First group of pastors completes Advance Foundations program.

On Nov. 12, eight Church of the Brethren pastors became the first group to complete the Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership program of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. The program is one of two continuing education programs for pastors supported by the academy's Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative.

The eight pastors--Dan Poole of Covington (Ohio) Church of the Brethren; David W. Miller of West Richmond (Va.) Church of the Brethren; Kelly Burk of Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren; Jerry Lee Miller of Spring Run Church of the Brethren in McVeytown, Pa.; James Davis of North Winona Church of the Brethren in Warsaw, Ind.; Kenneth Gresh of Salem Church of the Brethren in Englewood, Ohio; Lisa Lynn Hazen of Beavercreek (Ohio) Church of the Brethren; and Thomas Hanks of Bethlehem Church of the Brethren in Boones Mill, Va.--were recognized by family, friends, congregational leaders, faculty of Bethany Theological Seminary, and academy staff at a banquet in Hagerstown, Ind.

The Advanced Foundations program is designed to deepen the leadership capacity of pastors by addressing personal qualities and enhancing ministry skills, academy staff reported. Eight four-day retreats over two years offer safe environments for pastors to nurture spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and relational foundations for ministry and further equip pastors to shape congregations of vision, passion, and mission. The program is led by a variety of instructors including Jonathan Shively, director of the academy, and Lowell Flory, executive director of Institutional Advancement for Bethany.

The academy is a ministry training partnership of Bethany and the General Board. Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiatives are supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The next group of Advanced Foundations pastors will begin work in January 2005.

Source: 12/03/2004 Newsline