Here is a peek at the courses and instructors MI has in September: 

Intro to Temperament is a unique integration of the powerful Arno Profile System–an analysis of your unique, God-made Temperament–and an adapted version of the time-tested Twelve Steps, along with application of scriptures into both. This helps students understand, accept and appreciate themselves and God’s calling on each of their lives. 

Dr. Ron Keller has taught this class at MI for years to kick off the 2nd year of each Spiritual Formation Group. Dr. Keller  is a nationally Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor and a certified Temperament Therapist. He has a MAT from Fuller Seminary and a Ph.D. in Christian Counseling Psychology. Ron is passionate about helping people discover and capitalize on their uniqueness in order to accomplish more than they could ever imagine or hope for. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and has five adult children. He and his wife enjoy sailing, photography, kayaking and biking.

Developing Healthy Leaders This course seeks to define healthy leadership, as well as identify the habits and practices that cultivate and sustain healthy leadership in ourselves and others. Students will look at various dimensions of their lives and formation (e.g. spiritual, emotional, relational, mental, physical, missional) and then seek to integrate them into a holistic understanding of healthy leadership. Students will examine current pressures and challenges for ministry leaders and then examine what new perspectives and practices can allow leaders to become resilient and thrive in the midst of these pressures. It is crucial for students to reflect on each dimension and their personal experience with openness, humility, and vulnerability as we practice being a safe and authentic community for each other.

Dr. Michael G. Bischof (M.Div., D.Min.) is new to teaching at MI this year, and was invited by Dr Kyle Fever after he experienced Michael’s teaching during LeaderCare Retreats. Like our friend Robert Walter, who used to teach a similar class, Michael is passionate about formation from a holistic perspective – spiritual, emotional, relational, mental, physical, cultural & missional. His passion is self-awareness and integration of all the dimensions of the person and how this impacts leadership and spiritual growth.

Michael is the founder of SOULeader Resources, an interdenominational ministry which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. After experiencing the pain of ministry and ending up in eight months of clinical depression, Michael sensed a call to come alongside Christian leaders to bring encouragement and resources that would help them finish well. Michael uses his experience both through coaching, consulting, training, and writing in many types of organizations.

Born and raised in Southern California, Michael has spent over 30 years pastoring and leading in para-church organizations. He is also a professor for Fuller Seminary. He has been married to Darlene for over 37 years and has two grown children. His hobbies are reading, travel, and snowboarding.

Unity and Conflict: Creating a Culture of Respect

This course addresses the reality of conflict in life and in ministry in particular. It covers generally how to identify conflict, how to address it, and how ministry leaders press for gospel unity amid conflict that emerges in relationships, families, and in ministry settings. The information this course provides is ideal before conflict becomes a problem and will also prove helpful in the midst of conflict.

Rev. Kevin McClure has been in pastoral ministry for 40+ years, serving as a church planter, pastor, conference speaker and consultant. Kevin previously served at The Master’s Institute as Dean of Students, and has taught many classes at MI, a frequent one being Acts: Under the Influence. He graduated with an MDiv from Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Most importantly, Kevin has been a Christ-follower for 50+ years. He’s been married to his wife, Laura, for 45+ years and they have four children and 10 grandchildren. He spends his days mentoring young leaders, writing, teaching, and speaking. Plus, he “gets to serve as a leader in a house church.” Kevin loves to work outdoors at his cabin and enjoys reading. 

A lot of what Kevin McClure teaches about conflict comes out of personal experiences with two churches he served as pastor, and some others where he served as a conflict consultant.