Because what got us to today will not necessarily get us to tomorrow, and within that complexity there is joy and hope. God’s disruption of many conventional ministry models is in many ways God’s creation of new opportunities for imagination, connection, joy, and faithfulness. Ministry leaders who are ready to forge ahead into this uncharted territory need others to join them along the way. When you join a cohort, you’re joining a sustained community of support, resourcing, and relationship that can last a lifetime. We truly believe that.
A COHORT IS NOT JUST ABOUT SUPPORT OR “SKILLING UP.” IT’S FOR…
Right now, we’re offering several different types of peer-learning cohort opportunities that include clergy as well as lay leaders. Most of these cohorts commit to an 18 month or 2-year program. To learn more about any of these cohort opportunities, please email our Program Director, Adam Borneman at, aborneman@mministry.org
Choose a state to see their cohort locations.
Cohorts
Participants
Facilitators
Congregations
Cohorts are highly committed, supportive, and collaborative learning communities of 10-15 ministry leaders who make a three-year commitment to one another and to the process of learning and growing together. In order to increase the probability of generative learning and impact on the lives of participants and their communities, cohorts are designed to represent the diversity of their local community. Combining high levels of diversity with high levels of commitment for a duration of three years results in an experience that is deeply transformative and, for many, life-changing.
Cohort participants develop lasting relationships and discover new ideas and innovative ways of reaching and leading their communities and equipping the church. These groups promote long-lasting community outreach and engagement. Each cohort includes:
The Ministry Collaborative’s focus isn’t on “skilling up” ministry leaders. Yes, skills like fundraising, conflict management, and preaching better sermons are important, but if pastors are to effectively deploy these skills for the long term, they require growth at a much deeper level where things like sustainability, adaptivity, and intuition are developed. Here are some areas we’re currently focused on:
The Ministry Collaborative continues to expand both regionally and strategically with cohorts all across the United States and abroad. We remain committed to serving pastors and equipping ministry in a variety of settings, especially the “hard” places, meaning places that don’t have as many available resources, places where the presence of Christian faith is rapidly vanishing, and places where there are acute social, racial, and economic divides, and so forth. This trust-building and resource sharing across these barriers serve as a model for what we hope to see in congregations and communities everywhere. If you’re interested in learning more about where our cohorts are located, or the other ways that we might be able to come alongside you in ministry, click the link below.