Management and Good Governance

Organizational development for a sustainable church

The LWF Communion Office supports member church initiatives in management and good governance. Rather than facilitating or granting financial support for one-time training the focus is on organizational development processes, which aim at sustainable results including changes in church structures, policies, practices and models in decision making. This kind of transformation goes beyond performing tasks and is often a matter of changing mindsets, attitudes and organizational cultures.

The LWF encourages churches to take initiatives related to the practice of management and good governance. Such processes reveal how churches directly apply their fundamental value of inclusiveness. They also show how power is exercised and how resources are allocated among different groups within a church. Women and youth across LWF member churches are often excluded from decision-making, leadership and exercising their power, which limits their opportunities to influence church policies.

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Addressing power dynamics

In all the processes it facilitates and accompanies, the Communion Office gives priority to identifying and addressing power dynamics that create barriers to participation. The aim is to provide equal access to opportunities and resources and meaningful participation for all.

These processes may be supported as LWF member church projects or as an activity of the LWF leadership and institutional development program.

The Communion Office provides and develops resources, tools and training modules for management and good governance in collaboration with the member churches. A new online learning platform that is being developed on the LWF website will bring together all the resources and materials structured by themes in a clear and accessible way. The member churches are encouraged to contribute by sharing resources developed in their context.

Leadership Accompaniment and Continuous Learning

Church leadership is a calling and at the same time an ongoing vocation that needs to be practiced and developed. There is always more to learn and explore for everyone. Diverse contexts and changing circumstances in which leaders carry out their ministries require willingness to develop skills and acquire knowledge. The LWF leadership program invites member churches to participate in a continuous journey of leadership and life-long learning.

Newly Elected Leaders

This is a leadership development process for newly elected church leaders, namely bishops and pastor presidents. The program consists of biblical, theological, leadership and management learning/sharing modules, which are implemented through a combination of individual and peer learning, online workshops and in-person retreats in Geneva and in Wittenberg, Germany. The retreats are organized in collaboration with the LWF Center Wittenberg.

Lay Leaders

The leadership development process is aimed at non-ordained leaders of LWF member churches. The program consists of biblical, theological, leadership learning/sharing modules, which are implemented as a combination of individual and peer learning, online workshops and in-person seminars in Geneva and Wittenberg. The program is organized in collaboration with the LWF Center Wittenberg.