In the heartbeat of our Association lies a steadfast commitment to Leadership Development. We believe that leadership is not just a position; it’s a continuous journey of growth, influence and impact. This belief fuels our dedication to cultivating leaders who not only excel in their own spheres but also contribute to the flourishing of those around them.
At the start of 2024, we turned our focus again towards how we could best support new senior, solo, campus and service pastors, or those who may be shortly. And we saw a need to train them in practical areas of ministry life that may not have been covered in their theological training.
“What we train people in a Morling College is great,”, explains Craig Corkill, Associate Director of Discipleship & Leadership, “but there is only so much you can fit into four years at college. It’s unrealistic to think you’ll know everything you need to know at the end. And often you don’t even know what you need to know.”
And so, the LiteHouse program was born. Its practical approach has participants exploring topics such as understanding P&L statements and balance sheets, operational and capital fundraising, self-care, and understanding stress and burnout.
The training takes the form of three one-day intensives over six months and aims to equip participants with the skills, mindset, and resilience needed to navigate the complexities of leadership in today’s dynamic ministry context.
Each intensive includes three modules and participants hear from both male and female presenters. The first two modules are competency-focused, while the third is focused on character and capacity. Various and diverse experts are invited to speak on their area of specialty. For example, Dr Neil Harris, Counsellor and Pastoral Supervisor, presented on triangulation and differentiation, equipping participants with the skills to navigate conflicts in their church communities in a balanced and constructive way.
“It was greatly empowering to learn together with other church leaders,” says Emmah, one of the participants, “the group work and storytelling was quite insightful helping us appreciate other people’s experiences. I liked that there was so much wisdom in the room and that the facilitators were well equipped in their area of knowledge”.
Each intensive also includes “ministry simulation training”, with scenarios based on real life ministry experiences. The cohort can practice what they’ve learnt through real-world scenarios, such as knowing what questions to ask when handed a real (anonymised) P&L statement and balance sheet.
The third session includes half an hour with a seasoned pastoral leader answering the question: “What I wish I’d known earlier”. So far, the cohort has heard from Rev Dr Tim MacBride, Principal of Morling College, and Rev Grae McWhirter, Associate Director Strategic Support and Regional Development at Baptist Churches of NSW and ACT.
The cohort particularly enjoyed the powerful session on change management presented by Grant Wilson, Senior Pastor, and Allyson Beddoe, Associate Pastor, from Kiama Baptist Church. After presenting on change management theory, Grant and Allyson explained what this looked like for them, as they navigated leadership change when Grant broke his spine in a bike accident and was diagnosed a quadriplegic. Allyson stepped into the Senior Pastor role overnight, and when Grant miraculously recovered, they swapped back to their original roles. Grant and Allyson discussed how change management theory played out in practice, both amongst their church’s leadership team, and as they helped their broader church navigate the changes.
Feedback from the first cohort of LiteHouse has been overwhelmingly positive. When asked how likely they would be to recommend the LiteHouse training to other pastors, the average response was 9.15 out of 10. The factors that were most important to them were the topics covered, diversity of presenters, and manageable frequency of training.
Upon a unanimous request from the cohort, the team have decided to extend the training for a further six months. The second cohort of LiteHouse will still begin in semester one 2025 but will overlap with the first cohort for the first six months. This has the added benefit of allowing for additional relationship building, networking, and learning from each other.
“I have really been encouraged by what has been taught,” reflects John, anouther participant, “[it’s been] very helpful and insightful. I come away feeling energised to go back to ministry. I’ve enjoyed hearing a variety of different speakers too. It feels like a gift to hear from them.”
Please join us in praying for the equipping and calling of our new, or soon to be new, pastors and leaders.
