Pastoral Leadership

Spring 2025

Course Description

This course provides a practical basis for the important role of the Christian pastor/priest in the strategy and execution of mission and ministry in context. It will explore biblical, theological, missiological, and psychological foundations of Christian leadership to promote healthily the gifting, equipping, teaming, administration, and stewardship of the people of God for the work of Christ’s ministry in the world. The course is based on the assumption that Christian leadership starts from within where God’s vocation is at work in the life of the leader. Consequently, students will be asked to engage with various self-assessment tools to explore their interior life, temperaments, and skills before learning to develop external strategies.

Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Jack Gabig

The Rev. Dr. Jack Gabig bio.

Book List

Ford, Paul. Discovering Your Ministry Identity. Pasadena, CA: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998. ISBN: 1-889638-07-2. 55 pages. No cost. (On Canvas). Available at: https://www.churchsmart.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DMI.

Goleman, Daniel. On Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business School Publishing, Cambridge, MA, 2015. ISBN: 978-1633690196. 208 pages. $13.95.

Palmer, Parker. Leading From Within. 9 pages, article posted free on Canvas. 
Note: This version of the article, once published separately, comes from Chapter V of Parker Palmer’s book, Let Your Life Speak, Jossey-Bass, New York, 1999. As such, you’ll notice references to earlier chapters in that book which are not pertinent to the intention of this reflection.

Roseberry, David. The Rector and the Vestry. Anglican Compass, Plano, TX. ISBN: 978-1734307948. 194 pages. $16.99.

Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Leader. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-31049458-4. 336 pages. Kindle $2.99, Hardcover $15.00.

Steinke, Peter. Uproar: Calm Leadership in Anxious Times. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN: 978-153811653. 176 pages. $22.95.

If this is your first credit class at Trinity, or you are not taking the course as part of a degree, please complete the non-matriculated application. A bachelor’s degree is required to obtain credit.

To register to audit a Master’s Level course, please complete an audit application.