ISSUE ARCHIVE

New Clergy Mentor Resources Available

Research and experience both point to the importance of clergy mentoring, particularly in helping those in the early years of ministry. But clergy mentors indicate overwhelmingly that they need more training for their task. And while mentees value the mentoring they receive, they also indicate that their mentors need more resourcing for this important responsibility.

The Lewis Center for Church Leadership has assembled a new collection of video-based resources to assist clergy mentors and those responsible for training clergy mentors. Informed by the Lewis Center's extensive research on the effectiveness of mentoring programs for those in their first years out of seminary and by the Center's work on the leadership development needs of younger clergy, these resources are designed to take clergy mentoring to the next level, supplementing but not replacing or repeating resources provided by denominations.

Two versions of these mentor training resources are being released today.

1. Taking Clergy Mentoring to the Next Level, Individual Study Version, is designed for clergy mentors who wish to prepare on their own for a ministry of mentoring. The DVD and Resource CD contain video presentations, written resources, and supplementary materials on such topics as biblical and theological foundations for mentoring, mentoring as leadership development, and helping clergy put their personal calling into a larger context. It also gives mentoring best practices through the Lewis Center's research-based "Ten Commitments of Mentoring." The Individual Study Version is available for $75 each (33% discount available on orders of 10 or more). Click here to learn more or purchase.
   
   
2. Taking Clergy Mentoring to the Next Level, Group Training Version, is designed for use by denominations and judicatories to train groups of mentors. It contains seven presentation segments in video and PowerPoint versions. Accompanying the DVD is a Resource CD with handouts, discussion exercises, Bible studies, case studies, and other supplementary material. The package includes a facilitator’s guide with a sample training agenda, a planning template, and tips on how to conduct a training event and customize the material to specific needs. Purchasers of the Group Training Version are granted permission to exhibit the presentations in group settings and duplicate written materials for training participants. They are also eligible to purchase at discount rates the Individual Study Version of Taking Clergy Mentoring to the Next Level for any number of trainees. The group training version is available for $150. Click here to learn more or to purchase.

We are pleased that the training the Lewis Center has developed over years of use in the field is now available broadly to clergy of many denominations who want to provide the best mentoring possible to a new generation of clergy leaders.

Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Fit to Lead

A study from the Center for Creative Leadership found that leaders who exercise are significantly more effective leaders than those who do not. Using data collected over ten years comparing those who were regular exercisers and those who were non-exercisers or sporadic exercisers, they found that the exercisers rated significantly higher than their non-exercising peers on overall leadership effectiveness as scored by their colleagues. Some strategies suggested by Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen, author of the report, include:

1. Do more, more often.
2. Keep track.
3. Mix it up.
4. Focus on exercise not size.
5. Get a trainer or exercise coach.
6. Take it on the road.
7. Be patient.

To read the report or listen to a podcast on the subject,
go to: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/podcast/transcriptLeadersBestBet.aspx.

Your Questions:
Should we track the number of different people attending worship?

A reader's question: Attendance patterns at our church seem to have changed. Many more regular worshipers are attending less often, especially as members are aging and spending more time away from home. In addition to tracking average worship attendance, which remains a vital indicator of church life, should we also begin tracking the number of different people attending over a one- or three-month period as another indicator of vitality?

Response: You have identified an issue that comes up regularly among clergy today that was not so common in the past. Worship attendance has been declining in U.S. churches in recent years. Many pastors contend that if they were to count the number of different people attending each month, there would be as many as before, perhaps more; but the people are not attending as often. In the past, those who thought of themselves as "regular" attenders would normally attend all or most weeks.But pastors now are reporting that those who see themselves as "regular" may only be present once or twice a month. It is hard to know all of the factors involved. Level of commitment may be one. But another factor may be the movement of the Baby Boomers through the life cycle. Those who would attend church weekly when their children were young may now be away many weekends with grandchildren who live elsewhere or on other types of travel.

Your idea of finding a way to track not only weekly headcount but also the number of different attenders is a good one. Assuming that attendance is being recorded, most church software programs would permit a query for each month or other time period that would give the number of people who attended once or more. This also gives a chance for appropriate follow up of those who have missed a certain number of Sundays. And the information may also give other clues that might be used to increase attendance. It will be crucial, however, to be sure that any follow up is based upon an accurate record of attendance. A family who has attended faithfully in recent weeks may not respond well to a communication that expresses concern about your having missed them!

For more information on alternate ways of gauging attendance, see "Measuring Church Numerical Growth is Not as Easy as it Seems," Leading Ideas, January 31, 2007.

Do You Have Questions of the Lewis Center?

If you have a question about church leadership, you may send it to asklewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu. The Center will seek to respond to as many as possible. Some will be answered in future Updates without attribution of the questioner.

Update is a monthly report to subscribers of Leading Ideas
on the work of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.