April 19, 2004
Lloyd Elder to retire from Belmont's Moench Center
Lloyd Elder will retire as director of the Moench Center for Church Leadership in Belmont University's School of Religion, effective June 1. The Moench Center, established in 1996, provides resources, conferences and training events to ministers in 26 states.
"Lloyd has helped us maintain a healthy balance between church and academic life at Belmont. He is the classic example of a pastor-theologian," said Steve Simpler, dean of the School of Religion. "He has distinguished himself as a respected religious leader, yet he doesn't take himself too seriously. I've been with him at Moench Center workshops in rural churches where we had half a dozen people. I've been with him when he led worship at large urban churches. He's the same guy in both places. He's a genuinely good person who reflects God's grace."
Elder joined the School of Religion faculty in August 1991, filling the Paschall Chair for Biblical Studies and Preaching, Elder. He along with Joyce Byrd as associate director established the Moench Center in 1996, to provide leadership skills to ministers. The center was made possible by gifts from the late Ernest J. Moench Sr. and his wife, Anna.
With his retirement, Elder will be named Founding Director of the Moench Center. As invited, Elder plans to continue working part-time with the center in conducting research, writing articles and textbooks and leading conferences. "I believe in the ministry of this center and I want it to have the best from me," Elder said.
Elder said he plans to spend more time with his family, including his wife, Sue, two children and five grandchildren.
The Moench Center has partnered with five Baptist state conventions – the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Alabama Baptist Convention, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania-South Jersey, and the Tennessee Baptist Convention - as well as several educational institutions. The National Church Business Administrators recently formed a partnership with the Moench Center in leadership training development for church business administrators of Christian churches.
In addition, the Moench Center has established a linkage with the national Southern Baptist Bivocational Ministers Association and the Association of Educators for Bivocational Ministries which will officially announce in late April a leadership certification program for bivocational ministers.
The Moench Center has published 12 SkillTrack leadership textbooks on topics including servant leadership, pastoral preaching, communication skills, time management and others. Four textbooks are now available in Spanish. SkillTrack leadership CD-ROMs also have been developed.
Reflecting on his 13 years at Belmont, Elder said he found his greatest fulfillment in teaching students, staff and lay ministers, and also enjoyed the opportunities provided through the Moench Center to minister to churches and ministers and consult with state conventions and other colleges and universities in developing their own leadership training.
"When Dr. Troutt (former president of Belmont) and the School of Religion faculty invited me, it came as a sense of calling at that time in my journey," he said. "That makes for a very satisfying stream of experiences for which I am thankful to the Lord and a host of people," Elder said.
Looking ahead, Elder sees a bright future for the Moench Center and hopes initiatives will include a greater focus on marketing and distributing resources to a wider audience and further development in distance education. He also sees opportunities for maximizing existing relationships while developing an ever-broadening network of new partnerships.
Before joining Belmont, Elder served as president of the Baptist Sunday School Board, 1983-91; executive vice president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, 1978-83; and assistant to the executive director, Baptist General Convention of Texas, 1975-78. He also served as pastor of numerous Texas Baptist churches, 1952-75. Interim pastorates include: Harpeth Hills Baptist, Crievewood Baptist, New Hope Baptist, Haywood Hills Baptist—all of Nashville, and Wieuca Road Baptist in Atlanta, Georgia.
Joyce Byrd will continue as associate director of the Moench Center.
Click to Download a photo of Lloyd Elder for publication.
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