Whether you are leading an existing church or a church planter just starting out, the Leading for Healthy Growth Cohort can prepare you to see the fulfillment of your calling. There’s still room for you! This Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Seminary begins in Spring 2022 and the October 1st registration deadline is approaching!
What is the Cohort all about?
Sometimes when ministry leaders sit down to create systems, they get a bit lost in the esoteric and theoretical. When I am coaching these leaders, I like to help them get grounded again by asking, “What is it you really want to see happening? What behaviors—if lived out—would indicate that your vision is successful?”
When I answer this question myself, I come up with the following simple ministry cycle:
- Living and loving like Jesus
- Inviting people to follow Jesus
- Starting new believers in the faith
- Growing as disciples while making disciples
- Gathering in groups
- Developing leaders as ministry grows
- Sending leaders to plant new churches
How does this translate practically in ministry?
If we are really looking for the kingdom of God, we want to see people living and loving like Jesus. We want to see them inviting others to follow Jesus. We want to help new believers get started in the faith. We want to grow as disciples as we are making disciples. We want to gather in groups—either physical or virtual. We want to develop leaders as the ministry grows. We want to empower those new leaders to go out and start new communities of faith.
The particulars of this cycle may look a bit different for each church and ministry, but I suspect the essentials would remain. So start thinking of specific behaviors that—if reflected in you and your people—would indicate success in each of these areas. If you gear your ministry system toward supporting and encouraging these specific behaviors, you are much more likely to accomplish your goals… and that is the point of having a ministry system at all.
Creating such ministry systems—systems that work—is the goal of an upcoming DMin cohort I’ll be leading at Fuller Seminary beginning in Spring 2022
Learn More and Register Today!
You can learn more detail about the Leading for Healthy Growth Cohort and register HERE. If you have additional questions, let’s talk! Click HERE to set up a short call to discuss how I might help you live more fully into your ministry calling.