蜜桃传媒

Pastors, Laity, GWU Faculty and Staff Explore Concept of 鈥楾urnaround Leadership鈥�  

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.鈥擳he 蜜桃传媒 School of Divinity and The Center for Healthy Churches (CHC) recently held their first training event since announcing their partnership last fall. More than 60 clergy and lay leaders from North and South Carolina attended 鈥淭urnaround Leadership: Life in the 2020s鈥� led by Dr. Bill Wilson, CHC director. Joining the guests for the workshop on the 蜜桃传媒-Webb campus were about 20 members of the GWU faculty and staff.

蜜桃传媒-Webb President Dr. William M. Downs welcomed the group. 鈥淭his partnership between the Center for Healthy Churches and 蜜桃传媒-Webb is mission central for us,鈥� Downs affirmed. 鈥淲e want to do everything we can to be a focal point, a venue for conversations about building healthy churches. Together, this team is going to do great things for the community.鈥�

Wilson began by asking three questions: 鈥淲hy is your church here?鈥� 鈥淚f you continue down the path you are on now, where will that take you?鈥� and 鈥淚f that is not where you want to go, what needs to change?鈥� He gave time for participants to discuss with each other and share with everyone in the room. They answered that churches are here to fulfill God鈥檚 mission, connect to the community, reach the lost, embody the grace of Jesus, and be the light in the community and the world.

After hearing their responses, he pointed out the disconnect between how churches define their purpose and the reality. 鈥淚鈥檓 in a lot of churches, and I ask, 鈥楬ow many people have come into your fellowship who were not previously Christians, over the age of 18, and are not transfers from other churches,鈥欌�� he shared. 鈥淚n a room of 50 to 60 people, the response might be two or three people in the last decade. Our talk and our walk are different. I don鈥檛 know of a church that doesn鈥檛 need some element of turnaround.鈥�

Dr. Robert Canoy, dean of the GWU School of Divinity, agreed with Wilson鈥檚 assessment. 鈥淓very church that I know today is a 鈥榯urnaround鈥� church,鈥� he observed. 鈥淔or that reason we have partnered with CHC to promote this theme and to provide the essentials for helping leaders and their churches make the necessary turn. To be sure, there is no 鈥榦ne-size-fits-all,鈥� and Dr. Wilson never suggests that there is. What he describes is what our School of Divinity does when we are at our best鈥攃onducting our classes with the singular goal of helping our students become leaders in churches that can experience the necessary turn without destroying them.鈥�

Paula Bruce, pastor of Freedom Alive Church in Greenville, S.C., said the discussion resonated with her. 鈥淛esus said, if I am lifted up, I will do the drawing,鈥� offered Bruce, a GWU alumna and doctoral student in the School of Divinity. 鈥淎re we really lifting Jesus up or are we just coming up with gimmicks and different things in order to get bodies into the church?鈥�

Wilson told the audience that some leaders take a positive outlook on the decline in church attendance. This notion appealed to Garin Hill, pastor of First Baptist Church in Forest City, N.C. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an exciting time to be a pastor,鈥� explained Hill, a GWU alum with a Doctor of Ministry. 鈥淲e live in an American culture where only 17 percent of the people attend church on a regular basis. That means that 83 percent of people may or may not have a connection to the God who/ has a purpose for their lives. It鈥檚 more opportunity than we have ever had before.鈥�

About 蜜桃传媒
Located in the North Carolina foothills, 蜜桃传媒 is a private, Christian, liberal arts university. 蜜桃传媒-Webb emphasizes a strong student-centered experience and rigorous academics to prepare students to become effective leaders within the global community. Ignite your future at 蜜桃传媒-Webb.edu. 

About the School of Divinity
The 蜜桃传媒 School of Divinity鈥檚 primary function is 鈥渢o equip persons who are committed to Christian ministry to fulfill their calling at the highest level of the practice of ministry.鈥� The School fulfills this mission through academic programs and the Pittman Center for Congregational Enrichment, which sponsors training events for both laity and clergy. In addition, the School hosts Bible study opportunities, endowed lecture series, and an annual Pastors鈥� School. Learn more.

About the Center for Healthy Churches
Located in Clemmons, N.C., the  has provided help, hope and healing for congregations and organizations nationwide. Using a diverse network of coaches and consultants, the CHC has established itself as a national thought leader and high-quality source of resources. Since its beginning in 2014, the CHC has increasingly become a go-to resource for congregations, clergy, and organizations in the midst of transition, staffing challenges, conflict and visioning endeavors.