Purpose
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation seeks to strengthen Lutheran congregations by providing opportunities for pastors to enroll in leadership training programs designed for equipping leaders of the 21st Century church.
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation believes that ministry leadership is fundamental and is deeply important to people served in congregations and to the larger community and society. Pastors serve a cadre of roles in their position at the center of congregational life: Preacher, teacher, counselor, administrator and spiritual care giver.
The Foundation’s goal is to better equip pastors for the many different roles they must play. To do this, the Foundation developed the Siebert Pastoral Development Program.
Program
The Siebert Pastoral Development Program is designed to allow the pastor to create a personal advanced development program, utilizing existing programs and resources available in the marketplace such as, but not limited to:
Ministry Advantage
Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI)
Leadership Training Network
The Siebert-funded advanced development program may take many forms. No specific model is prescribed. The selected program plan should have a specific timeframe with a beginning and an end. Typically, programs of this nature are completed in two to four years.
The pastor is to prepare a plan to include defined desired outcomes for the advanced development program, and how both the pastor and congregation will benefit when the program is completed. The pastor will submit the proposal to the Foundation, and must include a letter of support from the congregation’s governing body.
Funding
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation will provide up to 15 grants per year between $2,500 and $20,000 each (up to 80% of the total program cost) to Lutheran congregations for support of their pastor’s advanced development program. The grants will be one-time grants for the advanced development program regardless of the time it takes to complete the program. In cases of financial hardship, the Foundation will consider funding up to 100% of the total cost. The funding may be used for tuition, and also for books, travel expense, and a laptop computer, if required by the program. The funding may not be used for planned sabbatical support.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The Siebert Pastoral Development Program is a non-competitive grants program, designed for Lutheran congregations that have an ordained pastor.
Congregations located in Wisconsin and upper Michigan may apply. The Foundation will not accept applications for advanced development for clergy serving military bases, chaplains in colleges, universities, hospitals, nursing homes or prisons.
Any Lutheran congregation is eligible to apply for a clergy advanced development grant for any of its ordained pastors.
A pastor from an applying congregation must be a member in good standing of his or her denomination, and the pastor must have received a master of divinity degree from a theological school accredited by the Association of Theological Schools or a recognized judicatory seminary. The master of divinity degree is the basic minimum educational requirement to apply for a Siebert Lutheran Foundation grant.
The congregation must commit to support the pastor during the pastoral advanced development program, including continuation of the pastor’s salary and benefits during the development program.
The Pastoral Development Program is intended to be a fellowship program for study, which may lead towards an academic degree, including the doctor of ministry degree. It is acceptable for some part of the program to involve travel for meeting with a coach and for research.
Funds for the Siebert Pastoral Development Program will be disbursed to the congregational body. The pastor must work with the congregational governing body and financial officer to establish a disbursement process that works with the tuition schedule of the program in which he or she is enrolled.
In the event it becomes necessary for a pastor to drop out of the Siebert Pastoral Development Program after being awarded a grant and before completion of the program, all remaining funds must be refunded to the Siebert Lutheran Foundation.
In the event a pastor accepts a new call while enrolled in the Siebert Pastoral Development Program, the funds granted by the Siebert Lutheran Foundation travel with the pastor to the new congregation. In this situation, a letter of commitment from the new congregation supporting the pastor in his advanced development program must be obtained.
If you have any questions about whether your congregation is eligible for this program, please contact the Siebert Lutheran Foundation before you submit an application.
Steps to Consider when Evaluating Whether to Apply for a Siebert Pastoral Development Program Grant
Prayerfully consider the impact on your family, your congregation and you personally to commit to a significant advanced development program which will involve time away from family and congregation, coursework and may also require travel.
Talk with your spouse and other family members to ensure their support.
Talk with the congregational governing body to ensure support for this endeavor.
Define what you would want to achieve through this advanced development program, including what you believe the value/benefits to you and your congregation will be.
Research programmatic offerings that will allow you to achieve their desired outcomes.
Consider discussing your interest and potential challenges with a member of the Siebert Pastoral Advisory Panel (listed below) as a peer resource.
If you have questions on eligibility or other details of the program, feel free to contact the staff at the Siebert Lutheran Foundation before completing an application.
Further Information
The Pastoral Development Program is intended to be flexible. The Siebert Lutheran Foundation will fund fellowships for between $2,500 and $20,000, up to 80% of the total program cost. (Note: This is not an annual dollar amount, rather is the total cost over the multi-year period the development program takes place.) Applications for programs costing less than $2,500 will not be accepted. Each pastor is encouraged to apply for a pastoral advanced development grant that best fits his or her unique situation.
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation will accept grant applications on an ongoing basis. However, grant applications for the Pastoral Development Program will be reviewed during the Foundation’s quarterly grant cycles. Grant cycles begin December 1, March 1, June 1 and September 1.
Applications will be reviewed by an advisory panel. They will be evaluated in terms of the leadership program’s feasibility, coherence, creativity and potential benefits to the congregation and pastor. The size of the request will not be a determining factor.
The awards in the Siebert Pastoral Development Program will be announced following each regularly scheduled Siebert Lutheran Foundation Board of Directors meetings (scheduled on the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October).
The application must include an attachment of the program materials for the program the pastor intends to enroll in.
Funds will be disbursed after approval by the Board of the Directors at their regularly scheduled meetings.
This is a pilot program of the Siebert Lutheran Foundation. The Siebert Lutheran Foundation reserves the right to suspend this grant program for new applications, based on results of the pilot program or other factors as considered by the Board of Directors of the Siebert Lutheran Foundation.
Siebert Pastoral Advisory Panel
Rev. Charles Brummond – 262-895-2281
Rev. Gary L. Erickson – 414-774-0441
Rev. Larry D. Harpster – 262-658-2433
Rev. William Knapp, Jr. – 414-352-8990
Rev. James A. Mattek – 414-353-5005 [Mattek is connected with Don Patterson's Church and Change work through WLCFS.]
Rev. John M. Parlow – 920-336-2485 [Church and Change leader]
Rev. Mark A. Schudde – 262-679-1441
Rev. James R. Skorzewski – 414-562-3369 [Church and Change Board Member]
Rev. Thomas H. Trapp – 608-257-1969
Rev. Mark D. Thompson – 414-445-7447
Application Procedure
Complete the application for the Siebert Pastoral Development Program (see below).
Applications will be reviewed in conjunction with our regular grant cycle. Due dates throughout the year are: December 1, March 1, June 1 and September 1.
You may submit your application prior to the due date. Final approval will be made by the Siebert Lutheran Foundation Board of Directors at their regularly scheduled meetings held on the last Tuesday during the months of January, April, July and October.
Click here to download the Siebert Pastoral Development Program Application Form
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change at the Seibert Foundation":
If they need more change $ they then go to:
http://www.kffdn.org/default.asp?CID=BoardofDirectors
You will notice the president is a former professor from WLC and the former president of WLC (Kriewall) is on staff. They are all for pastoral innovations.
The Kern Family Foundation
Board of Directors
Dr. Patricia E. Kern, Co-founder and Chairman
Dr. Robert D. Kern, Co-founder and Vice President
James Rahn, President
Richard A. Van Deuren, Secretary
Chairman Emeritus, Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren
Deborah Kern, Assistant Secretary
President, Garden Room, Anaba Tea Room
Marcia Peterson
Dr. Hermann Viets
President, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Michael R. Smith
Attorney, Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren
Dawn Tabat
Office of the Presidency, Chief Operations Officer, Generac Power Systems, Inc.
***
GJ - WLC spawned Church and Change. WLC sputtered with rage when dear old incoherent Leonard Sweet was denied a chance to teach WELS about the Word of God.
