At its annual Leadership Academy, New Church Ministry gathers leaders for learning, growing, and community building. Our team invites undergraduate and seminary students, individuals contemplating ministry, those feeling “stuck” or isolated in ministry, and clergy ready for a new way to do ministry in a changing world to join us. You do not need to be a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada to attend.

Leadership Academy includes:

  • Three track sessions that allow participants to learn alongside fellow peers currently at the same stage in starting a place of worship
    • Emerge – Pre-launch track
    • Discern – created to allow those who have ever considered what it would take to start a church to audit Emerge at a discounted rate.
    • Converge – Post-launch track
  • NEXT Talk facilitated by a keynote speaker who will address missional transformation inclusive of every stage of leadership and congregational vitality, and
  • LEADLabs (Learn.Explore.Actuate.Discover.Laboratories) designed to help participants imagine, ideate, and innovate missional concepts through interactive, practical workshops.

Did you miss the in-person event? If so, then join us online for an asynchronous Leadership Academy course! Learn about DisciplesNEXT from the comfort of your own home and at your own pace.

This course is ideal for those who work during the week and/or are bi-vocational. It offers the same curriculum as the in-person event, but at this time, the only cohort that is available is Emerge. However, workshops and other resources are continuously being added.

The virtual Leadership Academy course is being offered on CHURCHx, an e-learning platform built to support mission and ministry. Access to this course never expires.

We still encourage people interested in starting congregations to meet with Minister of New Church Strategies Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez, their regional staff, and regional new church teams, and to attend our next in-person Leadership Academy event.