Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

The Role of the Shepherd

1. Presentation – Elder panel led by local elder or equivalent to talk about how they decided what their role should be (15-20 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Written description of the role of an elder; what to focus on and what to delegate (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Each group reviews their written role descriptions (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down how you will specifically adjust your efforts to match the elder’s role description (5 minutes)

Maintaining a Healthy Church

1. Presentation – Identify the spiritual vital signs of a healthy church (15-20 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Each group will work on a list of ways to improve the spiritual health of their congregation (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Each group will share their lists, and the cohort will brainstorm on how the lists shared can be modified or improved (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific individuals in your congregation who can help improve spiritual health and develop methods of applying these ideas (5 minutes)

Building a Healthy Team

1. Presentation – What effective teamwork looks like (10 minutes)
2. Teamwork physical exercise (if effective for the cohort)
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the teamwork model and discuss positive stories of teamwork (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share positive teamwork stories (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the teamwork learnings within your eldership (5 minutes)

Planning for the Future

1. Presentation – How can leaders pass the torch? Identify what succession planning looks like (20-25 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Each group will develop a list to include in the process of passing the torch in their congregation (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – As each group shares their lists, the cohort will ask questions and add information to modify the process of passing on the torch (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down a preliminary list of individuals you can work with who can lead (5 minutes)

Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

Communicating Effectively

1. Presentation – Define communication and how to communicate effectively (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss communication and how to improve (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share improvement ideas (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will improve your communication (5 minutes)

Leading Through Conflict

1. Presentation – Review a case study (10 minutes)
2. Case study: You are given information that a single male member of the congregation for the last six years is a convicted sex offender. An internet check by you confirms that he had been convicted for assaulting a child 12 years earlier.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study. What questions need to be asked in this case? What are a few different possibilities and potential solutions? (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Open the discussion to everyone as to how this situation could be resolved (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down possible steps to address conflict in the future (5 minutes)

Working With Ministers

1. Presentation – Review a case study (10 minutes)
2. Case study: Your minister resists your direction to redirect their efforts toward counseling members.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide a model for how to handle the situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the learnings to shepherd your minister (5 minutes)

Working with Deacons

1. Presentation – Review a case study (10 minutes)
2. Case study: Several deacons are not doing any of the assignments or expectations within the congregation. Members are frustrated. These deacons are confused because the elders have not fully turned over responsibility and still do the work themselves.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide an approach to how you would handle this situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches from other congregations that describe how a similar situation was handled (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down three specific ways you can use the ideas discussed to improve the work of deacons in your congregation (5 minutes)

Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

Leading With Integrity

1. Presentation – Review the Trust model for leadership (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss the Trust model and develop stories where trust was built (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share trust-building stories (20 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will build trust (5 minutes)

Leading Like Barnabas

1. Presentation – Define Barnabas leadership model (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss implementing Barnabas leadership model (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share implementation ideas (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will improve your leadership (5 minutes)

Servanthood vs. Lordship

1. Presentation – Elder panel to talk about how to balance being an overseer and being humble (30 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Review previous written description of role of an elder; how are we doing versus our written description (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Each group reviews how they are doing versus the description (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down how you may need to adjust your efforts to match your elder role description (5 minutes)

Equipping Next Generation Leaders

1. Presentation – Effective succession planning and leader development (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss views of the leader development presentation and how to implement for your congregation (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share takeaways (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize these learnings within your congregation (5 minutes)

Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

Leading With Purpose

1. Presentation – Know your purpose (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss the purpose model and how you can use it (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share uses of the purpose model (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will focus on your purpose (10 minutes)

The Passionate Leader

1. Presentation – Provide case study on demonstrating passion, love and assertiveness (10 minutes)
2. Case study: A shepherd has a gay child – should he attend their wedding ceremony?
3. Small group assignment – Discuss case study and provide a model for how to work through this situation; review with the entire group (30 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways that you will personally prepare for and handle challenging situations (5 minutes)

A Mission Worth Remembering

1. Presentation – Example mission (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss views of the mission and how to develop meaning for your congregation (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share takeaways (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize these learnings within your congregation (5 minutes)

Counseling and Coaching

1. Presentation – What effective counseling and coaching looks like (10 minutes)
2. Case study: A young man in your congregation confesses an addiction to pornography and asks for your help.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide a model for how to handle the situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the learnings to shepherd your flock (5 minutes)

Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

Leading With Confidence

1. Presentation – How to lead with confidence and assertiveness (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Take behavioral questionnaire and discuss responses (45 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share any learnings from questionnaire (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific areas where you will adjust your behavior (15 minutes)

Courageous Leadership

1. Presentation – Review a case study (10 minutes)
2. Case study: A married member couple seeks involvement in congregational efforts and were both previously married and divorced at a young age before being baptized.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide a model for how to handle the situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the learnings to shepherd your flock (5 minutes)

Building a Life of Influence

1. Presentation – Review a case study (10 minutes)
2. Case study: Two member families won’t speak to one another over their parents marrying after the death of their spouses.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide a model for how to resolve the situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the learnings to shepherd your flock (5 minutes)

Avoiding the Managerial Trap

1. Presentation – Differences between a manager and a shepherd. What is empowerment? (10 minutes)
2. Case study: A deacon resigned because he agreed to manage the facility and operated within budget constraints, but people criticized him for switching to LED lighting.
3. Small group assignment – Discuss the case study and provide a model for how to handle the situation (20 minutes)
4. Cohort discussion – Share approaches to handle the situation (15 minutes)
5. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize the learnings to shepherd your flock (5 minutes)With Integrity

Opening Comments: 3-5 minutes, devotional and prayer

Heart of Love

1. Presentation – What a heart of love looks like as a shepherd (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss and develop real life example stories of a heart of love (30 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share heart of love examples as shepherd with the entire group (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down a specific example where you commit to demonstrate love to your members in a way you haven’t before (5 minutes)

Dreaming: Values and Vision

1. Presentation – How to develop values and vision (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss views of the values and vision approach and how to develop values and vision for your congregation (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share takeaways (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize these learnings within your congregation (5 minutes)

Goal Setting / Strategic Planning

1. Presentation – Elder panel to talk about how they developed goals and the benefits (30 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Discuss views of the goal development and how to develop goals for your congregation. Develop a few example goals (20 minutes)
3. Cohort discussion – Share takeaways (10 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Write down specific ways you will utilize these learnings within your congregation (5 minutes)

Spiritual Growth: Being a Lifelong Learner

1. Presentation – Responsibility for spiritual growth (10 minutes)
2. Small group assignment – Develop personal spiritual growth assessment from pre-read materials (1 hour)
3. Cohort discussion – Each group review their assessment ideas (15 minutes)
4. Individual assignment – Take spiritual growth assessment for baseline (20 minutes)