As a church leader, you’re always on the lookout for the best resources out there and the best people that could fit in different ministerial roles. After all, if a church may start out well on the talents of a few, it will only be built and grown on the sacrifices of many.
These 13 leadership programs stand out for a few reasons:
- Leaders that come out of their program lead ministries, churches, non-profits, religious and non-religious organizations
- Their program produces results
- They’re known for excellence
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Volunteers are the lifeblood of religious organizations like churches and parachurch ministries. Without them, they would not survive as the finances wouldn’t match the need.
But more so, volunteers are supposed to make the church grow, not pastors. Ministry leaders’ “… responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” as Ephesians 4:12 (NLT) puts it so well. These resources actually offer many different leadership training programs.
1. The Ministry Grid
Ministry Grid is focused on “Church Volunteer Training Made Simple.” And their resources are exactly that. The website offers training on a variety of topics including discipleship, leading church staff, spiritual development, church communication, and hospitality. Like they say, “use our 850+ pre-built training courses or customize your own. The possibilities are endless.”
2. Non-Profit Courses
While this site is a little outdated, style-wise, the content is more than worth it. Some of the topics they cover in their training include fundraising, church accounting, writing devotionals, and family life ministry development.
MINISTERIAL LEADERSHIP
You always want your ministry leaders to get the best trading available. These two programs stand out for their quality of training as well as the depth of each topic they cover.
3. Building Church Leaders
Their website says “500+ Practical training tools…and growing!” It’s from Christianity Today, so it is backed up by a well-known Christian company. The site focuses 4 axes: “Training Teams”, “Developing Leaders”, “Grow Myself” and “Equip My Church.”
4. Southeastern University
Southeastern University, located in Florida, has been developing Christian leaders for decades now. One of the beauties of its programs is when it partners with local churches. It has over 200 local partners where they train tomorrow’s leaders.
HEALTHY LEADERSHIP
5. The Slingshot Group
Slingshot is well-known for its hands-on approach to hiring and coaching. Their “culture” building processes and the ways they build relationships with both candidates and churches are as important. They want churches to thrive in a healthy culture that sustains both growth, efficiency, and health. Along with their coaching program, their ebooks are great training resources. Some of the topics their ebooks cover include millennials in leadership, discipleship, and senior leadership transitions.
6. Emotionally Healthy Discipleship
“Moving Your Church Forward by Slowing Yourself Down.” Emotionally Healthy Discipleship offers training focused on three essential vantage points, starting with “you”, “your team” and “your church.” Pete Scazzero is the bestseller author of “The Emotionally Healthy Leader”. Ministry can be a hard venture and staying emotionally healthy is as important as being spiritually fresh.
LEADERSHIP AT LARGE
These 2 organizations will grant you phenomenal leadership training.
7. The John Maxwell Team
John Maxwell has been known as a leadership guru for decades, and it seems like he’s not slowing down very much! He has written over 70 books and sold over 20 million of them! It rarely gets better than that. They say “The John Maxwell Team Leadership, Coaching, Speaking, and Training Development Program will take your leadership and life to the next level.”
8. Lifeway Leadership
Who, in the Christian world, hasn’t heard of Lifeway? They offer “The Ministry Grid” and so much more. Lifeway’s podcasts reach thousands of leaders monthly, without even mentioning their strategic leadership community. Go check it out.
CHURCH PLANTING
Our country doesn’t really need more churches. But it does need more churches that are alive, well, growing, life-giving, healthy, outgoing, biblically sound, spiritually mature, and disciple-producing ones. As a leader, associating with these tribes allows you to grow, deepen and enrich yourself and your church. These two are church planting organizations that promote such things.
9. Association of Related Churches (ARC)
Each year, ARC plants hundreds of life-giving churches. Some of its flagship churches are some of the largest ones in the USA, with decades of healthy leadership. Plus, many of the churches partner with SEU to have college extensions as part of their ministries.
10. Converge
They have been planting churches for a while now, not only here in the USA but also around the world. Their screening process is very strong and it produces ready and able leaders.
EMERGING LEADERS
“Emerging leaders” has got to be a term that originated from experienced leaders! Yet, a new generation of younger trailblazers and leaders may require new types of leadership, in form and content. These go for that.
11. AXX Global
This Australian organization knows what it’s like to minister in a postmodern, secular, and maybe post-Christian society. Our next leaders will come from such a background and you ought to consider such a training program. They have a 4.9 stars on more than 2000 reviews.
12. Arrow Leadership
Arrow Leadership’s program for emerging leaders is “an 18-month highly personal, intentional and transformational experience” and they advertise that “you will be developed to lead confidently, courageously, and effectively – as a Jesus-centered leader.” If you’re looking for an immersive, in-depth program that offers mentoring, training, and coaching from an experienced team of spiritual leaders than look no further.
BUILDING YOUR OWN LEADERS
Any good and outstanding leadership program can go along with an internship at your church. You can develop young leaders by immersing them in your culture. They’ll gain a wealth of know-how and you will benefit from it.
13. 12 Stone Church
Located in Georgia, 12 Stone Church has a great internship program that many other churches either duplicate, emulate or imitate. Their 2-year leadership program is a perfect example of hands-on training focused on growing future church leaders.
Outstanding: exceptionally good, prominent, striking, first-class, superb, excellent, remarkable. However you want to describe these 13 programs, each one stands out for what they can offer you and your ministry in terms of strengthening your leadership skills and creating a culture of growth.
