'Living Leadership' is a very timely initiative. Pastoral encouragement, spiritual sustenance and sustaining grace are often neglected priorities for Christian leaders, but they are absolutely essential in today's hazardous environment. I am delighted to see such a network being launched, and support it wholeheartedly.
Jonathan Lamb
Director of Langham Preaching, IFES former Associate General Secretary
I think Living Leadership has diagnosed a real need very accurately. I need to be constantly reminded of grace and the importance of godly character.
This has given me an increased passion for developing leaders.
This has helped me look forward to my new parish and expect to lead with forgiveness and love.
Delegates at Living Leadership Events
I have wanted to go this conference for years! Faced with the demands of full lives and busy ministries it is all too easy to find we are neglecting our souls, our friendships and our marriages. I believe this will be an excellent opportunity to get our priorities right and to seek from God the refreshment we need.
John Risbridger speaking about the Pastoral Refreshment Conference
Senior Pastor Above Bar Church, Southampton
The Task
Identifying, training, developing and sustaining leaders is a key task for the Church in every generation if the body is to be built up.
There are currently many challenges facing the body of Christ in Britain. The UK is among the most fiercely secularising countries in the world. Many are concerned about how we will produce biblical leaders who will teach and equip the Church for the pressures and demands of the coming years.
The number of emerging younger church leaders is diminishing and the number of older leaders leaving Christian leadership prematurely is rising. The average age of ministers is higher than ever and many more churches are closing than being planted.
The Vision
Living Leadership is a growing network of leaders, churches and friends who are committed to training and sustaining Christian leaders, for God’s glory.
Among our network are experienced pastors, leaders and trainers. We aim to extend this network as widely as possible enabling collaboration and synergy in training and nurturing Christian leaders of all kinds. We long to see leaders developed who make a difference for Christ in the local and global church.
Our Dream
We aim to provide high quality but accessible training and nurture for leaders. Our conviction is that when God puts his hand on a person’s life for leadership, the necessary training and development, and subsequent on-going nurture of life, soul and marriage and skills, should be available and financially accessible to them as a basic matter of necessity. Access to such provision should be a basic given for all leaders.
We are developing initiatives to achieve this goal in three strands:
Helping embryonic and junior leaders grow as grace-filled servants
Nurturing, developing, sustaining and caring for current leaders and spouses
Providing training opportunities for volunteer leaders – elders, deacons, PCC members, housegroup leaders, etc