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Strategic Management for Churches
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Duke University

Strategic Management for Churches

This course is part of multiple programs.

This course is part of multiple programs

Church Administration: Finance Specialization
​​Church Administration: Human Resources Specialization
Rae Cho

Instructor: Rae Cho

Included with Coursera Plus

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4 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
5.0

(10 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

This course is for both professional and voluntary leaders of Christian churches. 

2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

4 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
5.0

(10 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

This course is for both professional and voluntary leaders of Christian churches. 

2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
  • About
  • Outcomes
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
  • Reviews

What you'll learn

  • Articulate why strategic management is important for organizations.

  • Explain why and how to approach strategic management for churches theologically as strategic stewardship. 

  • Assess your strategic stewardship of church vision, core values, culture, goals, objectives, and metrics.

  • Develop plans for establishing or modifying strategic stewardship for your church.

Skills you'll gain

  • Organizational Strategy
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Communication
  • Goal Setting
  • Strategic Leadership
  • Leadership
  • Leadership and Management
  • Business Metrics
  • Resource Management
  • Business Priorities
  • Culture
  • Performance Measurement

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

Why is vision theologically important for your church, and how should it be realized? How do church goals, objectives, metrics, core values, and culture play a crucial role in this? What kind of pastoral leadership is needed to bring God’s vision for your church to fruition?

In this second course in the Duke Divinity+ Church Administration Specialization series, you will learn how to approach strategic management theologically as strategic stewardship for your church. Secular organizations widely use strategic management (including strategic planning) to define their future strategic direction and how to achieve it. In contrast, what we’re calling strategic stewardship for churches seeks to reappropriate strategic management by discerning God’s direction for the church and pursuing God-centered ways of realizing it. This course will focus on select key elements of strategic management: vision (Week 1), core values and culture (Week 2), goals and objectives (Week 3), and metrics (Week 4). We will first explore how each key element functions as a useful management tool. Then, we will reappropriate the key element for theological ends of our church stewardship to God; hence, our terminology of strategic stewardship. Moreover, we will unpack what pastoral leadership for strategic stewardship should entail. Lastly, we will provide exemplar stories from Duke Divinity School alums, who will share how they each approached and implemented a key element in their church setting. If you are a pastor or ministry professional in need of Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits for your professional development, CEU credits are available for this course. Please share your Coursera course certificate and a copy of the course description with your church denomination or employer as recognition of your earned 1.5 CEUs. This course qualifies for 1.5 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits. Completion of all three courses in the “Church Administration: Human Resources” Specialization qualifies for a total of 4.5 CEU credits.

Is there a vision or mission statement that directs your church, including its church admin? What work should it do and what kinds of pastoral leadership does it call for? This week, we will begin by addressing the theological importance of the church vision—your church’s go-to statement—as the foundational component of strategic stewardship for churches. Drawing on our church admin series’ overall approach of deploying management means for theological ends, we will first examine how vision functions as an effective strategic management tool in secular organizations. We will then unpack a theology of church vision in order to illumine how vision ought to be appropriated for the theological goals of the church. Lastly, given the theological importance and goals of church vision, we will delineate how and why your pastoral leadership is crucial for your church’s stewardship of church vision.

What's included

7 videos14 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

7 videos•Total 96 minutes
  • Course Introduction•20 minutes
  • Week 1 Intro•4 minutes
  • Strategic Stewardship of Church Vision•24 minutes
  • Pastoral Leadership of Church Vision Part 1•16 minutes
  • Pastoral Leadership of Church Vision Part 2•14 minutes
  • Church Vision: Discerning Together in Downtown Miami•6 minutes
  • Week 1 Wrap-up•10 minutes
14 readings•Total 148 minutes
  • Strategic Management Course Overview•4 minutes
  • About Duke Divinity+•1 minute
  • Course Entry Survey •5 minutes
  • How to Be Successful in This Course•2 minutes
  • For Auditing Learners•5 minutes
  • Download Your Course Workbook•2 minutes
  • Assignment: Self-Assessment Ratings •5 minutes
  • Report a problem with the course•10 minutes
  • Dave Odom "Name Your Mission, Develop Strategies and Then Evaluate Impact"•3 minutes
  • Self-Assessment on Church Vision/Mission•10 minutes
  • This Week’s Exemplar Story: Audrey Warren, First United Methodist Church of Miami•1 minute
  • Church Vision Stewardship Assignment•60 minutes
  • Mission Study Guide for Congregations•10 minutes
  • Workbook: Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts•30 minutes
2 assignments•Total 20 minutes
  • Quiz to Open Workbook Reading•5 minutes
  • Week 1 Graded Quiz •15 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 40 minutes
  • Introduce Yourself!•20 minutes
  • How is Your Pastoral Leadership of Church Vision?•20 minutes

This week, we will look at the next two elements of strategic stewardship for churches: core values and culture. If your church vision answers why your church exists, then your church core values represent who you are as a church, and your church culture characterizes how things are done in your church. Importantly, culture is inextricably tied to core values, and hence, we are addressing them together. This week, as we did with church vision, we will examine why core values and culture are so important to organizations and then explore what their theological importance is for your church. Lastly, we will unpack what your pastoral leadership should entail for your faithful stewardship of your church core values and culture.

What's included

7 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

7 videos•Total 72 minutes
  • Week 2 Intro•3 minutes
  • Strategic Stewardship of Church Core Values•11 minutes
  • Theology of Church Core Values•17 minutes
  • Church Culture and Pastoral Leadership Part 1•14 minutes
  • Church Culture and Pastoral Leadership Part 2•14 minutes
  • Core Values Clothe Us in Abundant Life in Christ•5 minutes
  • Week 2 Wrap-up•5 minutes
4 readings•Total 96 minutes
  • Assignment: Self-Assessment Ratings•5 minutes
  • This Week’s Exemplar Story: Rev. Lisa Yebuah, Southeast Raleigh Table•1 minute
  • Church Culture and Core Values Stewardship Assignment•60 minutes
  • Workbook: Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts•30 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
  • Week 2 Graded Quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 20 minutes
  • Unhealthy Church Culture•20 minutes

Establishing a formal church vision statement is a significant step toward strategic stewardship. However, how will your church specifically achieve this vision? Church goals and objectives, the next two elements of strategic stewardship, are the means we will explore this week for realizing the church vision. If your church vision articulates where God is calling your church to go, then church goals and objectives should constitute God’s plan for how your church is to get there, in keeping with God’s calling for your church’s core values and culture. First, we will examine why and how goals and objectives are crucial for organizational vision. Then, we will explore how goals and objectives should be reappropriated for your church’s strategic stewardship, and lastly, how you should approach your pastoral leadership.

What's included

6 videos5 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

6 videos•Total 59 minutes
  • Week 3 Intro•5 minutes
  • Goals and Objectives as Management Means•15 minutes
  • Strategic Stewardship of Church Goals and Objectives •13 minutes
  • Pastoral Leadership of Church Goals and Objectives•12 minutes
  • Goals and Objectives Put Discipleship Into Action•7 minutes
  • Week 3 Wrap-Up•6 minutes
5 readings•Total 101 minutes
  • Self-Assessment on Goals and Objectives•5 minutes
  • This Week’s Exemplar Story: Russell Elmayan, The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh•1 minute
  • Strategic Plan for Immaculate Conception•5 minutes
  • Church Goals and Objectives Stewardship Assignment •60 minutes
  • Workbook: Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts•30 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Week 3 Quiz•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Achieving Your Church Vision as Stewardship•10 minutes

Church metrics is the final element of strategic stewardship that we will address in this course. Church metrics are critical for monitoring progress toward achieving the church vision and gauging church health. To use a travel metaphor with your car as your church, your church vision is your destination, your church goals and objectives are the roads to get there, and your core values and culture are the road signs and guardrails. Then, metrics represent your car’s dashboard, consisting of the navigation system and gauges to monitor your progress toward your destination and your car’s health along the way. We will first examine why and how metrics are critical for vision-based objectives and timely red flags. Then, we will explore how metrics can be redeployed for church stewardship, and what this entails for your pastoral leadership. Finally, we will conclude with course takeaways.

What's included

6 videos9 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

6 videos•Total 64 minutes
  • Week 4 Intro•3 minutes
  • Strategic Stewardship of Church Metrics•16 minutes
  • Pastoral Leadership of Church Metrics•16 minutes
  • Metrics: Monitoring Church Vision and Vitality•5 minutes
  • Week 4 Wrap-up•9 minutes
  • Course Wrap-Up•13 minutes
9 readings•Total 142 minutes
  • Assignment: Self-Assessment on Metrics•10 minutes
  • This Week’s Exemplar Story: Benji Kelley, NewHope Church•10 minutes
  • Church Metrics Stewardship Assignment•60 minutes
  • Workbook: Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts•30 minutes
  • Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts•10 minutes
  • Feedback Survey•5 minutes
  • How To Obtain CEUs•2 minutes
  • Duke Divinity+ Interest Form•5 minutes
  • Share your learning experience•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Week 4 Quiz•30 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
  • Discerning Church Metrics and Monitoring Criteria•20 minutes
  • Course Takeaways/Plans for the Future•10 minutes

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Instructor

Rae Cho
Rae Cho
Duke University
2 Courses•3,698 learners

Offered by

Duke University

Offered by

Duke University

Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.

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Reviewed on Jan 15, 2024

If you want to learn how to management a church, here is a good beggining.

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Reviewed on Dec 9, 2023

Outstanding. I recommend it for all you brothers and sisters who are a part of the team that runs God's church in your local area.

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Frequently asked questions

For pastors and other ministry professionals in need of Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits for their professional development, CEU credits are available for this course. Upon successful completion of this course, you will have earned 1.5 CEU credits from this course. You can provide your course certificate and the course description to your church denomination or employer as proof of your earned CEU credits. 

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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