Leading Worship is a two-week foundational course on worship for laity and clergy who want to build their leadership confidence. Focus is on the Basic Pattern of Christian worship and on the dynamics of energy, presence, and flow, giving learners the opportunity to practice and improve those elements with feedback from the instructor and from their peers.
Leading Worship is a two-week foundational course on worship for laity and clergy who want to build their leadership confidence. Focus is on the Basic Pattern of Christian worship and on the dynamics of energy, presence, and flow, giving learners the opportunity to practice and improve those elements with feedback from the instructor and from their peers.
This Fresh Expressions course is designed for church leaders who want to learn new skills for being the Body of Christ in the 21st century. The two-week course will explore what it means to form new faith expressions in the places where people already are, dive into the scriptural connections of the Fresh Expressions movement, and plan how to begin a Fresh Expression.
From the beginnings of the Wesleys’ movement, Methodists have focused on advocating and doing justice and mercy in public life as well as in personal holiness. But times and social settings change, so how do United Methodists in the 21st century obey Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with your God?” Justice and Kindness: Social Principles of the United Methodist Church surveys the new statement of social principles adopted by General Conference 2020/2024. This course will help participants understand and apply this little-known but powerful teaching document in personal, congregational and public contexts, while engaging respectfully with persons of different perspectives.
Whether you are a layperson seeking to understand how you fit into the church ministries and missions, or a layperson discerning certification as a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister, this foundational course will help you understand how lay ministry roles are connected in this call to serve, and the active role laity play in the ministries and missions of the church.
This course will help you gain a clear and intentional understanding of the needs of college students, the context of your congregation’s location and commitment within the landscape of a college or university, and how to partner with established campus ministries. It will help lay servants understand and communicate the key role played by local churches in nourishing the spiritual lives of college students through campus ministries. You also will learn how to create genuine relationships and foster ongoing faith formation, gaining tools to empower your congregation to create a campus partnership that will make a difference in these students’ lives.
This course will help those who want to live out John Wesley’s way of life by following these three simple rules: Earn. Save. Give. You will be encouraged to understand the concepts of hard work and a life of prudent living so that you can be good stewards of God’s resources. You’ll discover principles that will help not only with your home budget but also within your church. Open to all interested learners, it is an approved Advanced Course for certification as a Certified Lay Speaker and Certified Lay Minister.
In the Great Commission, Jesus told his followers to ‘go and make disciples,’ We add programs, stream our services, blend our music, but do we provide intentional discipleship growth opportunities? This advanced Lay Service Ministries course will help you develop a means to promote intentional discipleship growth in your congregation. We will look at what it means to be a disciple, and you will be able to connect the stages of growth of a disciple with the characteristics of a disciple. By the end of the course, you will have the tools you need to develop an intentional discipleship system to revitalize and grow your congregation.
This new course will inform and empower your congregation to be able to provide lay pastoral caregiving alongside a supportive pastor. Offered in a two-week session, “Lay Pastoral Caregiving” is an important addition to church fellowship and community outreach. You will learn how to create a lay pastoral caregiving ministry with discernment and prayer, selecting and training those who feel called to this important ministry.
This two-week course is for church leaders who have the responsibility of creating Safer Sanctuary policy and procedures for their settings. It is intended to equip leaders to create safe spaces for the entire congregation, including children, youth, vulnerable adults, and those in ministry with them. You will explore how to recruit a team with the task of creating a foundation of caring and nourishing for your church and community, and learn specific elements to include in Safer Sanctuaries.
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