Location and Dates: Harrisburg; Four Sessions: Nov 11, Feb 10, Mar 10 and Apr 14; 1:30-3:30pm

Description: Sessions include: 1) Pinpointing affluence and evaluating potential:The environment of giving, 2) Inviting the partnership of philanthropy: The mission of giving, 3) Building an organization: The system(s) of giving, 4) Measuring success: The benchmarks of giving.  

Bio: Kelly Phipps (MA in Ethics, JD U of Akron) brings tremendous insight and energy to this topic. He currently serves as special advisor and counsel to the board of trustees of Messiah College, where he also teaches business law. He has served as a pastor, a political campaign manager, a health care attorney, a college professor and has raised millions of dollars as the director of development in a college setting. He is a fly-fisherman, avid reader, and Cleveland Indians baseball fan (which means he knows heartbreak and grief). Kelly and his family make their home in Mechanicsburg, PA

Cost: $199 

Registration is now closed for this event 

Location and Dates: Harrisburg, 1st Thurs each month, 9-11am

Description: Many pastors struggle to balance their dual roles as spiritual shepherds and organizational leaders. This cohort will give practical tools to answer the following questions: Are we clear on the roles of Pastor and Board? How do I develop healthy relationships with church board members? How do I manage my emotions in a meeting? How do I respond when the Board does something "dumb"? Am I investing in my board members' spiritual lives? How do I help my board develop an intentional ministry instead of an accidental ministry? How do I lead my board toward focus and clarity of vision? 

Bio: Doug Sider (BA in Pastoral Ministry, Briercrest College; MBA in Progress, Lebanon Valley College) serves as Bishop of the Susquehanna region of the Brethren in Christ Church.  Prior to his appointment as bishop, he invested 13 years in ministry at Summit View Community Church (Calgary, AL) and Summit View BIC Church (New Holland, Pa.). Doug grew up in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, the son of a pastor. He committed his life to Christ at a young age and sensed God calling him to ministry at a conference he attended as a teen. Doug and his wife, Tonya, are the proud parents of four children and currently make their home in Dillsburg, Pa.

Cost: $389

Register Online 

Location and Dates: Lancaster, 1st Monday each month, 1:30- 3:30pm

Description: Experienced 21st century church-planters know that many "conferences" ignore the everyday issues that arise if you are not a ministry super-star. Planting pastors know that there are few universal "practical strategies," and "one-size fits all" methodologies end in frustration. We will investigate the big questions that everyday church-planters face and what are helpful ways to evaluate possibilities according to the planter's gifts and the local culture they are ministering in. This cohort is designed for new church-planters, possible future planters, and for those considering new ministry start-ups. 

Bio: Brian Ross (DMin in Leadership and Culture, George Fox University) is the Lead Pastor and Founder of Koinos Church in Reading, PA. A tireless student of popular culture, influential communication, and the beliefs and values of everyday Americans, Brian is first and foremost a pastor and church-planter. In his early 30's, Brian is married to Stephanie and they are expecting their fourth child in October. 

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event 

Location and Dates: Elizabethtown, 1st Monday each month, 1-3pm

Description: Leading your congregation through the proverbial "200 barrier" is much more than finding the right approach and program for your congregation. Drawing upon his experience from Palmyra BIC Church and his work with other churches, Nate will help colleagues explore issues such as developing the urgency for change, building ownership, helping people transition to new forms while maintaining core values, communicating clearly and often, dealing with obstacles, empowering others, changing the role of the church board, and staying centered as a spiritual leader through significant change. 

Bio: Nate Yoder (BA Cedarville College, MDiv Asbury Theological Seminary) has served local communities and churches through pastoring and community involvement for the past 12 years. Currently he serves as the Bishop of the Atlantic Conference of the Brethren in Christ. He works with approximately 50 churches helping them impact their communities and grow to greater levels of health and effectiveness. His passion is helping leaders and organizations reach their fullest potential for impact. Prior to his current role he served for 8 years as the Senior Pastor of a congregation in Palmyra, PA during which the congregation, staff, and budget nearly doubled. Nate and his wife, Grace, have three children, Hannah, Kyle, and Kory and live in Palmyra, PA. 

Cost: $389

Register Online 

Location and Dates: Grantham, 2nd Mon each month, 1:30-3:30pm

Description:  The majority of congregations in the U.S. are not new church plants, but well-established congregations. Is there any hope for these gatherings of God's people? In this cohort, we will grapple honestly with "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of transitioning a well-established church from an insular, self-serving focus, to an external, missional focus. Very practical methodologies will be explored, honed out of the experience of every day praxis. Special emphasis will be placed on the pastor as a transformational leader, as he/she envisions transformation in Christ, for both congregational culture and surrounding culture. A spirit of realism, coupled with hope in Christ will characterized monthly meetings. 

Bio: Paul Mundey (MDiv Fuller Seminary, DMin Princeton Seminary) is Senior Pastor of the Fredrick Church of the Brethren in Frederick, MD, where he provides leadership for a congregation of over 1,000 people. Paul has a vast experience in church development. He edits and writes a weekly e-mail column, The One Minute Message, along with serving as principle speaker for the weekly radio program: A Time of Challenge. The Center for Leadership Impact is proud to have Paul return as a teacher for the second season of Leaders of Impact. 

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event 

Location and Dates: Lititz, 3rd Tues each month, 1-3pm

Description: This cohort will focus on what a truly missional church looks like. We will go beyond the standardized models and programs and seek to understand how we each can engage our communities with the good news in ways that fit who we are as unique, individual churches. We'll also look at how we can help our congregations to lower the barriers to loving the unlovely all around us. Be prepared to put everything on the table as we work together to be the church outside our walls!

Bio: Steve Musser (BA Albright College, MA and PhD Temple University) is the District Superintendent of the Eastern District of the Evangelical Free Church of America.  Before taking on his district responsibilities, Steve pastored at West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, and served as a Professor of Management at Messiah College. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Theological College of Zimbabwe. Steve co-founded the consulting firm Musser & Orke Associates and has authored numerous publications on leadership and management, most recently Seeking the Pillar of Fire: Uncovering God's Direction for a Local Church. 

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event

Location and Dates: Mechanicsburg, 4th Wed each month (except Nov, which will meet the 4th Tues), 3:30-5:30pm

Description: Faith-based organizations frequently think they must either choose to be a ministry or a business. This cohort will focus on how to be both a business and ministry. Through input, mutual sharing, and readings we will explore how leaders in faith-based organizations can successfully respond to missional, operational, strategic and governance issues. Some of the topics to be included are: strategic planning, senior team development, marketing and communication, fundraising, soul and role integration of the leader, mission and culture, and board governance. 

Bio: Emerson Lesher (BA Messiah College, MA Fuller Seminary, PhD in Psychology Saybrook University) serves as president of Messiah Village in Mechanicsburg, PA. The Village serves over 1,300 residents and clients at any one time and in 2010 was listed by WorldBlu as one of the top 40 global democratic workplaces. Emerson has published or presented over forty papers in professional journals and associations. He is currently or has served in the past on the boards of local and national organizations related to aging services, education and healthcare. He is marreid to Ruth, who is also a psychologist. They have a young adult son and daughter.

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event 

Location and Dates: Mount Joy, 2nd Tues each month, 1:30-3:30pm

Description: This cohort will facilitate an exploration of both proactive strategies for aligning and preparing your leadership for touch times (because they always come to those who lead), and appropriate strategies for leading within those rough spots in ministry. Participants will have opportuntities to share their own situations of leadership challenge in order for these strategies to have "real time" benefit.

Bio: Dave Woolverton (BA Albright College, MDiv Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Senior Pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Mount Joy, PA.  He has done extensive work in CPE specializing in Emergency Room, Trauma Care, and Crisis Intervention. He has also completed doctoral level work in conflict relsolution. Dave has pastored churches in Eastern PA since 1988. He was also the founder and president of Crossroads Counseling Center. Dave is married to the love of his life, Kristine, and together they love singing and making music, reading, traveling, and keeping with up with their furry companion, Casey, an always young at heart yellow lab.

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event 

Location and Dates: Lancaster, 2nd Tues each month, 2-4pm.

Description: Children's Pastors and Directors have the opportunity to have significant influence on children and families in the church and community. During the time that this cohort meets, we will explore the intersection of personal faith and leadership. Authenticity and integrity are lost values in our culture and both children and their parents need to see leaders who model these traits in their personal lives. Utilizing film, articles and book segments, the group will engage the issues that face Children's Ministry leaders in an ever-changing culture.

Bio: Deb Hinkel (BS Millersville University, MA Lancaster Bible College) is a professor at Lancaster Bible College, teaching in leadership, children and family ministry and discipleship. One of the comments written on Deb's first report card was, "Deb is a natural born leader." This statement has proven true in Deb's personal life and ministry. She has had over 30 years of ministry and leadership experience. She served two local congregations in Christian Education, Women's Ministry and Children's Ministry before transitioning to LBC. She and her husband, Mark, have three adult sons and two grandchildren. 

Cost: $389

Registration is now closed for this event