ORU’s Rutland Offers Unique Leadership Mentoring Opportunity

News headlines speak of a leadership crisis of worldwide proportions—but true leadership begins with the Church.

That’s why Dr. Mark Rutland, president of ORU, is hosting the National Institute of Christian Leadership in 2011 in partnership with Ministry21Network, founded by Ministry Today magazine publisher Steve Strang.

“A year of study in transformational leadership.” That’s how Rutland describes the National Institute of Christian Leadership. Rutland understands that turnarounds are some of the most difficult challenges to overcome. That’s because he’s spearheaded several major organizational turnarounds in his career.

Now, Rutland wants to share his wisdom and experience with church and marketplace leaders who attend the four three-day quarterly sessions the National Institute of Christian Leadership is offering this year. Rutland was inspired to partner with Strang because he was dissatisfied with leadership theories and impractical teaching. With the Institute, Rutland has set out to provide manageable, pragmatic lessons that help attendees lead organizations through directional turns.

“This is about very real things: organizational definition, how to maintain and find balance, building and directing and leading for quality, excellence in expression,” Rutland says. “I’m also going to go into teaching on preaching at a level of depth that very few people consider, even at the graduate and postgraduate level.”

The first session begins February 7-9, 2011. The following sessions are scheduled for March 28-30, September 12-14 and November 7-9. Two of the four sessions will be held at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. and two sessions will be held at Charisma Media headquarters in Lake Mary, Fla. Each of the sessions allow time for attendees to personally interact with Rutland and apply what they learn. Each session in Tulsa will end with an optional day of joining Rutland for teaching on worship and preaching, and the Lake Mary sessions will end with an optional day of joining Strang and some of his staff for a seminar on writing and book publishing.

Emphasizing that there will be no teaching that is “impractical and theoretical,” Rutland guarantees each session to be an “in-depth study on subjects that are where you live.” The sessions will be held in an intimate environment that allows for discussion of the unique issues that leaders face every day. The entire curriculum is $4,000.

“Maybe you’ve inherited a situation that isn’t going well and you don’t [know] where to turn. Maybe you’ve had great success but things have plateaued. Maybe you have a vision, but you can’t get your staff or board to align with it and you need someone with Rutland’s experience and expertise to show you the way,” Strang says. “Maybe you need to make directional turns or need to figure out how to turn up the gas to get more to happen. Dr. Rutland will codify what he teaches and make it practical.”

Oral Roberts University, as well as Kings University in Los Angeles and Southeastern University in Lakeland, are offering six credit hours towards a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate degree for attending all four sessions. Spouses of each attendee are encouraged to attend and earn the credit hours for free. All materials will be included with the $4,000 registration package, plus each attendee will also receive a one-year membership to Strang’s relational network of leaders, the Ministry21 Network.