Centre for Ministry Excellence
An unprecedented opportunity for missional organizations
Effective ministry requires effective leaders - gifted and motivated people who will pursue your organization's mission with excellence. Passionate leaders with a clear sense of mission often ask, "How can I help the people in our organization reach their ministry potential?" The Centre for Ministry Excellence exists to partner with you to enrich the potential of people serving with you and to attract others to your mission.
Education works best when people learn while they are doing and understand what they are doing. The Centre for Ministry Excellence makes it possible for you to offer employees and clients development opportunities that unite the benefits of higher education with the advantages of hands-on experience. In addition, you gain the opportunity to participate in the timely development of the people who serve in your organization.
By connecting you to a robust network of organizations and opportunities, the Centre for Ministry Excellence offers accessible, affordable, and accountable pathways for people who want to grow in their ministry and leadership effectiveness.
Let us show you how we can work with you to...
*create courses and certificates that will attract gifted people to your mission;
*provide recognized credit for the seminars and courses you are already offering;
*offer pathways for people toward accredited degrees without leaving ministry;
*leverage your effectiveness by connecting you to an extensive network of organizations and opportunities.
The Centre brings a spirit of innovation and experimentation to leadership development without sacrificing the strengths of a traditional accredited education. By connecting with the Centre, you gain access to all of the experience and opportunity represented by two of the most respected and effective names in ministry leadership development: ACTS Seminaries and Trinity Western University.
Working with the Centre for Ministry Excellence
Your passion for your ministry drives you to develop people to their maximum effectiveness. No one knows more about what people need in order to produce excellence in the pursuit of your mission than you. You have done a great job mentoring people in the hands-on experience that can only be gained on the job. You have even developed a selection of seminars and learning experiences to ensure that your people understand the practical and theoretical challenges specific to your objectives. As great as this is, you find you run into two significant challenges...
...you don't have the time, energy, and expertise to provide the foundational biblical and theological training your people need, and...
...the in-house training that you offer does not reward the student with the credit and certifications that can lead them to advanced personal development opportunities that will enrich both them and your organization.
The Centre can help by working with you to enhance your leadership development initiatives so that people can earn recognized academic credit for the training that you already require them to do. We have the systems in place to help you develop your curriculum and work with your presenters so that your training can be accredited by ACTS Seminaries and Trinity Western University, and transferable to other schools and institutions around the world.
Training through the Centre is available at three levels...
...not-for-credit certification;
...undergraduate credit for people working at the bachelor's level;
...graduate credit for people working at the master's level.
Courses offered through the Centre are highly accessible, structured in the form of;
...online classes, which can be taken from the comfort of the student's home;
...modular classes, requiring a single visit to a specific location;
...wraparound courses, which build reading, experience, and reflection around an existing seminar;
...mentored projects, which provide academic accountability for major projects that need doing.
The Centre will work with you to develop clear pathways for people that will build their capacity and increase their passion for the work to which they have been called.
The power of the "Executive Certificate"
We would like to encourage you to consider working with the Centre to develop an executive certificate in the area of your organizational expertise. Let's say that your mission is focused on ministry to children. Success in your mission depends upon your having leaders who know what they are doing.
Imagine working with the Centre to build a four-course "Executive Certificate in Children's Ministry Leadership" available as a non-formal, undergraduate, or graduate certification, depending upon the student's need. This could unlock several possibilities for people.
*One student might pursue the certificate as a stand-alone certification, providing learning in the specific area of children's ministry.
*A different student might utilize the courses as part of his or her undergraduate degree, either at TWU or elsewhere, by transfer of credit. TWU has approved these courses as "supervised leadership experience" credit toward the Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, perhaps even utilizing TWU's innovative degree completion option.
*Another student might add a foundational layer of bible, theology, and leadership training, earning a Diploma in Christian Studies. That diploma, along with two-years of post-secondary education or its equivalent, could provide the basis for an "equivalent-to-bachelor's" admission to an ACTS/TWU master's degree.
*Another student might use the certificate as a specialization track within a graduate level Master of Arts in Christian Studies or Master of Divinity, either at ACTS/TWU or elsewhere by credit transfer.
In other words, any person - no matter their academic background - would be qualified to utilize this training to help them find their way forward. Imagine, no more educational dead ends!
Planning Together
You bring the content expertise. We bring the academic systems. Together we can build opportunity for people and stimulate a new cohort of motivated, gifted leaders, well-prepared for the work to which they have been called.
Working together will require that we talk. Each such collaboration requires a conversation about a number of important questions...
What courses will comprise the certificate? Courses within an executive certificate will not cover everything that would be helpful in the formation of a leader, but will offer content in the specific area identified by the certificate. Syllabi for these courses will need to be approved by the Centre.
How will these courses be delivered? Courses must be accessible to people at a distance, manageable no matter the size of group, and available at the non-formal, undergraduate, and graduate levels. A normal pattern would include one modular course, one online course, one wraparound course, and one mentored project.
Who is going to teach these courses? Professors leading courses in this area must be credible experts in the field and effective teachers. Those without the appropriate credentials for graduate level teaching could be attached to a qualified professor-of-record so as to facilitate the course.
What kind of schedule will we follow? In most cases, the four courses of the certificate will be offered over a one- or two-year repeating cycle. Consideration should be given to course sequencing and prerequisite requirements.
What admission criteria will we adopt? Some certificates will require a certain level of experience or achievement in the ministry area under discussion. Also, there may be a desire to limit some certificates and courses to an organization’s clients and/or employees. Others will be open to the wider public. Such courses must not compete directly with existing courses within the network.
Should we offer a special event as part of one or more of these courses? Offering a seminar or special event as part of a course can be an effective way of marketing the program and spreading awareness of your program interests.
If all of this sounds intimidating, don't worry. We will help you through the process. The Centre will assign an experienced consultant to help you work through all of these questions and challenges.
Financial Implications
The Centre for Ministry Excellence is committed to working with collaborating agencies to negotiate appropriate tuition rates and financial arrangements that allow all parties to prosper. This document describes the general parameters for such negotiations. Final agreements will be set forward in a Memo of Understanding.
Tuition Rate - The tuition rate for CME facilitated courses will be charged at 50% of the current TWU full-time undergraduate rate and 75% of the current full-time ACTS graduate tuition rate. “Not-for-credit” students will be charged at the current TWU audit rate. An additional course fee of up to $100 per credit hour can be negotiated and charged where necessary.
Division of Tuition - All tuition received will normally be split evenly between CME on behalf of the university and the collaborating organization in consideration of its costs. Course fees would be forwarded in their entirety to the collaborating organization.
Compensation for Instructors - Payment of instructors is the responsibility of the collaborating organization. Any compensation to an "undergraduate professor of record" is the responsibility of the Centre for Ministry Excellence.
Receipt of Payment - Students will register for courses and pay tuition through the TWU Student Portal. Credit card payment is available.
Timing of Payments - The Centre will be responsible to disburse 50% of funds as agreed to upon the passing of the add/drop deadline each semester. The final 50% will be paid upon grade submission.
Description of “Academic Management” - Payments retained by CME cover the costs of academic management on behalf of the various relevant academic departments. Academic management costs include such important functions as the selection and coaching of faculty, approval of syllabi, registering and tracking student progress, receiving and managing tuition, disbursing funds as per the agreements, providing academic advising for students, awarding certificates, and transferring credit as required. In addition, this category includes the provision and service of the TWU online MyCourses system.
Imagine the Possibilities
When you align with the Centre for Ministry Excellence, you are connecting with a significant network of missional organizations, all of which are supporting courses that comprise the Centre's scope. Imagine how the range of your work could be significantly increased as well.
Imagine what will happen as people in your organization find their abilities develop and their enthusiasm increase. Think about how this could enhance your ability to recruit the best people to come and join your cause.
Imagine the value-added opportunities as organizations like yours are given opportunity to bring their expertise to other like-minded groups. Imagine what you could learn from them.
Have we got your attention? If so, why not get in touch with our director, Dr. Kent Anderson, and start the conversation. We would love to help you make this vision a reality.
The Centre for Ministry Excellence is an institute of Trinity Western University, housed within ACTS Seminaries. ACTS Seminaries is the graduate school of theological studies for TWU, and is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Trinity Western University is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).