Belmont University Launches New Institute for Church Leadership
buzzz worthy. . .
Longtime Woodmont Baptist senior pastor named Institute’s executive director
NASHVILLE – With
a strong ongoing commitment to its Christian identity, today Belmont
University announced the formation of the Belmont Institute for Church
Leadership, a newly created entity designed to equip church leaders for
entrepreneurial thinking and innovative means to meet the modern needs
of the local community and culture at large. Dr. Jon R. Roebuck, the
senior pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church for the past 17 years, has been
named executive director of the institute; he shared the news with his
congregation yesterday and will begin his new full-time position at
Belmont on June 1.
Belmont
President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I can’t think of anything that’s more
Belmont than an institute that leverages many of this University’s
strengths and passions: entrepreneurial and innovative thinking built on
a foundation of Christian faith. The Belmont Institute for Church
Leadership will uniquely equip church leaders with progressive resources
gleaned from business, music, law and theological leadership. We
believe that Jesus intended for his church to be a living, adaptive and
dynamic body, and I know this Institute will breathe new life into
congregations of all sizes and denominations through Jon Roebuck’s
leadership.”
The
Institute comes in response to a felt need for a program that provides
executive training to both leaders who are called to grow churches that
make a difference in their community as well as leaders of faith-based
community development ministries. The Belmont Institute for Church
Leadership can fill that void, serving both clergy and lay leaders by
bringing an unprecedented, holistic approach to church leadership
education that is not currently being offered in seminaries. Envisioning
a more adaptive way of doing local church ministry, the Institute will
seek to create a vibrant church culture that thinks critically about the
ways local congregations can make a difference both locally and
globally.
Roebuck added, “We will focus on insuring that churches of the 21st
century become relevant, relational and resourceful. Our goal is to
insure that the local church continues to matter… that it makes a
difference in both the community and moment into which it is placed.”
Empowered
by a 25-year history of top-tier C-level programs being offered through
Belmont’s Center for Executive Education, the Institute will take a
similar approach, offering clergy and ministry leaders broader skills
training and a deeper understanding of an operational model that
includes finance/accounting, marketing, conflict resolution,
negotiation, management and other business skills. Moreover, through
Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry and College of Law,
not to mention the University’s numerous music and arts programs, an
abundance of existing resources exist to offer a comprehensive package
of courses to meet church leadership needs.
Roebuck
has served as senior pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville
since 1999, having become the third pastor of the 75-year-old
congregation. Under his leadership Woodmont has continued a legacy of
local and international missions involvement and is currently
celebrating 50 years of continual live Sunday Morning television
broadcasts. Author of two devotional books, Roebuck also teaches courses
in Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry and has served
as member of the University’s Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of
Samford University (AL) where he completed a double major in religion
and church recreation before achieving master’s and doctoral degrees at
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (KY). Dr. Roebuck has pastored
five congregations during the past 32 years of pastoral ministry. He
and his wife, Linda, have been married for 32 years. They have three
grown and married children and now enjoy spending moments with two
granddaughters.
Ranked
No. 5 in the Regional Universities South category and named as a “Most
Innovative” university by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont
University is celebrating its 125th anniversary
in academic year 2015-16. Founded in 1890, the University consists of
more than 7,400 students who come from every state and more than 25
countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities,
Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional
education in a Christian community of learning and service. The
University’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and
develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 80 areas
of undergraduate study, 22 master’s programs and five doctoral degrees,
there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an
individual's horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
