Immerse

—a faith-filled venture in ministry leadership development

 

People - Anderson, KentFaith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. What would it look like if we were to apply this kind of open-ended vision to the process of ministry leadership development?

We began to ask ourselves that question three years ago at Northwest Baptist Seminary. What would it look like if we were to reverse-engineer seminary so that it served the needs of the church instead of asking the church to fit the need of the seminary?

Our churches in Fellowship Pacific were asking similar questions at the same time, understanding that leadership development had to be a significant part of its “interdependent future.” For the last two years Fellowship Pacific leadership have been working hand-in-hand with the Northwest faculty in the development of a fully church-based pastoral training program that unites theology and theory with equal rigor.

The result is Immerse, a program unmatched anywhere in the world, where students are assessed not solely on their academic prowess, but on their capacity to serve in the role for which they are training. In Immerse, students are surrounded by a team of mentors who encourage them toward mastery of the necessary outcomes. Without traditional courses, classrooms, and schedules, this program puts all the focus upon student mastery.

The response from our churches has been overwhelming. Churches, students, mentors, and donors have responded in unprecedented ways, vastly outstripping our expectation. We are learning that there is no shortage of people whom God is calling to ministry. It is just that our traditional models have erected barriers that we had not even recognized.

Ministry leadership development is the responsibility of the church. For too long, the church has off-loaded that responsibility to external schools and agencies. With Immerse we are giving the church the support it needs to take up again that responsibility. Together, by faith we are imagining a future of healthy churches led by great leaders, gifted, called, and mentored toward the future God has in mind for them.  


—Kent Anderson, President, Northwest Baptist Seminary, kenta@twu.ca