Non-profit organisations (NGO�s) play an important role in helping satisfy society�s many needs. Churches, for example, are called upon to address critical challenges facing the South African society such as discrepancies in life chances, unemployment and corruption. It largely depends on the management skills of leaders of such organisations to succeed in their endeavour to meet community needs. In order to improve these skills, this study sought to redefine the initial training of student pastors, including their management training, at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG). A qualitative research approach was followed. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. Interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees of the IAG, serving pastors, directors of training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study, and a newly graduated student. The findings of the study support the importance of formal management training for pastors before being employed in the service of the IAG. This Church has moved away from accepting ministers for service based on their faith and profession of a call to ministry only. The investigation revealed shortcomings in the initial training programmes of pastors; for example, the emphasis on theological courses at the expense of courses that are responsive to community needs and management training issues. Leaders with the competency to respond to community needs are required. The implementation of a transformational management framework, which includes community responsive courses, is recommended as a way to effectively train church leaders.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Although this article is written within the framework of Educational Management, it touches on other fields like Practical Theology and Curriculum Development. It reflects on the perceived need to include management training in the formal preparation of pastors; an aspect which has previously been sorely neglected. A training model is suggested to achieve this objective.Keywords: community;�training; pastors

The debate on the de-colonization of universities in South African gained momentum after protests by students through the #FeesMustFall (FMF) and #RhodesMustFall (RMF) movements. At the center of these protests were issues like free access to education, accommodation, removal of apartheid and colonial statues, and the Africanization of the curriculum. Thus, revisiting and reimagining curricula offerings is an important aspect of the current debate on the de-colonization of education at South Africa’s educational sites. To add to the de-colonization debate, this article discusses the concept of relevance in (re)curriculation. The article will discuss the concepts of de-colonization and relevance, readiness in the implementation of new curricula offerings, challenges, and hurdles in curriculum change and important points of reference in achieving a de-colonized curriculum. Literature review and document analysis will be used to shed more light on this topic.

The exponential growth of Pentecostalism globally suggests a strong social and economic impact which member churches of this tradition are expected to have on the communities they serve. Pentecostal pastors are expected to be mindful of this perceived impact the church should have on communities and to contribute to the general development of the communities in which they operate. In this regard, two challenges immediately confront pastors-the changed and changing composition of the church membership and of the global community which is in constant flux.As an example, one of the dilemmas that pastors face in their daily functions is the question of whether they should premise their decisions on the fiscal oversight and justice-related responsibilities of faith or on the internal control systems of the organisation. This article investigates the duties and decision-making functions of Pentecostal pastors in changed and changing communities, probing the difficulties they encounter in their daily operations in the context of being missional pastors. The article will also discuss pointers to obviate hurdles in the way of Pentecostal pastors in their quest to contribute to communities in a holistic way.