THE COMPASSIONARY LEADERSHIP PROJECT
The Compassionary Leadership Project is an intentional, innovative initiative focused on developing and transforming church leaders so that they can in turn develop and transform the congregations, colleges and universities, and denominational institutions where they serve.
The Compassionary Leadership Project equips church leaders with practical and practiced tools with which to engage proactively in the real-life problems of our times. Integral components of the Compassionary Leadership Project curriculums include:
- Biblical literacy
- Compassion-centered theology
- Deep Christian spirituality
- Personal healing and wholeness
- Embodying compassion through concrete action
What is the Compassionary Leadership Project?
The Compassionary Leadership Project trains and transforms congregational, regional, general, higher education and future
church leaders to embody the radical compassion of Jesus by proactively engaging in healing, conflict resolution, and social justice ministries in their families, churches, workplaces, communities and the world.
The Compassionary Leadership Project consists of three compassion-based courses:
1.
Radical Compassion: Embodying the Way of Jesus
2.
Conflict Resolution: A Jesus-Centered Path to Peace in our Relationships
3.
Justice Now: A Boot Camp for Confronting Injustice with Courage, Confidence and Christ-Like Compassion
All three of these offerings are adaptations of the “Compassion Practice” as designed by Dr. Frank
Rogers, Jr., Dr. Andy Dreitcer, and Dr. Mark Yaconnelli, and as taught by the Center for Engaged Compassion at Claremont School of Theology.
Why train church leaders in the radical compassion of Jesus?
“Everyone believes in compassion, but no one teaches you how to practice it — until now!”
Church leaders long to embody the radical compassion of Jesus and put that compassion into action transforming the people, institutions, and systems around them. And our world desperately needs them to do so! Right now! And into the future!
At the same time, church leaders have not been taught “how to” cultivate genuine compassion for
themselves and others nor have they been taught “how to” discern effective compassionate action.
BCN’s core curriculum, the Compassion Practice, uses teaching points, storytelling, and integrated spiritual practices to train participants in the “how to” of cultivating compassion for self and others and discerning effective compassionate action.
Why now?
The context in which we all do ministry has changed radically since November 5, 2024. Blatantly inhumane policies and cruel police-state-style actions have inflicted pain and suffering upon the alien, the vulnerable, and those singled out because they don’t match one man’s accepted norms.
Human rights are being rolled back and due process ignored or eliminated. Fear and intimidation are replacing discourse and the rule of law. The list is long.
It is clear that we must adapt to meet the moment. The prayerful discernment of BCN leadership led them to three actions embodied in the Compassionary Leadership Project:
1.
To upgrade training in the radical compassion of Jesus to explicitly address leadership
2.
To offer training specific to healing divisions in families and communities
3.
To offer training specific to justice ministries by equipping church leaders to:
- confront the injustices of the moment and sustain healthy engagement over time
- and discern how to be effective in their actions without violating the core values of their faith – emphasizing the radical compassion of Jesus Christ.
Testimonials
