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God calls individuals to find our place for service within the various projects and programs of the churches. And God gives gifts to equip individuals for service. Recognizing and utilizing

Kristin Moyer

peoples competencies is a task for managers everywhere. To discern the Call, and nurture the Vocation so that individuals can develop into their full potential for service is a challenge to church leaders.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning is a step-by-step approach of getting an organization where it wants to go. This is done by defining what the organization wants, what that involves, who it wishes to serve, what it intends to get out of it's efforts, and how specifically it should move over time. It involves taking a longer-term perspective to guide shorter-term decisions, and enables the organization to work closely together and rally behind a common cause.

Successful strategic planning will ensure consistency between the church's vision and the practical directions it will take in the environment in which it lives.

Areas of consideration include the needs, management and development of the human resources of the church or organization.

Human resource needs refers to the skilled people needed to help out in order to translate the vision of the organization into concrete action. It is the gap between the human resources that are available and those that are required.

Human resource management is an ongoing identifying of needs, as well as careful observation of the performance and potential of existing staff and volunteers. A particular challenge in this area in the church is how to maintain proper motivation and incentive for staff. Some churches have experienced people "moving on" to other private organizations after the church has trained them for ministry.

Human Resource Development, then, is a label which covers a wide range of activities which should lead to better capabilities and hence effectiveness of staff. Some concrete ways in which the LWF Human Resources Development Desk provides assistance are:

• The International Scholarship Program
• Scholarship Fund for People with Disabilities
• Short-term Study and Research Program
• Professional Experience Exchange Program
• Fund for Language Training Courses
• Consultative Services on Human Resources Development
• Workshops, Seminars and Consultations

This program was the first program begun at LWF in the area of human resources development and is the biggest program in terms of budget. The history of the program reflects the history of LWF and its relationship with member churches. The program was initiated to meet training and education needs in some of the new mission churches, mostly in Africa, which were faced with the need for teachers, nurses, and relief workers to help the young churches. As LWF entered the 1960s, such missions were looking ahead to independence and feeling the need for help in training nationals as preachers, teachers, and medical workers. At the same time, some difficult areas in the program were coming to light, such as the cost of overseas schooling, as well as the problem of students remaining overseas?not returning to serve in the churches which sent them after their studies were finished.

Considering this, the present International Scholarship program has set as priorities in-country training programs and scholarships in order to strengthen the internal life of the churches.

Today, the LWF will primarily support:

• Short and long-term academic and non-academic/ practice-oriented programs, in theological and non-theological areas, which correspond to crucial needs in the applicant church.
• Programs in the candidatefs home country or continent.
• Programs involving long-term study leading to doctorate or higher degrees, provided there is a crucial need.
• Advanced training for the purpose of upgrading institutional programs.
• Programs for applicants from Western Europe and North America to study in Africa, Asia and Latin-America up to one academic year, where a strong need for intercultural experience is expressed.
• Group programs at the regional and international level.
• The Scholarship Program is not intended to reward individuals, but is meant to be a tool for personnel planning in the churches. For this reason, applications are not to be sent in by the individual, but are to be screened, endorsed and sent by a Lutheran church or an LWF National committee.
• Non-Lutheran applicants may be eligible if their training would meet the needs of a Lutheran member church. Women are also encouraged to join in the program, not only for development-related studies, but particularly for study and training programs directly related to the various ministries of the congregations and of the church as a whole. At least 40% of scholarship funds are earmarked for female candidates, and in recent years, up to 50% of the candidates in theological areas of study have been women.

Application forms are distributed every year (this year, it is projected for May), and should be received in Geneva on or before October 15. Screening at LWF will normally take place in December and the applicant will be informed in January.

Scholarship Fund for People with Disabilities

The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 10% of the population in any country of the world suffer from one of the five broad categories of disability: physical disability, blindness, deafness, intellectual impairment and mental illness.

In June 1998 a Strategic Meeting of Women with Disabilities was held in Geneva and the following recommendation was made and later accepted: "Designate at least 10 percent of the LWF scholarship funds for people with disabilities, publicize the availability of these funds among member churches, and maintain records regarding these recipients."

As a result, the Scholarship Fund for People with Disabilities program was formed with the following objectives:

• To promote and inclusive ministry in the LWF member churches.
• To encourage church leaders to consider people with disabilities when identifying resources for the work of the church.
• To provide financial support for scholarships for people with disabilities.
• To support short- and long-term, academic and non-academic training corresponding to needs in the applicant church.

Short-term Study and Research Program

Requests for financial support to participate in short-term international training programs, consultations, workshops and seminars are increasing. The Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong urged the LWF to give priority to those programs which uplift education and training.

The Short-term Study and Research Program started in 1999 with the objectives of

• Providing financial assistance for church workers to participate in short-term training programs in their home country or abroad.
• Facilitating exposure to new experiences.
• Assisting member churches in upgrading personnel skills
• Enabling member churches to gain access to international and ecumenical networks.
• Assisting member churches in undertaking research projects that are relevant to the work of the church.
• The program covers all or a portion of travel costs and other fees. As with the International scholarship program, 40% of the funding is earmarked for female candidates. Applications should include: a description of the project, with a clear statement of purpose, place, time, duration, etc.; an endorsement of the home church; and an invitation or acceptance letter from the training institution.

Professional Experience Exchange Program

This program aims to meet the strong need expressed by member churches, seminaries, and university educators to share resources and learn from each other in dialogue. The practical learning experiences offered through exchange programs could be one of the most effective means for the development of individuals and groups towards a new understanding of communion.

The objectives of this program would be:

• To provide financial assistance for professionals in different fields to spend a certain period of time lecturing in institutions, conducting training programs or workshops located outside their own continent.
• To facilitate an exposure to the life of others in order to expand perspectives, understanding and cooperation.
• To assist individuals and groups in gaining new skills and be more effective in their ministries.
• To increase a sharing of resources and gifts
• To strengthen the communion and foster global awareness.
• To facilitate mutual learning through sharing of experiences.
• To facilitate new models of partnership.
• Applications must be accompanied by a project description, a church endorsement, and an invitation as in the Study and Training Program.

  Fund for Language Training Courses

  This program originally targeted needs in European churches (1982), but was expanded in 1992 to meet needs among women?especially in Africa and in Spanish-speaking regions. It now includes all continents.

  Many LWF member churches have personnel who would benefit from interaction with the wider communion, and who could provide vast experience and knowledge in other regions. This program is oriented to help where language is a barrier to such interaction. It is intended for people who already have a basic knowledge of the language and who are involved in church work.

  Other

  The HRD Desk also conducts Consultative Services on Human Resources Development to initiate and facilitate long-term planning in Human Resources Development. Workshops, Seminars and Consultations are also held with the support of the HRD Desk.

  
  

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