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Robert B. Whitesel
Office: Christian Ministries Center
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Personal Life Statement:
I'm always looking forward to embarking with IWU students upon our exciting excursions into applied-research. In addition, I've found IWU students are serious, studious and practical and thus I hope to make the courses I teach as insightful and rewarding as possible.
But most of all I'm looking forward to an exciting exploration into how God is working to reach people with the Good News, and as a result make world-changers that will grow healthy churches. But before we inaugurate this voyage, you may perhaps be wondering who is Bob Whitesel?
I was born in 1951 in Anderson, Indiana, and though I attended church as a youth, I knew my commitment was not what my heart told me God expected. Thankfully, it was during college that I assessed my life, the claims of Christ, and my future . and I made a decision to follow Christ with all of my heart. I have never regretted that decision.
A few years later I met my lovely wife Rebecca and after college graduation we married and left for seminary. It was while working on my doctorate at Fuller Seminary that I was encouraged to consider the growing field of "church management and growth consulting." This field is occupied by persons trained in the principles of theology, management, and diagnostic research who help churches develop strategies to tactfully reach people who don't attend church, while unifying the existing church members. My undergraduate degree in psychology and my graduate courses in management have been vital to this endeavor.
With the encouragement of my professors and friends I established a church growth practice, and was elated when my fledgling consulting firm took off. Today we work with dozens of churches a year, and I travel internationally as a lecturer and consultant on church growth and management. As a result I have written five books on the management and growth of churches.
- The first is titled A House Divided: Bridging the Generation Gaps in Your Church and was published by Abingdon Press in 2000.
- My second book is called Staying Power: Why People Leave the Church Over Change and What You Can Do About It (Abingdon Press, 2003).
- The third book was released by Abingdon Press in 2004 and is titled Growth by Accident - Death by Planning: How NOT to Kill a Growing Congregation.
- My fourth book is also released by Abingdon Press, and is titled Inside the Organic Church: Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations (2006).
- In addition, I have written a book with Dr. Sharon Drury, Dr. Bob Hamill, Dr. Kent R. Hunter, Dr. Mark Smith, and Dr. David Wright titled: The Church Worker's MBA: What Business School Instructors Wish Church Leaders Knew About Management (forthcoming).
I am the former senior editor and a columnist for the Christian leadership magazine: "Strategies for Today's Leader." I also appreciate the opportunity to work with churches of many denominations, including The Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, the Church of God (Anderson affiliation), and Church of God General Conference, in addition to 26 other denominations.
And, I greatly enjoy the students at Indiana Wesleyan University who I have served as an adjunct professor for eleven years, before becoming an associate professor in the College of Graduate Studies, Department of Graduate Ministries. I have also served as interim director for this department, learning firsthand the significant responsibilities placed upon our academic administrators. I teach several courses in the IWU Master of Art in Ministerial Leadership program including, "MIN529: Strategic Leadership for Non-Profit Ministries," "MIN558: Building a Multi-Generational Church," and "MIN559: Leading a Church Through Change."
Daily I rely on my wonderful Lord and the marvelous family He has given me for solace and strength. My wife Rebecca is a journalist and newspaper editor, my best friend, and my marital partner since 1974. My eldest daughter Breanna is a lawyer in North Carolina. Our second oldest, Kelly was Outstanding Senior in Performing Arts at Purdue Univ. and is currently studying theatre at a Christian graduate school. Corrie, our third oldest daughter is a press secretary for the Indiana House of Representatives, while Ashley our youngest graduated from Purdue with a major in Art History. Yet, often they return home where they enliven our lives with their energy and effervescence.
And thus, because of the subject and the students, it becomes a wonderful privilege to be your facilitator in this extraordinary academic journey. Please remember I am here to help you learn. This is my unqualified goal. If you can think of anything I can do to be a better facilitator for you, please let me know by email or phone. I am here as your servant and co-laborer . and I'm looking forward to the journey!
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