EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA), having been richly blessed by resources given by our forebears and having a century-old mandate to care for and work with those on the frontiers of ministry, is committed not just to the future of the Church but to the Church of the future. Next Generation Leadership Initiative: Target 2030 (also commonly referred to as NGLI: Target 2030, Target 2030, and the Initiative) is a 20-year focus on energizing and sustaining younger, emerging United Church of Christ local church pastors, rooted in the belief that healthy, catalytic pastors lead to healthy, vibrant congregations. NGLI: Target 2030 seeks to honor and challenge young clergy who demonstrate significant potential and have accepted the high calling to parish ministry, who view parish ministry as a career path, and are willing to make a long-term commitment to service in congregational settings of the United Church of Christ. Those selected for NGLI: Target 2030 will be provided with advanced training to hone their skills and gifts in order to serve as transformational leaders. They will also have the opportunity to create a cohort of colleagues in which they can encourage, challenge, and reflect together on the life of a local church pastor in the twenty-first century. A significant financial incentive, valued at approximately $75,000 [1], will be provided in return for a 10year commitment to local church ministry in the United Church of Christ. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP While transformational leadership has come to mean many things to many people, for the purpose of NGLI: Target 2030 it is defined as follows: A transformational leader is one who manifests the capacity to: Practice self-reflection Articulate a personal mission/purpose statement for leadership in a parish setting Recognize dysfunction and avoid becoming enmeshed in dysfunctional issues and behavior Synthesize solutions within the congregational context Empower teams of persons who experience trust and realize desired outcomes Engage with a congregation to develop a mission/purpose statement and set of core values that will shape the congregations life and vocation Actualize an appreciation of the United Church of Christs historical, cultural and missional identity A transformational leader is one who embraces and maximizes the eight naturally and universally occurring characteristics present to varying degrees in every congregation by: Empowering leadership Nurturing gift-oriented ministry Cultivating passionate spirituality Having functional structures Offering inspirational worship services

Supporting holistic small groups Providing need-oriented evangelism Building loving relationships NGLI: Target 2030 gives major attention to shaping a pastoral identity congruent with the challenges and changes inherent in life and ministry in the twenty-first century. OUTCOMES The NGLI: Target 2030 program consists of: An initial, four-year core educational program that engages participants in transformational leadership skill and gift development: o Year One focus: Family Systems Theory, with an emphasis on how it applies to differentiated leadership within local church settings o Year Two focus: Adaptive Leadership, with an emphasis on the changing context of pastoral leadership and its implication for the practice of the art of leadership o Year Three focus: Personal Leadership Styles, Communication Systems, and Team Building, with an emphasis on invigorating the leader/group dynamic for congregational health o Year Four focus: Natural Church Development, with an emphasis on applying transformational leadership qualities via the eight characteristics of a missional church An additional six years of advanced continuing education o These years will begin with a time of intentional assessment and evaluation that will lead to the creation of learning goals and a plan of action that will further develop the participants skills and gifts for transformational leadership. Participation in two United Church of Christ General Synods, two concentrated learning visits in a congregational setting, and occasional webinars Tools to participate in an ongoing peer support network A $10,000 contribution to the participants Annuity Plan account during year one to help seed the participants pension account, which should have a value of approximately $75,000 at the end of a 35-year career. (These figures are calculated based on an assumed growth rate of 6% per year over a 35-year period.) It will be 50% vested at the end of the fourth year and fully vested at the end of the tenth year. In approving NGLI: Target 2030, the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance understood the following characteristics of the Initiative as essential: Aim to be a catalyst in having a greater number of outstanding people consider local church ministry as a career path Interest in and commitment to what is needed for vibrant, faithful ministries in local churches of the United Church of Christ Dedication to excellence while having flexibility as to how that is defined within a given local church or cultural context Commitment to continuous improvement and growth of the Initiative Intention to bring about and undergird a church culture that is catalytic, nimble, and dynamic

The United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA), a ministry of the Pension Boards United Church of Christ, launched Next Generation Leadership Initiative: Target 2030 at General Synod 27 in June 2009. The first class began in January 2011. The UCBMA will provide approximately $400,000 each year toward the budget of this initiative. NGLI: Target 2030 has a specific focus and does not seek to address all leadership development needs. We are mindful and respectful of all the opportunities for leadership development in the many settings of the United Church of Christ and in the broader ecumenical community.
[1]

The sum of $75,000 represents the approximate value of a $10,000 grant invested in the Balanced Fund over a 35-year period, assuming a 6% annual earning rate. The final value will depend on the length of the participant's career prior to annuitization and the investment options chosen once the funds are transferred to their accumulation account. The value is not guaranteed.