Excellence in Theological Education

Effective Training for Church Leaders

Steven A. Hardy

Series Editor

Riad Kassis

© 2016 by Steven A. Hardy

Published 2016 by Langham Global Library

An imprint of Langham Creative Projects

Langham Partnership

PO Box 296, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 9WZ, UK

www.langham.org

First published in 2006 by Booksurge, distributed in Africa by SIM and distributed in Asia by LBCS Publishing Unit.

This edition published 2016 by Langham Global Library.

ISBNs:

978-1-78368-202-7 Print

978-1-78368-204-1 Mobi

978-1-78368-203-4 ePub

978-1-78368-205-8 PDF

Steven A. Hardy has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78368-202-7

Cover Design: projectluz.com

Langham Partnership actively supports theological dialogue and an author’s right to publish but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions set forth, and works referenced within this publication or guarantee its technical and grammatical correctness. Langham Partnership does not accept any responsibility or liability to persons or property as a consequence of the reading, use or interpretation of its published content.

ICETE Series

Contents

Preface

1 What Is Excellence?

Is Excellence Biblical?

Is Excellence Being (or Having Been) the Best of the Bunch?

Is Excellence Equal to Success?

Is Excellence a Relative Thing?

Who Determines the Standards or Affirms One’s Excellence?

Is Excellence Possible?

Conclusions

Discussion Questions Regarding Excellence

2 Excellence in Leadership

What Is Leadership?

Biblical Concepts of Leadership

Character: Who a Leader Needs to Be

Responsibilities: What a Leader Needs to Do

Discovering and Developing Leadership

Styles and Varieties of Leadership

Working Together as a Team

Resolving Tensions and Conflict

Negotiating Leadership Transition

Conclusions

Discussion Questions Regarding Your Leadership

Suggestions for Further Reading

3 Excellence in Strategic Planning

What Strategic Planning Is Not

Developing a Strategic Plan

And If You Don’t Have a Strategic Plan: Write One!

Conclusions

Discussion Questions Regarding Your Strategic Plan

Suggestions for Further Reading

4 Excellence in Governance

Are Boards Worth the Effort?

Whose Theological Training Program or Institution Is It?

The Role of Ownership in Governance

The General Assembly as an Advisory Board or Advisory ...