“Developing Visionary Church Leaders on Purpose,” is the title of the final summer session of virtual events hosted by the Granville Hicks Leadership Academy on Saturday, June 26 from 9 a.m. until noon. Reggie Hammond, a renowned motivational speaker and Olu Brown, lead pastor of Impact Church in Atlanta, Ga., will be the featured presenters.The program is free and available to the public. Click
here to register.
Hammond and Brown will serve as facilitators for this event and engage leaders in coaching sessions to envision themselves and their churches through the progress of their growth in three key areas: leading through a pandemic; church growth and health; and increasing generosity to fund ministry.
Clergy with the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church can use their attendance toward one unit of continuing education. Participants in the Saturday intensive will have an opportunity for one-on-one coaching with the facilitators after the event.
Claflin University was awarded a $50,000 grant by Leadership Education, a non-degree-granting initiative of Duke Divinity School, the spiritual center of Duke University, located in Durham, N.C. Funds from the grant supported for the Granville Hicks Leadership Academy’s summer sessions. Proceeds from the grant were also used to help strengthen and build capacity for the Granville Hicks Leadership Academy and improve the church history archives in the University's library.
"With this grant we expect lives to be impacted positively whereby participants will learn new methods for pastoral and lay leadership skill development, self-care practices, and ways to navigate through the pandemic," said Dr. Isaiah McGee, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
For the past 29 years, the Granville Hicks Leadership Academy conference was hosted at Claflin in January. However, due to the pandemic, the leadership and planning sessions, lectures by distinguished theologians, and worship services were presented virtually. The Granville Hicks Leadership Academy honors the Rev. Dr. Granville A. Hicks, a 1957 Claflin graduate who has been recognized for his leadership as a pastor and district superintendent in the South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. The event began as a lecture series before evolving into a leadership academy that emphasizes connections between the academy, Claflin University, and The United Methodist Church. The Leadership Academy empowers attendees with biblical knowledge, intellectual growth and theological reflection.
“We are excited to provide clergy members and leaders within their congregations this level of coaching some cannot afford,” said Dr. Arlecia Simmons, program director for the Claflin University/Duke University Leadership Education Grant. “Our facilitators have corporate and church leadership expertise, and I trust the sessions will be transformational for those who sacrifice their time to join us.”
Hammond is committed to his mission to help leaders, teams and organizations live their purpose in their projects, business, careers and lives. He focuses on helping professionals find their forte through optimizing their passions, gifts/strengths, and market rewarding motivations in a way that impacts their purpose and the world around them. He uses this approach to help leaders drive purpose and engagement in their teams and organizations.
Brown serves as the lead pastor of Impact Church, a young congregation in the East Point community of Metropolitan Atlanta. With Brown’s vision and leadership, since its founding in 2007, Impact has grown from a core team of 25 people to more than 2,400 attendees each Sunday in person and 1,600 online. Impact redefines the church experience through inclusiveness, relatable messages, energetic weekly gatherings, unique events and activities, relevant youth programs, and community outreach.