LAD 401 Church Organization and Management
Fri Jul 7 – 6 to 9 pm
Sat Jul 8- 10 am to 6 pm
Fri Aug 11- 6 to 9 pm
Sat Aug 12 – 10 am to 6 pm
Instructor: Rev. Dr. Toni LaMotta
Course Description
This course will review and explore various aspects of managing a church. The class will focus on the various functions essential for creating and managing a healthy, spiritual organization. The course addresses the executive role and responsibility of the minister, with emphasis on developing and assessing the health of the church/center. The class will offer an opportunity to explore the skills necessary to develop a healthy community through personal and group communication, collaboration, and commitment. The purpose of this course is to provide a context and tools for identifying and developing essential personal qualities, skills, and abilities of the minister and key community leaders; as well as, the key components of an effective and healthy spiritual community.
Reading and References
Texts – to be read by the first Friday class
a) THE BELOVED COMMUNITY Rev. Dr. Jim Lockard
click the link to purchase on Amazon
when you have completed reading Book 1, watch the video here for a summary of his follow-up book
You will have a final PPT project to present from either Reverend Irreverence (church model) or Reinventing Organizations (model for any organization)
click here to order and read Reverend Irreverence b) Rev. Dr. Raymondt’s paper on Reverend Irreverence is free- on this website — download – use as a model for your final PPT sharing OR
click here to order Reinventing Organizations
You can use parts of laloux_reinventing_organizations as a model for at least part of it
c) Get familiar with the website – read as much as possible under the heading Integral Theory – especially Wake up, Grow Up…
Texts – you will each choose 1 during the 1st session to be presented for the second-weekend oral report –
(you will share 3 ideas that you got from the reading that you plan to apply)
You can purchase one or more of these books (I recommend ALL of them)
by clicking on the links below
PRESENCE, by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers
THEORY U, by C. Otto Scharmer
THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH, by Rick Warren
THE EMERGING CHURCH, A Model for Change and a Map for Renewal, by Bruce Sanguin
FROM GOOD TO GREAT, by Jim Collins
SPIRAL DYNAMICS – Beck
FORCES FOR GOOD: Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits; Leslie Crutchfield and Heather Grant
SQ21 The 21 SKILLS of SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE Cindy Wigglesworth
The Fifth Discipline Peter Senge
Weird Church by Nixon and Estock
Manuals to Reference- (get a copy from your local center)
• Affiliation Agreement
• Model By-Laws
• CSL Policies and Procedures Manual
• Letters of Call
• Class Registrations
• Annual Reports
• Marketing plans (more than advertising)
• Speakers/Workshops .. what and when
Course Competencies/Objectives
Students will demonstrate competencies in the following levels of learning:
A. Spiritual Consciousness—Students will show an understanding and embodiment of:
• the Truth of the inherent Wholeness within each individual mind, the spiritual community collective mind, and The One Mind.
• a consciousness of peace, poise, harmony, and unity to guide interactions within the spiritual community.
• the willingness to ask for and accept prayer support and help with managing the activities of the center.
B. Knowledge—Students will demonstrate an understanding of:
• CSL Affiliation Agreement, Model Bylaws, Policies & Procedures, and
Ministerial Code.
• various roles and responsibilities of the Minister as CEO/Spiritual Leader.
• key aspects of developing and working effectively with Boards/CORE Councils.
• legal responsibilities of the Minister and the Church/Center.
• key elements of the Minister’s Letter of Call and various staff and volunteer job descriptions.
• main aspects of branding, marketing, public relations, promotion, and developing a marketing plan.
• key forms and elements of church record-keeping.
• Catching Spirit’s vision and moving it into an active working plan.
C. Skills and/or Abilities—Students will be able to:
• identify staff/volunteer needs; and then select, supervise, and evaluate personnel.
• create a budget, and read financial statements and contracts. (another class)
• manage interpersonal interactions and conflict.
• communicate through speaking, listening, and leading community meetings.
Instructional Methods
Lecture, group project & discussion, student class presentations, written assignments.
Course Requirements
Attendance at all class meetings is expected.
If for any reason a student is unable to attend a class meeting, arrangements must be made with the Dean and Instructor to complete classroom and homework assignments, but your grade will be affected.
Reading assignments as indicated.
In addition to text – Articles, Handouts, and References are given in class.
3. Class Participation and Oral/Written Presentations.
A major part of the class will be spent in an independent learning component. You will be creating a project independently or working in pairs or groups related to the course objectives. Students will share insights and conclusions with the class through oral/written presentations based on outside research and assignments from the class.
4. Grading
• 100% Attendance & participation in a group project and discussions -40%
• Final week – 25%: A 15-minute sharing on how you will apply lessons from your chosen book.
25% a- describing how you will put the lessons from Reverend Irreverence into practice in your chosen ministry
• Intangibles: (how you contribute in class) – 10%
Focus
This class is about mastering the combination of visionary leadership and management skills that are required to function as a senior minister of a modern spiritual community. We will use the Spiral Dynamics model as a touchstone for the kind of awareness of cultural and personal development that is key to success in this field. The book THE BELOVED COMMUNITY, by Jim Lockard, will serve as a guide to the process of evolving a culture that allows the greatest possible degree of connection, service, and skillsets in the modern spiritual organizational leader.
Instructor Availability
During and after the class, the instructor is available for contact online (email; thecommunitycsl@gmail.com Facebook – Toni LaMotta or by phone/text at 941-928-3529.