Church Business Faith-Based
Program

CEB 0307-C6LCEF | Business Skills for Faith-Based Organizations - Gateway Program

Started Dec 15, 2025
13.5 CEUs

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Full program description

Enrollment Options for this Program

There are two options for enrolling in this program:

  • Self-Pay Option
    • You may register and pay at any time before December 15th, 2025
  • LCEF Grant Option
    • To use this option, you must:
      • Be an LCMS Rostered Pastor, Church Worker, or RSO
      • Have completed the online scholarship application and received award notice with special registration information.

 

About this Program

Dr Amber Gray, CE to MBA Gateway

Course Description

This professional development program is designed to equip leaders of faith-based organizations with the skills they need to effectively manage their operations.

This program is formatted in eight micro-learning courses that cover topics such as: 

  • Human resources management and development
  • Conflict resolution
  • Financial management
  • Social media marketing
  • Fundraising
  • Strategy
  • Change management

 

By the end of the program, leaders will complete multiple action plans that will foster effective solutions for some major pain points in their organization.

 

Course Outlines

  1. Introduction to Business Skills for Church Workers
    1.5 CEUs
    This course is designed to provide an overview of the program and allow participants to take an inventory of their current organization.  This inventory will be useful for developing the deliverables in the program.
  2. Managing People
    2 CEUs
    This course is designed to help Church leaders explore Human Resource Management and Development concepts that impact organizational effectiveness. Participants will discover current methods and practical strategies that lead to enhanced employee, team, and volunteer performance, engagement, and retention.  
  3. Conflict Resolution
    1.5 CEUs
    Periodic conflict and disagreement are inevitable in every organization. This course provides effective strategies for navigating discord while mitigating risk – both financial and interpersonal – particularly in religious-centric settings. 
  4. Social Media Strategies
    2 CEUs
    This course is designed to help church leaders understand basic social media concepts, tools and applications. This course will provide church workers with the practical knowledge and insights needed to successfully plan, implement, manage and measure social media marketing efforts to engage their congregations. 
  5. Financial Management
    1.5 CEUs
    This course examines the basic elements of financial management to enable church leaders to make informed decisions. Church leaders will examine the various elements of the balance sheet, evaluate tools to account for costs, manage cash, and assess the financial health of their organization.  Additional coverage will focus on internal controls to protect the assets of the organization, manage risk, and ensure accountability. 
  6. Raising Funds
    1.5 CEUs
    This course presents best practices and tools for successful fundraising and grant writing, a vital component for most nonprofit organizations. Learners will examine their current methodology and explore modern fundraising options such as online giving and direct deposits. Special focus will be given to the development of Mission support.
  7. Strategy & Change Management
    1.5 CEUs
    This course is to will challenge church leaders to revisit their overall strategic plan and equip them with the tools to create and maximize participation, collaboration, and effectiveness during times of change in order to build team identity, commitment, and trust. Church leaders will understand the nature of organizational strategy and change management, revisit strategies for dealing with organizational conflict during times of change, and learn to build a collaborative leadership process.
  8. Action Plans/Capstone
    2 CEUs
    In this final course of the Business Skills for Faith-Based Organizations program, church leaders will apply the skills and knowledge cumulated in the previous seven modules and prepare two comprehensive action plans for their organization.

Course Schedule\Program Map:

 

Course Sequence Course Name Course Description Primary Deliverable Modality CE units Janary 2026 SELF PACED Schedule (LCEF&Public section) Start/End Date Instructor
1 Introduction to Business Skills for Church Workers This course is designed to provide an overview of the program and allow participants to take an inventory of their current organization.  This inventory will be useful for developing the deliverables in the program. Business Model Canvas Inventory 4 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 1.5 1/5/26-2/1/26 Kim Schave
2 Managing People This course is designed to help Church leaders explore Human Resource Management and Development concepts that impact organizational effectiveness. Participants will discover current methods and practical strategies that lead to enhanced employee, team, and volunteer performance, engagement, and retention.   Employee Engagement Plan 6 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 2 2/2/26-3/15/26 Julie Vartoogian
3 Conflict Resolution Periodic conflict and disagreement are inevitable in every organization. This course provides effective strategies for navigating discord while mitigating risk – both financial and interpersonal – particularly in religious-centric settings. Reflection on a recent conflict 6 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 1.5 4/6/26-5/17/26 Julie Vartoogian
4 Social Media Strategies This course is designed to help church leaders understand basic social media concepts, tools and applications. This course will provide church workers with the practical knowledge and insights needed to successfully plan, implement, manage and measure social media marketing efforts to engage their congregations.  Social Media Marketing Plan 6 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 2 5/18/26-6/28/26 Justin Phelps
5 Financial Management This course examines the basic elements of financial management to enable church leaders to make informed decisions. Church leaders will examine the various elements of the balance sheet, evaluate tools to account for costs, manage cash, and assess the financial health of their organization.  Additional coverage will focus on internal controls to protect the assets of the organization, manage risk, and ensure accountability.  Develop 5 SMART goals 6 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 1.5 6/29/26 -8/9/26 Julie Dilling
6 Raising Funds This course presents best practices and tools for successful fundraising and grant writing, a vital component for most nonprofit organizations. Learners will examine their current methodology and explore modern fundraising options such as online giving and direct deposits. Special focus will be given to the development of Mission support. List your current fundraising sources.  Brainstorm at least 3 new avenues for raising funds. 6 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 1.5 8/10/26-9/20/26 Kim Schave
7 Strategy & Change Management This course is to will challenge church leaders to revisit their overall strategic plan and equip them with the tools to create and maximize participation, collaboration, and effectiveness during times of change in order to build team identity, commitment, and trust. Church leaders will understand the nature of organizational strategy and change management, revisit strategies for dealing with organizational conflict during times of change, and learn to build a collaborative leadership process. Review Current Mission, Vision, and Ministry Plan, Prepare a SWOT Analysis 7 weeks online, with weekly due dates. 1.5 9/21/26-11/8/26 Steve Schave
8 Action Plans In this final course of the Business Skills for Faith-Based Organizations program, church leaders will apply the skills and knowledge cumulated in the previous seven modules and prepare two comprehensive action plans for their organization. 2 Action Plans, selected from topics in previous coursework 4 weeks online with weekly due dates 2 11/9/26-12/7/26 Kim Schave

 

Presenter Bio: 

 

Rev. Dr. Steven Schave 

 

The Rev. Dr. Steve Schave is currently Executive Director of LAMP Ministry, a cross-cultural ministry serving indigenous communities in remote areas of Northern Canada. Prior to this, he was named Director of LCMS Urban & Inner-City Mission (January 2014) and Director of LCMS Church Planting (January 2015). Schave is a second-career pastor; he is a former business executive with a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, business systems, and executive leadership. He began his ministry by planting churches focused on human-care outreach, followed by revitalizing inner-city congregations through neighborhood renewal. Previously, he served as regional vice-president in the Southwest region of the LCMS Ohio District and was third vice-president of the presidium. He also served on the board of directors for Lutheran Housing Support for several years. Schave has years of experience in connecting Word and Sacrament ministry with engaging communities. He founded MissionField: USA, an initiative adopted by the LCMS national convention to plant cross-cultural ministries. In this role, he worked through districts to supervise national missionaries. He also developed the national Save Our Cities Fund, Big City Mission School Program, The Hero Academy, Urban & Inner-City Webinar series, and Denarius Social Enterprise learning modules. Schave received his DM in at Concordia Theological Seminary - Ft Wayne with a dissertation that focused on church planting resources for the synod based on a witness-mercy-life together framework for doing missions. 

 

 

 

Dr. Kim Schave   

Concordia University Professor  

 

Dr. Kim Schave is a Certified Public Accountant who has also served as a nonprofit leader and Lutheran Deaconess. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching college accounting and business courses. She brings extensive expertise in management, finance and accounting, development, grant writing, and volunteer leadership, with professional experience spanning for-profit and nonprofit organizations as well as higher education. Dr. Schave also served as a military police officer in the Ohio Army National Guard. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership (Business Management concentration) from Eastern University, an MA in Theology with Deaconess certification from Concordia Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Business Management for Nonprofit Leaders from Washington University, and a BBA in Accounting from the University of Cincinnati. 

 

 

 

 

Julie Vartoogian   

Cleary University 

Concordia University Wisconsin 

 

Julie Vartoogian, Vice President of Human Resources at Cleary University, has extensive experience in recruitment, talent development, and leadership within higher education and nonprofit organizations. She previously served in HR leadership roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor where she supported mission-driven staffing and engagement initiatives. 

Julie also serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University Wisconsin, bringing real-world HR expertise into the classroom. She is passionate about helping church leaders apply effective recruitment strategies to build strong, purpose-driven volunteer teams. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Julie Dilling 

Licensed CPA 

Member, WICPA and AICPA 

 

Julie Dilling has been teaching at Concordia University Wisconsin for more than seven years. She began her career in private industry, specifically in the manufacturing and service industries, as a controller. She has ten years’ public accounting experience in tax and consulting working for an international public accounting firm as well as 16 years’ experience teaching accounting, business, and psychology for a variety of universities at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. 

 

PhD, Psychology, Grand Canyon University 

MBA, UW-Oshkosh 

BBA, Accounting, UW-Whitewater 

 

 

 

Justin Phelps 

 

Justin Phelps has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and communications, with more than 10 years of managing social media for non-profits. He currently serves as the Digital Marketing Manager at Lutheran Church Extension Fund in St. Louis where he oversees social media, organic and paid search, and SEO/AI visibility. Previously, Justin managed social media at Mid-America Transplant, leading 900% growth over four years through compelling storytelling, engagement-focused organic content, and targeted paid initiatives.