Dr. Alisha Vincent leads table discussion between outgoing and incoming scholars. Photos from DWU Facebook page.

“The main goal of the Practical Church Leadership program is to develop more confident and capable church leaders, equipping them with a variety of management and stewardship skills,” said Dr. Alisha Vincent, director of the Practical Church Leadership Program at DWU. 
 
Since its beginning in 2018, nearly 200 church leaders have participated in the Practical Church Leadership (PCL) program. Participants have come from ten states and eight United Methodist Conferences: South Dakota, North Dakota, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Iowa. In 2024, PCL will also expand to scholars in Ohio and Arkansas. These conferences across the country have supported leaders in the graduate certificate program through Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. 

Dr. Alisha Vincent, Director of the Practical Church Leadership Program at DWU. Photo from DWU.

When developing the program, Dr. Alisha Vincent wanted to create a flexible and practical format to meet the scholars' needs. A cohort-based, hybrid format was developed. Students complete courses online and meet in two face-to-face sessions. 
 
“Scholars really love the blend of flexible, online learning with occasional real-time meetings and lectures. It helps them feel connected to one another and brings a level of relational education that would not be present in a traditional online learning format,” said Dr. Vincent.  

Applied projects are a big part of the program. During the year-long program, participants design and deliver a comprehensive project that can be applied to the context where they lead. Students receive coaching from a professional in the field to support their projects and help guide their learning. 

Two Dakotas Conference clergy completed the PCL in 2023-24, Revs. Jason Christensen and Teresa Person.

Rev. Jason Christensen, Trinity United Methodist Church in Lead, South Dakota, centered his applied project on community, youth, and church. 
 
“Through this project we were able to foster community relationships with other community organizations like the VFW, the American Axillary, the Kiwanis club and others. We offered four outreach projects that included community cleanup and a Live Nativity,” said Christensen. 

Rev. Teresa Person, Huron Riverview United Methodist Church, focused her applied project on creating a new staffing plan. 

"My project was a staffing plan that I developed to provide organization and scaffolding to support our rapidly growing church family here at Riverview. The goal is to create a system of both paid and volunteer staffing to meet the needs of the growing congregation at Riverview, specifically looking at ways to connect people to ministry and mission," said Rev. Teresa. 

Not only does the PCL program help the church leaders execute applied projects, but the scholars also gain skills to be more effective leaders in their ministry settings.

Christensen talks about his personal growth, saying, “I have a better understanding of the various areas of leadership. I have fostered relationships with other pastors all over the country. I am more equipped to have critical conversations when needed and have gained leadership skills in accountability and delegation of duties.” 

Pastors from the Dakotas Conference share insights about their PCL experience.

Three Dakota Conference clergy are participating in the 2024-25 cohort: Revs. Keith Nelson, Andrea Johnson, and Jordan Louks. They each spoke about their goals for the program.  

“One of my goals is to retool and learn some new things because some of the things I learned in seminary years ago, although they have served me well throughout my years, no longer work," stated Rev. Keith Nelson, Downtown First UMC, Mitchell, South Dakota.  

“My undergraduate was in management, so I look forward to resurfacing some of those skills and being able to put them to use," shared Rev. Andrea Johnson, North Highland UMC, Aberdeen, South Dakota. 

“My goals are to grow in my ability to lead change and cast vision in the local church and gain tools and knowledge in areas of ministry that I am not as confident in,” said Rev. Jordan Louks, associate pastor at First UMC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

As the PCL program continues to grow and impact church leaders across the country, Dr. Vincent expressed her excitement for the program. “I love hearing all the stories of impact from scholars who have been through the program and delivered projects that made an immediate difference in the trajectory of the congregation or ministry they lead.”