Concordia Seminary St. Louis (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne (CTSFW) are working together again to offer new continuing education workshops for pastors, other church workers, and laity. This time, however, the seminaries are collaborating and partnering with The Batterman School of Business at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW). Each seminary campus will host three in-person workshops this year on practical business topics. The workshops will be team-taught by seminary professors and business professors from CUW. In a recent survey conducted by LCMS Research Services “leadership and administrative skills were mentioned in nearly half of all the comments from MDIV pastors and about a third from SMP pastors as topics where they felt underprepared in their ministries.” The seminaries want to help fill this need by providing these workshops this year as well as in future years.
Dr. Kevin Golden, Dean of Ministerial Formation and former Dean of Theological Research and Publication at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, has worked closely with the offices of continuing education at both seminaries to help develop these workshops. He will even be team-teaching the time management workshop this year. Dr. Golden said “The heart of pastoral ministry is the delivery of the means of grace. Practical business skills can help the pastor be efficient in leading the congregation so he can focus on the heart of ministry.”
Seminary professors do not just train the students they have in their classes. They also provide lifelong learning for its graduates. These business workshops do exactly that, and adding an actual business instructor only makes the content more credible.
The new workshops, which will be held on the campus of Concordia Seminary St. Louis, are:
- Faithful Time Stewardship: Leading Well in a Demanding Call with Dr. Kevin Golden, Concordia Seminary, and Dr. Joey-Lynn Bialkowski, Concordia University Wisconsin, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 2026.
- Leading with Confidence in Congregations: Principles of Faithful Financial Management with Dr. Mart Thompson, Concordia Seminary, and Dr. Kim Schave, Concordia University Wisconsi), Sept. 29-30, 2026.
- From Vision to Ministry: Strategic Leadership for Congregations with Dr. David Peter, Concordia Seminary, and Dr. Steven Schave, Concordia University Wisconsin, Nov. 9-10, 2026.
Those which will be held on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne are:
- Developing, Recruiting, and Retaining Volunteers for Ministry with Matt Wietfeldt, Assistant Vice President of Admission, CTSFW, and Julie Vartoogian, Vice President of Human Resources, Cleary University, July 27-28.
- Shepherding Teams: Leading Staff and Volunteers Through Communication and Conflict with Michael Salemink, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, CTSFW, and Joey-Lynn Bialkowski, Concordia University Wisconsin, August 10-11.
- Vision, Mission, and Goals for Faithful Ministry with Joey-Lynn Bialkowski, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Todd Peperkorn, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, September 25-26.
This year the registration fee for these workshops is only $100 as a special introductory price and it does include a continuing education unit (CEU) for pastors. Additional information about these workshops, including schedule and registration information, can be found at csl.edu/workshop-series.
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