Leadership Development

 

Leadership formation is one of the major areas of emphasis in the mission and ministry of the African national ministries of the ELCA. Thus far the number of ordained African national Pastors in the ELCA remains to be very low. Most of the mission congregations being developed around the country are still led by lay leaders licensed by Synods for specialized ministries.

African national ministries office continues to work with the leadership development office of the ELCA EOCM and with the vocation and education unit of the ELCA. Our strategy continues to assist candidacy committees around the country in cultural arbitration, theological review panels, psychological reviews, interviews, curriculum interpretation, ordination document verifications and theological mitigation where there are misconceptions.

Ministry and mission around leadership development is treated as a journey stretching from the stages of recruitment, to candidacy entrance, seminary education, internship placement, call process and socio-cultural orientation for African national leaders. It is our goal to raise many more leaders and accompany them through this journey as they strive to attain necessary credentials and be made available for the larger church as theologically trained and well equipped missional leaders.

Discipleship and lay leadership empowerment and training continue to be a major area of emphasis in the category of leadership development. Majority of our mission sites are still led, pastured and developed by lay leaders. The primary task of the very few ordained Pastors is predominantly working lay leadership development and encouraging laity to play leading role as they continue to work on the multifaceted nature of the immigrant ministry.