The Anna & Ernest J. Moench Center for Church Leadership
Enriching church leaders to impact communities with imagination.
The Anna & Ernest J. Moench Center for Church Leadership grows out of a long history of Belmont University’s commitment to the local church. Founded in 1992 with generous gifts by Anna and Ernest J. Moench, the Moench Center for Church Leadership has long worked to equip church leaders for more effective ministry in local churches.
Early leadership of the Moench Center was provided by its founder, Lloyd Elder, and his associate, Joyce Byrd. His SkillTrack curriculum provided leadership curriculum for church leaders focusing on conflict resolution, stress management, time management, and servant leadership with regular seminars held among churches. Elder’s work richly supported hundreds of Baptist Churches throughout Middle Tennessee.
Over time, as Belmont University moved to a more ecumenical identity, the Moench Center continued to provide training opportunities for church leaders and access to pastors and other leaders supporting the work of the church with retreats, seminars, and conferences.
In 2015, the Moench Center for Church Leadership partnered with The Center for Healthy Churches to extend its work focusing on leadership development and church health. In 2019, this partnership resulted in an opportunity to apply for a Thriving Congregations grant from the Lilly Foundation and in the Fall of 2019, Belmont University received a $1,000,000 five-year grant to work with 18 local churches in the Nashville area to develop thriving congregational cultures. Project Thrive is the work of the Moench Center for Church Leadership, the Reverend Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership, and The Center for Healthy Churches.
In recent years, the Moench Center has added three initiatives to its work: Engaging Healthy Congregations, Nashville Preaching Cooperative, and Academy of Preachers. The Moench Center has matched funding from the Lilly Endowment to continue work from Project Thrive under the new title, Engaging Healthy Congregations to continue cultivating healthy churches.
Additionally, the Moench Center received funding from the Lilly Endowment for the Nashville Preaching Cooperative, a diverse cohort of influential pastors in the Nashville metro area. This cohort of pastors unites influential pastors across Nashville to elevate the art of preaching in today’s complex cultural landscape. This program fosters creativity, reconciliation, and renewal through immersive experiences, masterclasses with cultural leaders, and collaborative learning.
The work of the Moench Center for Church Leadership creates opportunities for coaching and spiritual formation for church leaders, imaginative solutions for church leadership, and leadership development through training events and service.
Committed to local congregations and the preparation of the next generation of church leadership, Dr. Darrell Gwaltney served for nearly nineteen years as the Dean of the College of Theology and Christian Ministry at Belmont University while teaching Honors, preaching, biblical studies, and ministry related classes. He has served as lead pastor, intentional interim, and leadership development roles in multiple churches across Missouri, Indiana, Florida, and Tennessee over the last forty-five years. For the last ten years he has enjoyed the opportunity to lead a pastor training program in Honduras for nearly 100 pastors as well as give leadership to Belmont’s Thriving Congregations initiative.
Dr. Gwaltney believes the local congregation provides the best way to live out the gospel and remains focused on supporting it. He has a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with additional doctoral studies at Oxford University, M.Div. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a M.A. in English from the U. of Missouri-Kansas City, and a B.A. in English from Missouri Baptist University.
Committed to community initiatives, after a lengthy service on the board of Autism Tennessee, he now serves as Chairman of the Board for Engage Church Network and he has a new board role for Cosecha Community Development.
He and his wife, Donna, have been sharing life together for 44 years and they are blessed with three adult children and one amazing grandson. He likes to read a lot, he’s trying to learn how to turn bowls on a lathe, and he’s a big baseball fan committed to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Having served in churches since childhood, Brandon Billings recognized early on a deep calling to serve the body of Christ. Originally from central Illinois, he moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Worship Leadership. His academic journey included undergraduate research focused on safeguarding from toxic leadership in churches —reflecting his passion for sustainable ministry and congregational care. Brandon has interned with one of the most influential churches in the country, gaining valuable insight into large-scale ministry operations. He also spent over five years in an operational staff role at his local church in Nashville, where he supported the church’s mission through logistics, leadership, and hospitality.