The area of Congregational Ministry is concerned with the non-programmatic aspects of leadership in congregations - lay and ordained, individual and group, and as influenced by the variables of generation, gender/sex, and culture.

The area imitates the use of a pair of binoculars as a model for seeing situations clearly and in depth. It focuses on the theological commitment (re: church and ministry) of the minister on the one hand and behavioral assumptions (re: leadership theory and practice, congregational analysis, managing differences, planning and decision-making in organizations) on the other, to the end of crafting a ministry grounded in faith and implemented with confidence and enthusiasm.

Courses which are offered on a regular basis include:

A. Types of Pastoral Leadership; encouraging pastors think about how the elements of leadership (faith, sense of call, authority, power and influence) can be kneaded together to create a style appropriate to ministry in a particular congregation at a particular time.

B. Practical Ecclesiology for Pastors: seeing your congregation through a fly's eye; acquainting pastors with the value of metaphors drawn from organization studies (machine, system, culture, arena, etc.) to supplement traditional theological and biblical models of the church in analyzing the dynamics of the congregations they serve .

C. Care and Feeding of Decision Makers; preparing pastors to provide theological, emotional and technical support to those individuals and groups whose decisions pattern the life of a congregation.

D. Conflict Management in Congregations: a hygienic approach; helping pastors to learn to create a theologically and behaviorally supportive environment in which differences within a congregation can be brought into fruitful conversation.

E. Planning for Change in Congregations; helping pastors encourage congregations to envision and plan for a stewardship of their future that reflects their identify as part of the Body of Christ.