capacity to self-define while staying connected with the members of the congregation. Ministers who apply family systems lenses to their ministries know their places in the systems they serve and are more concerned with the functioning of the congregational system than taking responsibility for the system.