Course Spotlight: Contemporary Approaches to Leadership

In Contemporary Approaches to Leadership & Management, Dr. David Wells helps Horizon Seminary students explore organizational behaviour, emotional intelligence, motivation, and the hard and soft skills that shape effective leadership.

Leadership in ministry is about more than having a title or being the person in charge. It’s about understanding people, navigating challenges, building healthy organizations, and helping others grow.

In Contemporary Approaches to Leadership & Management, taught by Dr. David Wells, Horizon Seminary students examine what it means to lead and manage effectively in today’s world, with Christian ministry and the local church as primary contexts for learning and application.

Healthy organizations depend on healthy relationships. Students will explore organizational behaviour, emotional intelligence, and “both-and” leadership as important elements of contemporary leadership.

The course also considers the balance between hard skills and soft skills—the technical abilities needed to lead an organization alongside the relational skills needed to engage and motivate its people.

Through case studies, personal reflection, presentations, and practical assessments, students will have opportunities to consider how different leadership approaches affect the growth, motivation, and engagement of individuals.

While the local church and Christian ministry provide the primary context, the principles explored in this course extend into marketplace and organizational settings as well. Taught from an evangelical Christian and biblical perspective, Contemporary Approaches to Leadership & Management equips students to grow not only in what they know about leadership, but in their ability to lead others well.

Because competent Christian leadership isn’t simply about getting things done. It’s about helping people and organizations become what they’re called to be.