Hybrid Course — Self-paced plus scheduled Zoom sessions 
 
This course may be taken à la carte or as part of the Lewis Center Church Leadership Certificate Program.
 
Feb. 1-March 14, 2026
Dr. Emily Peck, Visiting Professor of Christian Formation and Young Adult Ministry and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy, Wesley Theological Seminary
 
Leaders must help congregations navigate the current challenges of today while still moving toward where God is calling them. This requires strategic innovation that maintains certain traditions but disrupts others. In this course, participants will learn how and when to innovate in a way that further moves the congregation toward flourishing.
 
CEU credit
 
One CEU will be awarded for the successful completion of this course.
 
About this course
 
This course is comprised of six self-paced asynchronous learning modules and three synchronous Zoom sessions. Each learning module involves a combination of readings, videos, podcasts, and online discussion board posts, and participants are expected to complete all the assignments and tasks within the allotted time frame. In the Zoom sessions, participants join the instructor and others in the course for a live discussion of the material. 
 
Before the course begins, participants should purchase Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation, co-authored by Dr. F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Dr. Lovett H. Weems Jr.
 
Course schedule
 
Feb. 1-March 14, 2026
Zoom sessions: TBD
 
Learning Module One: Strategic Innovation
Learning Module Two: Thinking about Fresh Expressions of Church
Learning Module Three: Innovation amidst Chaos
Learning Module Four: Intergenerational Ministry
Learning Module Five: People not Problems
Learning Module Six: A Mini-Capstone Project
 
If you have any questions or problems, please email pathways@wesleyseminary.edu.