Toler Leadership Institute (TLI)

Stan Toler

Dr. Stan Toler was one of the most prolific writers in the area of pastoral leadership in the country. For years he has been helping pastors and churches to grow and become more effective in ministry. His love for the Church and for pastors is the driving force behind the Toler Leadership Institute.

Nazarene Bible College and Dr. Toler have teamed together to provide pastoral leadership training through our Institute for Ministry Enrichment (IME). IME is the online platform by which all of the Toler Pastoral Leadership Courses will be provided.

Check out the many resources available to you from Dr. Toler at StanToler.com.

There are a total of eight TLI courses in the certificate program. However, pastors may take one or more courses of their choice for professional advancement even if they are not interested in earning a program certificate. Each course provides twenty (20) Lifelong Learning hours and is only $160, plus the cost of the book.

All of the courses are built around books written by Dr. Toler and specifically focused on pastoral leadership and ministry issues.

IME students may participate at the time of their choosing (24 hours a day) on any three (3) days in each week.

Each class will include the following basic elements:

  1. Reading materials.
  2. Specific response assignments.
  3. Discussion with an instructor and other students.
  4. A brief weekly reflection assignment.
  5. Each course will conclude with a paper or project that enables the student to prepare an implementation plan for applying what they have learned to their life and ministry.

Continuing education is a significant part of every modern day profession. Doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, law enforcement, teachers, etc. are all required to complete a certain amount of continuing education on a regular basis. This is also true of clergy within the Church of the Nazarene. The difficulty is finding good programs, for a reasonable cost, that are conveniently accessible.

NBC has designed a way for individuals to participate in meaningful classes, conveniently held online, which are designed to assist you in your professional advancement and effectiveness.

NBC will also provide electronic library and research resources for 12 months beginning with the first week that you are actively involved in your first TLI course. Each time you take a TLI course, your access to these resources will be extended for another 12 months. That is a $150 subscription value that is yours for free when you take a TLI class at NBC!

TLI students may participate at the time of their choosing (24 hours a day) on any three days in each week.

It is anticipated that students will spend four to five hours each week completing these elements, thus fulfilling the denominational requirements for authorized class/learning time required to grant twenty (20) Lifelong Learning hours.

IME classes are taught by experienced practitioners, many with over 25 years of ministry practice. All TLI instructors have been trained in online education at NBC and have been approved by Dr. Stan Toler and the IME/TLI program director.

You will begin by registering with IME where you will be enrolled in a 1-week orientation class designed to assist you in properly setting up your computer and introducing you to the online environment. You will receive basic instructions in how to navigate the system, participate in class and use the research tools. The cost of this one-time class is only $25 and provides you with the technical assistance you will need to be prepared for your future TLI classes.

TLI classes tend to be smaller in enrollment than regular college courses. However, a class MUST have a minimum of five students in order to operate and provide for adequate class interaction and a positive learning experience. Should a student enroll in a class that does not meet minimum enrollment, the student will have their choice of a refund or to leave those funds in their balance and take another course either during the current session or in the near future. If a course is cancelled for this reason, and the student chooses to leave the funds in their NBC account, that student will still be granted access to the research tools as of the date that the class would have begun.

These continuing education classes are not for college credit and will not appear on an official college transcript. However, we will keep records in the registrar's office and in the online department of each class completed.

Each student will receive a Certificate indicating that they have met the requirements of the TLI Course for their own records. NBC will also report the earned Lifelong Learning hours to the department of Clergy Development at the GMC of the Church of the Nazarene.

Students are encouraged to make a copy of their certificate and send it to their District Lifelong Learning Hours Coordinator or Studies Board for the District Record.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the IME/TLI director, Dr. Alan D. Lyke by phone at 1-800-873-3873 extension 5011 or by email at ADLyke@nbc.edu.

For more information on classes earning college credit please go to https://nbc.edu or http://online.nbc.edu.

Pastoral Leadership Certificate

Pastors may choose to take one or all of the TLI courses to enhance their pastoral leadership and ministry effectiveness. For those who take all eight (8) courses a Pastoral Leadership Certificate will be awarded by Nazarene Bible College recognizing your commitment to excellence in pastoral leadership.

The eight leadership courses are:

Courses

Course ID Course Name
TLI1002 Total Quality Life
TLI2002 Rethink Your Life
TLI3002 Lead To Succeed
TLI4002 Becoming A Leader
TLI5002 The Vibrant Church
TLI6002 The Five Star Church
TLI7002 The People Principle
TLI8002 Learning to Be Last

Total Quality Life and Rethink Your Life focus on personal spiritual development. Lead to Succeed and Becoming a Leader focus on leadership development. The Vibrant Church and The Five Star Church focus on church health and ministry effectiveness. The People Principle and Learning to be Last focus on servant leadership principles that enable pastors to lead like Jesus.

The TLI Pastoral Leadership program will inspire, instruct, strengthen and enable pastors to grow personally and professionally with practical advice from one of America's premier pastoral leaders, Dr. Stan Toler.