Christian Leadership Formation

Mercer University’s Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership, McAfee School of Theology, and local churches have partnered together to create a program investing in the lay leadership in the local church. Christian Leadership Formation is about spiritual, theological and vocational growth in today’s Church. It is designed especially for Christian laity (“laos” is the Greek word for people) who in spite of busy lives have a desire to serve God more effectively in their church and community as well as a willingness to invest time and money to learn and grow.

Partnering with Local Churches

The Christian Leadership Formation program is offered in “partner/host congregations” across  with “teachers/mentors” selected and supervised by Mercer University’s Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership. Selected instructors include experienced ministers with advanced degrees and professors from McAfee School of Theology. Participants learn and grow in a setting of rigorous study and prayerful attentiveness. Participants engage with one another in exploring the Spirit’s calling and gifting for their individual vocation.

Who Can Benefit From This Program?

• Christian laity who are serious about their faith and its relationship to daily life.
• Individuals whose passion for the mission of God in the world compels them to enter into a rigorous program of study with clearly defined curriculum and goals.
• Congregational leaders who need deeper spiritual, theological and vocational formation.
• Ministry candidates who want to explore theological education and ministry preparation.

What to Expect

Christian Leadership Formation values the relational, cognitive, and practical dimensions of Christian discipleship and leadership. This means that leaders who think and act with the mind of Christ will:

• Learn the Scripture and listen to the Spirit in ways that transform their work into vocation.
• View their talents and position in society as an opportunity to serve Christ.
• Integrate biblical and theological truth into the complex realities of today’s culture.
• Develop discernment that is informed and inspired by the wisdom of the Bible and the Christian faith tradition.
• Love deeply because the Holy Spirit is strong within them.

Christian Leadership Formation will offer the following modules with the potential for incorporating future ones. Each module is a learning laboratory and a spiritual experience with 7 to 12 participants enrolled.

Modules are typically offered in 2 hour sessions for 6 weeks. Courses are offered on a personalized tuition basis.

Click here for descriptions of class types:
CLF Course Descriptions

Click below to download our brochure:
CLF Brochure