Strengthening Church Leadership

Redeemer University is responding to the growing need for church leader training by launching three online church leadership microcredentials in the 2024-2025 academic year, beginning with Planning, Meetings, and Financial Acuity, now open for registration.

As the scope of responsibility for leaders in the local church expands, there is an increasing need for specialized knowledge and training. Redeemer’s new microcredentials will offer supplemental instruction on relevant topics for church board and council members, ministry leaders and pastors as they serve the greater Christian community, equipping them to lead and serve well.

“These microcredentials are a unique addition to Redeemer’s academic offerings that come alongside the local church in tangible ways,” says vice president, academic Dr. Peter Neumann. “Distinct from seminary and corporate professional development, these affordable learning opportunities will equip church leaders with management and organizational skills specific to a church context.”

Microcredentials are short, non-academic, competency-based learning opportunities that teach in-demand knowledge and skills. Each church leadership microcredential takes about 6-8 hours in total to complete and contains multiple lessons. Each lesson contains an engaging video presentation, readings, external media resources (e.g., supplementary podcasts and videos) and a short assessment. Once learners have finished the microcredential, they will earn an online badge to display to their network.

The newly released Planning, Meetings and Financial Acuity microcredential will equip church leaders to approach matters of administration and finance with confidence, teaching on topics such as budgeting and fundraising, strategic vision, decision making and meeting management.

Redeemer’s microcredentials are open enrolment, with no prior education or experience necessary, and are accessible at any time, anywhere. They feature subject matter experts and practitioners who have first-hand experience in faith-based leadership and management, as well as lessons and concepts that are simple to understand and apply to a variety of local church contexts.

To host and produce these microcredentials, Redeemer is partnering with Christian technology company Campus. Campus’ mission is to empower faith-based academic institutions through its digital learning platform and learning design team.

By the end of 2024, Redeemer will release the second microcredential in its church leadership series, Human Resources and Healthy Communities. This microcredential will equip church leaders to manage people effectively and ensure a supported and safe ministry environment, teaching on topics such as recruiting and developing staff, creating a healthy church workplace, managing volunteers and implementing safe policies. 

In 2025, Redeemer will launch its third and final church leadership microcredential, Congregational Care and Discipleship. This microcredential will equip church leaders to create a healthy congregational culture in which people are discipled effectively and shepherded compassionately, teaching on topics such as small groups, weddings and funerals, demographic sensitivity, stagnation, division, cultural challenges and responding to acute and chronic scenarios of human brokenness.

Learn more on the church leadership microcredentials program page.