Clusters of Divinity graduate students stood together in animated discussion, their voices overlapping as they shared insights and connected course material to their work in churches and faith-based community organizations. Inside the classroom minutes earlier, Russell Pierce – executive director of Housing for New Hope – had wrapped up a dynamic session on nonprofit board development.
This moment was just one snapshot of a groundbreaking new partnership between LILE’s Nonprofit Management Certificate program and the Duke Divinity School to offer nonprofit management training specifically tailored to faith-based leaders. The impact has been immediate: while the pilot was anticipated to enroll around 8 students, 18 students participated. And if the energy in those hallways was any indication, the collaboration has struck a chord.
A Certificate with a Calling
The Divinity School supports students’ ability to earn the Certificate in Nonprofit Management through a sequence of two elective courses that supports students’ vocational formation and leadership development. The courses – Care of Parish 721: Community Engagement & Impact Through Nonprofit Organizations and Care of Parish 722: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Organizational Management – provide a theological framework for nonprofit management in tandem with expert instruction from established practitioners and scholars from a variety of disciplines within the nonprofit sector.
“Whether you plan to pastor a congregation, lead a local nonprofit organization, or minister beyond church walls, the certificate provides essential management skills needed for effective leadership. These courses will help you to develop theologically-grounded, deployable skills and practices to lead faithfully and wisely in a variety of contexts,” said Katherine Smith, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at Divinity.
So why a certificate, and not just another course?
“In professional education, a certificate signals a particular commitment by the student to develop their expertise in that area of focus,” said Smith. “Similarly, it signals to employers and other stakeholders that the student demonstrates professional competence in that subject.”
What Sets Faith-Based Nonprofits Apart?
At the heart of the program is the recognition that managing a faith-based nonprofit involves challenges shared with secular organizations as well as some uniquely complex dynamics. As instructor Pierce explains, “What we’re trying to learn is how to be a justice-oriented nonprofit. [Nonprofits are] a business, [with] a special tax standing, but we want to think through how we infuse our understanding of the Kingdom and what a just world would look like into the whole running of the organization.”
Pierce brings a dual lens to the classroom as both a former pastor and a seasoned nonprofit leader. The result is a rare fusion of theological inquiry and practical acumen. He shared that people were telling him that they wanted to do nonprofit work, but they weren’t getting job offers.
“There’s not typically a lot of training within the divinity program or really any sort of seminary around nonprofit work, but there’s a need for people who can unite the theological and some of that nonprofit business background together,” said Pierce. “Being able to have more leaders equipped to know where to focus, how to focus, when to say yes and when to say no is really important.”
An Unprecedented Collaboration
The program is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Duke’s for-credit and non-credit sides.
“When we look at who attends our classes and programs, we see a vast number of individuals who work in faith-based organizations who have divinity degrees,” said Mary Sherk, Associate Director of Nonprofit Management at LILE. “Divinity schools, whether they’re Duke or otherwise, offer fantastic theological training, but the reality is many graduates of these schools go on to work in nonprofits. So there was a skills gap, and many of these individuals were looking for some very specific and dedicated learning so that they could help fill that knowledge gap.”
Smith added that the Divinity School’s partnership with LILE has been a wonderful way to amplify mutually reinforcing assets at Duke to fulfill our shared mission. Instead of duplicating or siloing expertise, collaborations like this strengthen and streamline Duke’s capacity to support the development of nonprofit leaders across the university’s learning community.
“The vast majority of Duke Divinity School graduates will go on to serve in the nonprofit sector. We know many graduates of Duke’s other schools will do so, as well. We want these graduates to benefit not only from Divinity experts but from the leadership and professional expertise that is present in our broader Duke community,” said Smith.
Different Journeys, Common Ground: Student Reflections
Melody Franco entered the certificate program during her final semester at Duke Divinity. Now serving as Coordinator of Community Life at Reality Ministries, she’s already drawing on the skills she’s gained. One of the most transformative lessons for her came in the unit on fundraising.
“People can feel really weird about raising money, especially when that gets intermingled with theology. It’s been helpful to see how actually learning how to do fundraising work well allows us to provide opportunities for other people in the community to partner with what we’re doing,” Franco said.
Though Franco came in with minimal work experience, the program didn’t intimidate her — it energized her. Her classmates include seasoned nonprofit professionals, many of whom brought their own real-world dilemmas to class.
“I’ve really loved that it brings together people with a lot of different areas of expertise. We’ve had so many different voices in this course, and that’s been wonderful to get exposure to,” said Franco.
For Brant Copen, the program offered structure and clarity after a decade of international nonprofit work.
“Because I was working with a lot of pastors, I realized it would be helpful for me to get a degree in theology, and just for my own personal development, I wanted to do that,” said Copen. “And of course, when they announced that they were doing a nonprofit management course, I immediately jumped on it, because I had been doing a lot of nonprofit management myself, but just learning as I went. I wanted to see what the academic community recommended and learn more.”
Copen did not initially plan to complete the two-course series, but he appreciated the first course so much that he decided to enroll in the second and pursue the certificate.
“There’s been a couple of areas where I already feel very comfortable, but then there’s been other areas where I’m like, wow, I don’t know really anything about that, or the nonprofits I’ve worked in in the past really failed in this area,” said Copen. “Just because someone has worked for a nonprofit really doesn’t mean much about their experience or what they can do. [A certificate is] helpful to build trust with potential employers.”
Cristal Ocampo Ruiz is a full-time Duke Divinity student, a participant in the Hispanic Summer Program, and a mother of three — ages 17, 12, and 8. Her days are full, yet when she learned about the Nonprofit Management Certificate, she saw an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss.
“I asked my supervisor, because he went through divinity school, what do you wish you could have learned more of, or what class do you think would have helped you more now that you’ve been in ministry for six years? And he said a class on budgeting and nonprofit work probably would have helped a lot,” said Ruiz. “[My schedule has] been very crazy, but the workload is really doable and manageable.”
While Cristal is still discerning her next step — whether she’ll pursue full-time ministry, start her own nonprofit, or something in-between — she feels far more equipped to move forward.
“I’ve just been getting that echo. If there’s something you want to do that you know is going to be beneficial for society and for humanity, and no one’s doing it, make your own,” said Ruiz. “So I’m excited to see where I can use all these skills, and I know I will be able to use them in whatever I do.”
Looking Ahead
As Pierce put it: “It can’t just be the case that doing good is good enough. We really have to find ways to do this work with more focus and more impact.” This kind of focused, impact-oriented preparation is exactly what the certificate aims to provide—and it’s a model with potential far beyond the Divinity School. LILE hopes this successful collaboration will serve as a model and is actively seeking opportunities to partner with other Duke schools and programs to equip more students with mission-driven, practical leadership skills. Reach out to us at lile@duke.edu to explore the possibilities.
