Centre for Leadership Development (NCLD)

Director:  Dr. Lyle Schrag   

NCLD operates at the intersection between the Seminary, local church and denominational ministry centre and serves to support good relations among these entities, so that together we can encourage the equipping of emerging ministry leaders within our churches. The traditional Seminary serves a very small percentage of the Christian community, focusing upon educating vocational ministry leaders. However, the local church has significantly larger needs for leadership development and struggles to find good resources and means to accomplish this. Northwest desires to serve its church constituency effectively. NCLD develops and offers creative and innovative ways to help churches develop the various leaders they require in ways that are affordable, effective and within their local contexts.

NCLD currently provides several leadership development resources:

1. Best Practices for Church Board Workshops
   This is a series of one-day workshops in which church boards and pastoral leaders work together to understand, apply and improve the church board’s ability to provide spiritual, visionary leadership within a local church.
2. Diploma in Christian Ministry
   This series of mentored, in-church courses helps mid-level, volunteer ministry leaders deepen their understanding of ministry, articulate their own place within the Kingdom, and hone their ministry leadership abilities.
3. Leadership Resources
   On the Northwest Baptist Seminary website the Centre’s director, Dr. Lyle Schrag, provides diverse ministry leadership resources and tools.

Centre for International Leadership Development (CILD)

Director: Mr Mark Naylor, MTh.

CILD is built on a partnership between Northwest Baptist Seminary and FEBInternational — the missions agency for the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada. The Director works with current missions leaders to facilitate their continuing professional development. As well, he seeks to equip local churches in their missions vision in several ways:

1. Best Practices for Church Mission Committees
   This series of one-day workshops provides the opportunity for church mission committees to articulate their purpose within the larger mission and vision of their local church, as well as develop effective tools to carry forward their mandate within their local church.
2. Cross-cultural Ministry Profile and Evaluation
   As a consultant, Mark will work with a local church to help them understand how ministry leadership works in a multi-cultural situation, as well as evaluate their readiness and ability to engage in cross-cultural or multi-cultural church ministry.

CILD also offers the Cross Cultural Ministry Training Program (CMTP). This is one and half year cross-cultural ministry training program that involves a person in missions experiences, cross-cultural ministry courses, and mentored cross-culturual church ministry involvement. Upon successfull completion, the graduate may apply to Northwest/ACTS for admission to the MA in Cross-Cultural Ministry, providing all other admission requirements are met.