J.C. Austin
Director of Center for Christian Leadership at Auburn Seminary helps church leaders revitalize sense of call
J.C. Austin
When Rev. J. C. Austin was contacted about going to work at Auburn Theological Seminary, he thought the shift to theological education from his years in the parish made perfect sense.
“I realized that this was a chance for me to take what I had done in the pastorate for 10 years and incorporate it into theological education,” said Austin, director of Auburn’s Center for Christian Leadership .
Austin served as associate pastor for evangelism and stewardship at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City from August 1999 to May 2009. While there, he helped revive the historically mainline church that had suffered a period of decline.
“We spent 10 years revitalizing the church in the sense of giving and worship and membership,” he said.
Auburn, too, has been in a period of transition, and the seminary’s vision is about the centrality of leadership and the dynamics of religious faith in general and the church in particular, he said. That connection “really resonated with me.”
“Leadership isn’t exercised in a vacuum,” said Austin, who earned a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Community—both the one you are a leader in and a community of leaders—is crucial, he said.
At Auburn, which is related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by covenant agreement, working to build up church leaders and the communities they serve is essential.
The focus is on developing a holistic notion of leadership, said Austin. “We are here to equip bold and resilient leaders.”
Equipping leaders includes giving them “the courage to try new things, (to) let go of cherished models that don’t work anymore,” he said.
Among Auburn’s highest profile programs is The Auburn Coaching Institute. Situated within The Center for Christian Leadership, the institute provides individualized, one-on-one coaching that helps church leaders identify the issues, obstacles, and opportunities of their particular ministry and deal with them directly.
Reflection with someone who is not in your system “can help you reflect back on the work you are doing, identify goals, and break them down into actionable steps,” Austin said. Many participants have said this has revitalized their basic sense of call to be a minster, he said.
Austin said over the last five years the institute has coached more than 200 leaders from 16 denominations.
Students also are invited to take part in the work of The Center for Christian Leadership, which falls in line with Auburn’s efforts to “provide ongoing engagement with students,” he said.
The goal is to help them find out what they need to be doing now so they are as equipped as possible when then leave, Austin said. Auburn wants to help students “navigate that transition as seamlessly as possible.”
Ultimately, the academy exists to serve the great ends of the church, he said. Seminaries and the church “share that common purpose.”
