Strategy #2: Leadership Development and Care
Leadership Development and Care means: ensuring every lay and clergy/ministry leader is healthy in all aspects of their life, and growing in their leadership capacity and potential. Additionally, we aim to ensure all pastors and their families are being well-cared for in their retirement years, and during times of sickness or injury.
The Wesleyan Church is committed to ensuring all pastors, specialized ministry leaders, and local lay leaders have the supports, education, and training they need to lead exceptionally well, and live healthy, God-honouring and productive lives. Local churches and specialized ministries cannot be healthy without spiritually strong leaders. Thus, we aim to emphasize leader’s engagement in the spiritual disciplines, especially a regular and vibrant spiritual devotional life, accountability/mentoring, and retreat opportunities. We believe in team-learning and team-based ministry. We are passionate about the empowering and equipping of lay leaders, ensuring they serve in ministry roles (inside the church and in the community) which are consistent with their spiritual gifts and passions. We envision high-level, ongoing, accessible and affordable ministry education, continuing education opportunities, mentoring, peer support, sabbaticals, health/fitness plans, counseling, practical ministry resources, and specialized training/ events/ seminars.
Pastors and their families also need livable salaries, adequate housing, and helpful benefit packages. We seek to intentionally support all pastoral families and especially those serving in ministry who are: single, bi- or co-vocational, women in ministry, missionaries, leaders of specialized ministries, retirees, and those experiencing challenging life circumstances (chronic illness, injury, etc.).
