leading-inside-out

Leading from the Inside Out

Doctor of Ministry Program

The challenge of

LEADERSHIP FORMATION

in the local church

 “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”—2 Timothy 2:20-21

Shaping leaders is possibly among the most draining and emotionally stressful aspects of ministry in the local church. How do we mold people in church leadership roles and provide for the ongoing formation of whole and healthy emerging leaders? We often face even further challenges working with individuals in leadership roles who have personal agendas beyond the expansion of God’s kingdom. In fact, we sometimes grapple with issues in our own lives that hinder our ability to lead effectively. Pastors and leaders everywhere are crying out for help to implement leadership development programs that not only sharpen skills, but also address the inner life and character of the leader.

So, what’s the answer?

The Leading from the Inside Out Doctor of Ministry degree will arm you with the theory, reflection, and resources necessary to facilitate spiritual and character formation in the lives of your church leaders, and help you create a comprehensive leadership formation process within your church family.

A Doctor of Ministry program of Bethel Seminary

Year One

Intensive One: Personal Well-being and Ministry Effectiveness

The capacity of people in ministry to help others fulfill their potential in Jesus Christ is directly related to their own personal, spiritual, emotional, and relational well-being. In this course you will learn how to maintain good health on all fronts in order to maximize your effectiveness in the demanding context of ministry.

Intensive Two: Understanding Congregational Systems

Effective pastoral ministry requires a thorough understanding of the congregation. This course will enable you to better analyze and strategize in relationship to four interrelated categories of congregational life: identity, context, process, and program.

Year Two

Intensive Three: Thesis Workshop

Students in this workshop will develop an acceptable thesis proposal and project design. By the end of the course, you will have constructed an outline for a viable thesis project proposal.

Intensive Four: Leading from the Inside Out: The Art of Self-Leadership

Learn to develop congruence between your inner life and your exercise of leadership on the public stage. You will be guided through the crucial process of identifying and articulating your values, connecting with your calling, and laying out some life goals. You also will learn the practices necessary to exercise ongoing spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual self-leadership.

Year Three

Intensive Five: The Making of a Leader: Understanding Life Processes

Examine the processes God uses in the calling, formation, and confirmation of those He directs into leadership. You will be guided through the development of your own unique timeline and aided in the identification of the events God has used in your development as a leader. You will come to understand how God has brought you to your present place in leadership, and with this understanding, begin to anticipate God’s future movement in your formation as a leader.

Intensive Six: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership

Many traits that drive ministry leaders to succeed carry the potential to bring out a dark side in leadership. You will learn what the dark side of leadership is, identify your own dark side, and learn five life-long steps for overcoming your dark side-thus preventing any further hindrance of your personal and professional ministry effectiveness.

Year Four

Intensive Five: Rethinking the Successful Church

Rediscover the joy and serenity of serving God as you become fully aware of His sovereignty over the ministry process. While acknowledging the positive contributions of the megachurch and today’s emphasis on growth, you also will gain perspective on church success as you begin to reevaluate your own philosophy of success.

Thesis Work

Each intensive lasts five days.

How will it help your church?

Leading from the Inside Out participants will be equipped to pass this same training along to the emerging leaders in their congregations by implementing a Leadership Central program in their churches. Leadership Central replicates the Leading from the Inside Out program at the local church level, assisting pastors in developing new leaders who are gifted and equipped for effective service in formal leadership roles.

Your Cohort Mentors

Douglas W. Fombelle
B.A., Grove City College; M.Div., Bethel Seminary; D.Min., Bethel Seminary

Fombelle became dean of Bethel Seminary of the East after a long tenure at Faith Baptist Church in Rexford, N.Y., where he served as youth pastor, associate pastor, and for 21 years, senior pastor. He believes his service at Bethel is a natural extension of his commitment to advance the kingdom of God using the pastoral gifts God has given him. Fombelle has mentored numerous associate pastors, and is firmly committed to the mentorship model that distinguishes Bethel Seminary of the East. He believes the regional nature of Bethel’s East Coast teaching sites provides the perfect setting within which he can exercise his call to serve the kingdom enterprise throughout a church’s surrounding area rather than within the confines of a single congregation. Fombelle previously has served in such parachurch ministries as the Schenectady Christian School, the Capital District Association of Evangelicals, and Youth for Christ.

Samuel D. Rima
B.A., Eastern Washington University; M.Div. and D.Min., Talbot School of Theology at Biola University

Rima is director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Bethel Seminary, where he also serves as director of Leadership Enrichment and teaches in the Center for Transformational Leadership. Before coming to Bethel, Rima was the executive minister for the Columbia Baptist Conference, where he oversaw churches in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Though he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, he has been the senior pastor of churches in Southern California; Omaha, Neb.; and Sioux Falls, S.D. Rima has written three books, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction (Baker, 1998), Leading from the Inside Out: The Art of Self-leadership (Baker, 2000), and Rethinking the Successful Church: Finding Serenity in God’s Sovereignty (Baker, 2002), and he is completing work on his fourth, The Quest for Success: Finding a Success that Matters (Horizon Books, 2005). Rima also conducts national workshops and seminars on leadership and spiritual formation, and organizational effectiveness.

Take a step that will change your life, your leadership, and your church!

Find out more:

651.638.6288
800.255.8706, ext. 6288

bsem-admit@bethel.edu

Leading from the Inside Out Functional Program Model

Pastor

Enrolls in Leading from the Inside Out

1. Completes the doctoral program curriculum
2. Engages in creative research
3. Participates in peer support and networking
4. Receives Leadership Central training (optional)

Establishes Leadership Central in local church

Emerging leaders in the local church receive:

1. One-year training curriculum

   • Leading from the Inside Out
   • The Making of a Leader
   • Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership
   • Rethinking the Successful Church
2. The Camp Big Horn Experience
3. Monthly Skill-building Lecture Series
4. Quarterly Team-building Activities

Outcomes

• Increased self-knowledge and understanding
• Motivation and guidance to grow to the next level of leadership
• Deeper interpersonal relationships among staff, board, and leadership team
• Greater mentoring skills
• Increased awareness of God’s divine life direction
• Reduced occurrence of failures due to spiritual immaturity or weak character
• More value driven leaders who exercise self-leadership in their spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual lives
• Progress toward achieving a professional degree