Nikolaus Satelmajer (NS): During the past year I have heard of a new center for leadership development. Can you share some news about this initiative?
Skip Bell (SB): The Christian Leadership Center (CLC) is an interdisciplinary organization established by Andrews University. This center provides inspiration, ongoing leadership development, leadership coaching, consultation, a journal, and research for a network of church and community leadership throughout the world.
Our vision is people. People transformed and empowered by Christian principles and who form a network of Christian leaders providing outstanding leadership for the local church, for church and educational organizations throughout the world, as well as for local community or business organizations. The Center provides these leaders with ongoing leadership development based on the servant leadership model of Christ.
Our mission is: “To accompany and develop people in their journey as servant leaders in the church and as Christian-marketplace ambassadors in a changing world.”
NS: How did the initiative for a leadership center evolve?
SB: It began with values. We might describe these values as deep-seated beliefs from which principles and behaviors take root. Words like faithfulness, Christlikeness, love, integrity, fairness, and service communicate those values. We in the Christian Leadership Center become passionate when we talk about the biblically grounded nature of these values.
We understand, of course, that these values create a tension when they come up against realities; this is certainly true in the arena of leadership. The contrast between these values and the spectrum of leadership behaviors in all of the communities we experience, including the church, creates energy. That energy can be negative or it can be directed to something positive.
About four years ago I asked a small group to dialogue with me about leadership, and out of that emerged the idea of a leadership center.
In dialogue with an expanded group, a vision took shape and a proposal was created. Then the Christian Leadership Center was born. It was not an institutional initiative. CLC flows out of a grass roots movement, continues to be given energy from people engaged in the frontier of leadership communities, and is affirmed by Andrews University and General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists involvement.
NS: I understand the people committing time to the Christian Leadership Center are doing it voluntarily. CLC charges only for actual costs and not for personnel. This approach makes it more affordable. Other organizations are offering leadership development. Is there a unique role for CLC?
SB: Absolutely. I have intentionally searched and can find no other organization positioned to join the vision, biblical foundation, philosophy, and style of leadership development delivery of the Christian Leadership Center. Here is what I mean.
We seek transformation of persons and transformation in the context of leadership development. We see the development of leaders on three distinct levels: the first being transformation of the person, the second being development of essential leadership practices that flow from the transformation of character and worldview, and the third being formation of administrative skills.
Further, we provide a place for academicians and field practitioners to link in a process of theological reflection that shapes the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s understanding of leadership and that clarifies transformational leadership development across cultures. The biblically based model of servant leadership promoted by the Christian Leadership Center grows from that reflection.
Finally, we serve from the biblical model. We come alongside people for ongoing leadership development over a period of years. We do not believe leadership development can be accomplished by workshops or seminars. We apply an ongoing and comprehensive strategy of self-leadership, spiritual formation, literature, group work, reflection, workshops, leadership coaching, and assessment.
NS: Mike Ryan, you direct the leadership development services of the General Conference. And you invest time with the Christian Leadership Center. What do you see as the goals of the Center and what programs does it offer to meet these goals?
Mike Ryan (MR): The first goal is dynamic understanding. We foster a shared and dynamic understanding of a biblical model of servant leadership that informs the global practice of church and community leaders. The second goal is transformed leaders; that is, Christian leaders transformed by a biblical model of servant leadership. The third goal is a leadership network. By that we mean a pool of people growing in leadership skills who, in turn, can provide global leadership development to others.
CLC offers specific program options: a four-year leadership development program delivered to those in a particular organization like a college, denominational organization, medical institution, business, or community organization, as well as a one-year leadership certificate program and leadership coaching. We also engage in activity to promote biblically informed leadership, enrich leadership understanding through The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, and foster leadership research.
For the church that means CLC can deliver leadership development programs for specific church entities willing to make commitments to accountability over a period of years.
NS: How does the Christian Leadership Center define leadership?
SB: We have adopted the following definition with the hope it will clarify our beliefs and mission: Christian leadership is a dynamic relational process in which people, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, partner to achieve a common goal—it is serving others by leading and leading others by serving.
MR: It is helpful, indeed important, to distinguish between administration and leadership. Both to support and bring credibility to the leadership process.
Thus we distinguish between them but do not separate them. This means that in our development activity we also give attention to administrative skill development. In fact, that is part of the present conversation and growth of CLC; we are finding ways to integrate administrative skills through “endorsements” into our programs.
That will offer persons the opportunity to form specific administrative skill expertise while engaged in leadership development.
NS: How would someone interested in leadership development for their organization contact the Christian Leadership Center?
MR: To contact the center, e-mail us at [email protected], call 269-471-8332, or visit www.andrews.edu/clc/.
