The Lewis Center for Church Leadership is well known for a variety of sucessful leadership development programs that are shaping the next generation of church leaders and helping clergy face the challenges that come at critical junctures in ministry.

The Lewis Center has also been a leading voice on issues related to younger clergy. It was the first to alert the church to the serious and sustained decline in the number of clergy under 35 with its ground-breaking research on clergy age trends. These findings have ignited a church-wide conversation on the need to encourage younger candidates for the ministry.

The Center has been involved in efforts to ease the transition into ministry through its research on the effectiveness of the probationary process in the United Methodist Church, continuing education programs for provisional clergy, and mentor training resources.

Supported by the Lilly Endowment's Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Program, the Center has developed a number of different peer learning cohorts aimed at leadership excellence, including the Lewis Fellows program for outstanding young clergy and Lewis Learning Communities for pastors and other leades from congregations seeking to take the next step toward congregational growth.

And the Lewis Center has worked to shape and develop Wesley Theological Seminary's popular Doctor of Ministry track in Church Leadership Excellence.