Leadership Academy Blog

8 Points of "Why" the Local Church

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:00:00 GMT

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1. The Local Church has advantage of the largest participation. It has millons of members.�

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2. The�Local Church has widest distribution. The church is everywhere.

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3. The Local Church has longest track record of good. For 2000 years the church has provided health care, cared for the poor and orphans, and educated people.�

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4. The Local Church has fastest expansion. Nothing grows as fast as the church.�

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5. The Local Church has biggest motivation. LOVE- the Great Commandment

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6. The Local Church has greatest authority. God has authorized us.- the Great Commission

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7. The Local church has the simplest organization. Use ordinary people where they are.�

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8. The Local Church has the greatest conclusion. We know how it will end.

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Healthy Leaders Are Learners

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:17:00 GMT

Church planting and ministry in general is so demanding that at times you feel like you're barely able to keep up. Between preparing messages, responding to electronic communications of various kinds, attending meetings, and trying to spend a little time with your family it can all seem out of control.

So given that reality let me pose a question that may seem unfair to you: What are you doing to make sure that you're continuing to grow personally? It's an important question. After all, the church you lead cannot grow beyond you. So, if you're not growing, neither can your church. That's why healthy leaders are committed to personal growth.

Where does personal growth come from? It comes from learning. Healthy leaders are learners. The moment you quit learning you quit leading.

The problem is that most of us are trained to depend on others for our learning. Our education is generally based on walking into a classroom where we are handed a package of learning that's typically delivered through a text book and lectures from a teacher. It's an adequate system, but it leaves us unprepared to keep learning once we're out of the classroom and into the real world. As a result, many leaders quit learning because they don't know how to do it on their own.

So how do you keep learning so that you can continue to grow? Let me offer a simple system.

Pick 4 or 5 subject areas that you need to grow in. For me these days it's church planting and missions, theology and church history, teaching and education, leadership, and ministry models.

Once you've got your areas selected, look around for sources. I recommend that you start with books because they tend to be better developed, use an editing process that creates a quality filter, and remain in print only if they have time tested content. Make use of podcasts, blogs, articles, and other media as well, but I recommend that you make books the foundation of your learning. Book selling websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble are set up to help you identify books in your subject areas. You can sort them by publication date, popularity, and even customer reviews (I tend to lean on customer reviews most heavily).

Pick the top couple of titles in each category and download them to your iPad or whatever device you read on and systematically rotate your reading through your subject areas. Over time what you'll find is that your knowledge and expertise in these areas will grow and you'll be a more effective leader.

You may not feel like you've got time to read, but when it comes to your effectiveness as a leader, you can't afford not to read.

10 Things Cirque du Soleil Taught Me About Teamwork

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

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Cirque du Soleil can teach all teams a few lessons..

1. Your team must be strong

2. You must have great balance

3. Momentum is key to performance

4. You must be flexible...very flexible.

5. You must practice

6. Support from each other is key

7. Everyone must play their role.�

8. What you accomplish may look astonishing to outsiders, but you know it comes from lot's of hard work.�

9. Everyone needs to be in sync.�

10. Great teams have a story to share.

Bonus:�

When you fail..the crowd will be even more appreciative when you try again and succeed.�

Launch Strong

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:51:00 GMT

The Saddleback Leadership Academy has been thinking a lot about church planting lately. Planting 12 churches in 12 cities around the globe will do that for you. We have an amazing church planters' conference last November. We followed this up with our Pre-Launch church planter training in January. We hosted nearly 60 church planters of all types and denominations from across the country, the U.K., and Mexico for 4 days at our Rancho Capistrano- the home of Commissioned: Saddleback Church Leadership Academy.�

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We are ready for the next phase- the Launch phase. Not wanting to pull our church planters away from their work and their communities, we are going to conduct the Launch phase training online. Church planters will literally be able to join the training from their couch, office, or favorite coffee house.�

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The March session is all about Launching STRONG. Take a look at the topics we will be covering.�

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Strategies for Launching Strong
Five stages of church planting and how the Launch stage fits
Understand the Launch stage
Understand the goals of the Launch stage
Controversies, Barriers, and Confusion related to launching a church
Why launch with a "Big Bang?"
Marketing: Should you mass market for strong launch? What other marketing options�
Target: Why target unreached men and how
Understanding those you are seeking to reach
How to Launch Strong
Match your assimilation strategy with your launch strategy
Location: Best place to launch your church
Timing: Best time to launch your church
Size: Understand the size you are shooting for
Websites and other decisions
How and why to do preview services

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If you are interested in joining us for this online church planter training, you can email us at leadershipacademy@saddleback.com�

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Be with us and other church planters as we learn to launch...STRONG!�

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Healthy Leaders Have Healthy Values

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:29:00 GMT

Leaders who are effective in the long run have a set of enduring values that guide them. Values are important in all areas of leadership, but perhaps are most important in the way leaders utilize the people who follow them. There should be two values that you hold in balance when it comes to utilizing people to accomplish the vision God has given you.

The first is the value of appreciating, encouraging, and developing the people who follow you. Staff and especially volunteers usually won't continue to follow if you don't provide supportive leadership. The second value involves the results the people who follow you produce. You are responsible for holding them accountable for the work you have given them to do. Both of these values are important.

Unfortunately most of us have a tendency to place one of these values higher than the other. Some place a higher value on maintaining people. Others tend to emphasize results and getting the task completed. Because church planting is so results oriented, it's not unusual for planters to overemphasize the task and neglect the people.

Paul was famous for this. When John Mark did not complete Paul and Barnabas' first missionary expedition but instead returned home, Paul wouldn't take John on his second trip (Acts 15:38). Incidentally, Barnabas displayed a people orientation when he decided to part ways with Paul and took John along with him. Paul, however, didn't remain a results oriented taskmaster his entire life. He grew. Sure, he continued to work hard for results, but he also learned to take time to care for the people who followed him along the way. In fact, at the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy asking that he bring John Mark with him "because he is helpful to me in my ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). Paul, the task oriented leader, had balanced his emphasis on results by taking care of people including someone who had disappointed him, John Mark.

An emphasis on task may be necessary and even work for short seasons but, in the long run, leaders have to balance the results and people values. Both values are interdependent. You can't really take care of your people and help them to grow if you don't hold them accountable for results.

Similarly, you can't get sustainable results if you don't take care of your people. Both matter if you're going to lead a healthy church.

Growing Churches Require Growing Leaders

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Growing churches require growing leaders.�

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Can't use same methods forever
New problems require new solutions
Methods are many, principles are few, methods always change, principles never do.�
Taditionalism and inflexibility- �unwilling to change.�
"Greatest enemy of progress is yesterday's success"�
Fear of change is unfaithful..change requires faith
Never stop learning
You need the right skills- work smarter not harder

Leaders are learners. If you want to lead...you need to be learning. You need to be growing.�

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The Seven Foundations of Jesus' Leadership

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

There are no perfect leaders. I'm not a perfect leader. Neither are you. But Jesus is. There's no better teacher on leadership than Jesus. What made him such as effective leader? Lots of reasons. In this article I'll give you seven of them.

1. Identification: I must know who I am. To be a leader you've got to know who you are. All great leaders know their strengths and their weaknesses. We're a bundle of both. Leadership is not ignoring one in favor of the other. It's being honest about them. Good leaders don't try to be something they are not. They are self-aware.

Jesus had no doubt about his identity. He said:

I am the light of the world.
I am the Son of God.
I am the way.
I am the truth.
I am the life.
I am the bread of life.

Jesus defines himself 18 times by saying, "I am." He didn't let other people define him. He defined himself. If you're going to be a leader, you must know who you are.

2. Clarification: Know what you want to accomplish. You must clarify what God has called you to do with your life. The direction of your life is your choice. If you don't like the direction your life is headed right now, change it. Nobody's holding a gun to your head. Nobody's making you a victim. Nobody's forcing you to serve in the manner you're serving.

Jesus knew exactly what God had called him to do. He was a straightforward��leader who established clear-cut goals. In John 8 Jesus says, "I know where I�� came from and I know where I'm going." Jesus had a clear purpose. He knew not only who he was, but what was he trying to do with his life. He truly was a purpose-driven leader.

God has a purpose for your life and ministry. If you don't fulfill it, you have wasted your life. You were put on earth to live for the purpose God created you for. A leader knows that purpose and pursues it with passion.

3. Motivation: Know who you're trying to please. You need to settle the issue of motivation. You can't please everybody. Just about the time you get one person happy, you'll tick someone else off.

Jesus lived for an audience of One. His whole purpose was to please his heavenly Father. Jesus says this in John 5, "I only try to please the One who sent Me." Jesus wasn't trying to win a popularity content; he just wanted to please God.

That's a lesson we have to learn as leaders. You've got to learn not to care�about the opinions of others. You've got to focus on God's opinion of what you're doing. Don't pay attention to those who cheer you or jeer you. Either one will sidetrack you.

4. Collaboration: Work with a small group. You never lead by yourself. You always do it in context of a team. All great leaders are great team builders. In fact, if you don't have a team, you're not a leader. You're a loner. The test of leadership is whether anyone is following you.

Jesus modeled this kind of ministry. He never did ministry alone. Mark 3:14 says, "He appointed�twelve - designating them apostles - that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach." Jesus enlisted other people to serve the cause with him.

If God gives you a vision for your ministry, he's going to bring other people with the same idea together with you. If nobody agrees on your idea, guess what? It's not from God.

5. Concentration: Focus on what's important. Leaders must focus on what's important. Life is filled with things that will distract you from what's important. Sometimes we can be distracted by good things as well. If Satan can't mess up your life by getting you to do wrong things, he'll mess up your life by giving you too many good things to do.

Jesus was a master of concentration. He focused his life like a laser. He refused to be distracted. Luke 9:51 says, "As the time drew near for his return to heaven, he moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will." He headed toward Jerusalem to die on the cross for us. He did it with an iron will. He would not let anything distract him from what was important.

Your ministry has incredible potential. But that ministry potential won't be realized until you decide what's really important. Settle on what's most important, and God will use your life like you could never imagine.

6. Meditation: Listen to God. Make listening to God a habit of your life. Jesus did. Prayer was a regular part of his life. The Bible tells us in Mark 1:35, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
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If Jesus needed to get alone and listen to God, don't you think that you need to? You need quiet times to reflect, renew, and recharge. You need time to just get alone, be quiet, and listen to God.

7. Relaxation: Take time to recharge. Leadership is draining. It's hard work. We all need time to just relax. Jesus encouraged his very busy disciples to take some time for relaxation. Mark 6:31 says, "Crowds of people were coming and going so that they did not even have time to eat. He [Jesus] said to them [the disciples], 'Come away by yourselves, and we'll go to a lonely place to get some rest.'"

Jesus realized the disciples had been busy serving, and they were tired. They needed a break. So he told them to get away and rest. Rest is so important that God put it in the�Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment says this: every seventh day you take a day off. Pastor, this applies to you as well. You need a day away from the church.

Years ago I learned a key to lasting in leadership: divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually.

Divert daily means doing something fun every day. Get a hobby. Do something that relaxes you.

Withdraw weekly means you take a day off every week for relaxation�
and restoration.

Abandon annually means you get away and forget everything for some time
each year.
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Your leadership is a key ingredient to helping your church become what God has called it to be. In fact, the Bible says this in Proverbs 11:14, "Without wise leadership a nation is in trouble." That's true of every single area of life. Without wise leadership, your church is in trouble. Learn about leadership from Jesus. We have no better guide.

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Human Leverage

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:31:00 GMT

One of the most powerful tools ever discovered is the lever. A lever is simply an instrument that's used with a pivot to move an object. With a lever, objects that could not possibly be moved can be moved. Leverage is used in all kinds of fields.�In mechanics, leverage is used to increase a person's strength.

In finance, leverage is used to increase the return on investments. In manufacturing operational leverage is used is to both increase production and decrease the unit cost of the products. And most importantly to us in ministry, leverage can be used to increase our impact. Leverage in ministry comes through leadership when we use our influence to engage others in our cause. It's human leverage.

The problem with leverage is that it carries with it some big risks. Financial leverage not only multiplies investment gains, it can also multiply investment losses (as we've seen spectacularly in the last few years). Operational leverage lowers unit costs only if there is a large enough demand for the product. If that's not the case, operational leverage can bankrupt a company. And worst of all, leadership leverage is great as long as the leader's influence isn't compromised. But as we've seen way too many times, the leverage of leaders who lose their way because of greed, lust, pride, or a misguided mission produces train wrecks.

That's why it's critical for us as church leaders to spend a lot of time tending to our character. The truth is that, as our influence grows, leading with godly character becomes more and more difficult. It's easy to get distracted by the privileges of leadership and forget what actually makes us leaders in the first place, our influence. If we let our influence become compromised we lose the leverage that comes with leadership. Jesus gave some great advice about how to approach leadership and guard our ability to influence.

"You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave." Matthew 20:25-27 (MSG)

Commissioned: Planting Healthy Churches On Purpose

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Commissioned:�Planting Healthy Churches on Purpose

"Go and make disciples of all the nations"

The Commission is clear: Make disciples.

The Method is clear: Plant churches

The only Question: Will you respond?

Commissioned is a conference for people responding to the call:

�� Leaders who are ready to plant a new church (or recently planted one)

�� Leaders who are ready for their church to plant a new church (or campus)

�� Leaders who are ready to leave their marketplace job to get in the game

Whether you are planting a church, leading a church that is ready to multiply or considering a career transition into church leadership wewill give you the practical tools you need to fulfill your Commission. Learning from practitioners rather than theorists, our focus is on helping you take thenext step on the journey and connecting you into a relational network so youdon't have to travel alone.

Because we are limiting registration to 300 this will be aunique opportunity to learn in a more intimate setting from Pastor Rick Warren as well as other successful church planters from across the country. And, unlike most conferences, the emphasis will be on conversation rather than lecture. You will have multiple opportunities to dialog with presenters and attenders.

3 Tracks

Church planting

Church multiplication

Career Transition (Marketplace to Ministry)

Who should come?

Church Planters

If you are in the process of planting a church, thinking of planting a church, or just thinking about planting a church, Commissioned is designed for you. You will get practical, field proven tools to help you plant and grow a healthy, reproducing church. You will learn from both experienced veterans and recent church planters as well as have the opportunity to network with others new to the game.

Church Leaders

If you are ready to see your church multiply by planting churches or planting campuses Commissioned is designed for you. You will have the chance to learn from and hang out with pastors who have cracked the code of church multiplication. We will help you answer the question: Campuses? Churches? Both? And you will leave with a relationship with leaders who will walk with you through the process.

Career Transition

If you think God may be calling you toward vocational ministry Commissioned is designed for you. You will be introduced to the idea of helping plant churches and hear from successful marketplace leaders who havemade the lead to ministry. You will have the opportunity to connect with otherleaders who are asking the same questions you are.

What will we experience?

Information

Pastor Rick Warren will be sharing practical lessons fromboth his 30 years of experience as a church planter and as author of the best selling book on church planting, The Purpose Driven Church. The limited size of the conference will give attenders a chance to interact with Pastor Rick on a more personal level.

Conversation

Several times during the conference we will host facilitated conversations with the conference presenters. Rather than have them simply tell their stories we'll provide an opportunity for leaders to interact and probe deeper into the how and why of church planting.

Application

Rather than theory we will be focusing on the practical "how tos" of church multiplication. Each session in each track will feature a different practitioner sharing step-by-step how they have planted a church, multiplied a church or made a career transition from marketplace to ministry.

Connection

Beginning the moment you register for the conference we will facilitate connecting you with others who are on the same path as you. The entire conference is designed around the idea that you need information and community to succeed in church planting; you'll walk away from Commissioned with both.

Who will bepresenting?

Rick Warren

Geoff Surratt

John Worcester

Gerald Sharon

Dave Alford

More to come...

Basics:

Date: November 2-3, 2011

Time: 8:30 am Wednesday - 6:00 pm Thursday

Location: Saddleback Church Refinery

Cost:��

Spouses are free

Pre-register: $149

Walkup: $199

Registration is limited to 300

Commissioned Website

Internship With a Free Prize Inside

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Most ministry internships provide you a great opportunity to spend time working at a church and learning about ministry. Some even give you opportunities to help lead during the internship.You have a chance to grow as a person, deepen your faith, all while learning ministry.

Saddleback Church's Leadership Academy does all this too. But we take a bit of different approach. We are focused on developing you into a future ministry or church leader. We want you to get hands-on practical leadership opportunities leading ministries. We have a systematic training curriculum designed to build your knowledge of effective ministry leadership methods and strategies.

If 70% of learning is about what you do (leadership experiences and opportunities) and 20% is whom you do it with and get feedback (mentoring, peer feedback) from, and 10% is the formal process of training and learning (designed curriculum and training)...ask your self these questions.

Where would you want to learn to be leader? �

Who would you want to learn from?

What would you want to learn?

So if you want to learn to become a ministry or church leader, you need opportunities to lead, mentoring along the way, and some training mixed in.�

This is exactly what the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy does.

"Sounds good, but what about the'Free Prize Inside'" you ask?

Here is the free prize inside the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy.

31 years of proven ministry andchurch effectiveness

Focus on the ministry area where you are called to lead. In other words, you get to specialize in the ministry area of your calling and gifting.

Lead Saddleback ministries- at the size, scale, and pace Saddleback Church operates at.

Lean on and get mentoring from Saddleback pastors

Learn proven ministry leadership methods from Saddleback pastors.

Opportunities to lead and to become a leader. The best way to learn leadership is to lead--not run copies or make coffee.

Resources- we have 9 campuses, an Internet campus, and over 200 different ministries.

Network- Saddleback Church has a network and connections with hundreds, if not thousands of churches, around the globe.

Master's of Ministry Leadership degree option. You can earn your Master's degree in Ministry Leadership during the program.�

Learn directly from the people who literally write the books...

Rick Warren- Purpose Driven Church and Purpose Driven Life
Kay Warren- Say Yes To God
Tom Holladay- The Relationship Principles of Jesus
Geoff Surratt- Multi-Site Church Revolution
John Baker- Life's Healing Choices
Steve Gladden- Small Groups With Purpose
Rick Muchow- The Worship Answer Book
Kurt Johnston- Middle School Ministry Made Simple
Josh Griffin- 99 Thoughts for Youth Workers

Orange County- the weather is awesome.

The multi-cultural mosaic that is Orange County and Southern California. People from all over the world live here.

Ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon. Hit Disneyland in between.

The beaches of San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach.

Minutes from the art, culture, and history of Los Angeles, Hollywood, and San Diego

Minutes from hiking or skiing in the mountains and places like Big Bear Lake.

Minutes from the desert and places like Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.

Cal-Baptist, Golden Gate Seminary, Fuller Seminary, Azusa Pacific, Biola, Vanguard, Hope International, Concordia,and Point Loma are all nearby.

Opportunities to attend conferences like Radicalis, Catalyst West, Desiring God, and TEDx Orange Coast

The Ranch- A place to live around other future ministry leaders, share, collaborate, and meet new friends from all over the country.

We start three times a year, so there is always a good time to begin.

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It's not an internship...it's an Apprenticeship...with a free prize inside. Apply Now!

Master's of Ministry Leadership Degree Option

Tue, 17 May 2011 06:56:00 GMT

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy offers ACCELERATE Apprentices an amazing learning experience by providing participants the opportunity to lead a Saddleback ministry, learn from Saddleback pastors and staff, and mentoring by Saddleback pastors. ACCELERATE Apprentices leave with leadership skills, a wealth of ministry leadership wisdom, and a Certificate of Ministry Leadership.�

But now we offer ACCELERATE Apprentices something more.�

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy announces the Master's of Ministry Leadership degree option.�

Unique to the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy, ACCELERATE Apprentices have the opportunity to earn their Master's of Ministry Leadership (MML) from Rockbridge Seminary while participating in the program. The ACCELERATE Apprenticeship program experience counts as 20 units towards the 52 unit Master's of Ministry Leadership degree.�This is an online learning experience that allows Leadership Academy ACCELERATE Apprentices the flexibility to earn a Masters degree while getting hands-on real world leadership experience from some of the most respected ministry leaders in the country.�

The Master of Ministry Leadership degree (MML) is a professional degree designed for men and women who have a bachelor's degree and are Saddleback Church Leadership Academy ACCELERATE Apprentices. The focus of this degree is on developing servant leadership skills for local church ministry.�

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Objectives

�Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of how to lead a church in nurturing the spiritual life and worship God.
�Graduates will demonstrate understanding in leading a church in developing effective relationships with others.
�Graduates will demonstrate understanding of how to lead a church or ministry to study the Bible and help others grow spiritually.
�Graduates will demonstrate how to lead a church in equipping and mobilizing others for ministry.
�Graduates will demonstrate understanding of how to lead a church in sharing the faith in word and deed.
�Graduates will demonstrate a commitment to a lifelong, intentional process of spiritual development and professional growth.
�Graduates will demonstrate growth in areas related to God's personal call that require further development

The Master's of Ministry Leadership takes the "Leading-Learning-Mentoring" paradigm of the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy to the next level.

Join the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy, learn from our experts, prepare yourself for ministry leadership, and earn a Master's degree online while you're at it.�

It's just one more way that we are equipping the next generation of church leaders.�

Leave No Leaders Behind

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:07:00 GMT

No Leaders Left Behind

If the Church is to reach the world, we are going to need thousands of new churches. In the United States alone, reports suggest that we will need 2500-3000 new churches a year to keep up with population growth.�

This creates a resulting need for thousands of new leaders who can lead these churches and the ministries that serve them. But, are we limiting our leadership search to a small leadership pool? With the demand for new leaders so clear, can we afford to leave any leaders behind?�

Typically, the approach is to look for seminary graduates and those with high leadership experience and high ministerial training.�

What Saddleback Church has realized is that this approach limits the potential pool of leadership talent.�

What about all the rest? Could not effective church and ministry leaders be found in these other pools?

We are ignoring sea of potential leaders, who, with the right training, mentoring, and experiences, could be developed into strong ministry leaders.�

With such a high need for future leaders, we cannot afford to ignore this vast pool of potential leaders.�

With this in mind, Saddleback Church created the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy to reach out to those with a calling, heart, and potential to lead ministries and churches.� Their goal is to expand the potential pool of leadership talent by creating unique leadership development paths that equip, encourage, and mentor these future leaders.�

Their method is to provide an opportunity for participants to engage and learn in the context of "doing the work", not more classes. Tacit learning in context.

So many future church and ministry leaders have a mistaken perception that they are not qualified for ministry and do not pursue their calling. But this is a mistaken perception and one that is limiting the potential pool of future leaders to those who attended certain colleges, received degrees in certain majors, or who have been working in ministry.

By expanding the view of who has the potential to become a church planter or ministry leader, what Saddleback Church has found is that students of all majors and degrees bring unique leadership skills, insight, energy, and knowledge that is invaluable to ministries and churches.

For instance, current Leadership Academy participants have backgrounds or majors in:

Communications	Music	Psychology
Art	Finance	Public Relations
English Literature	Culinary Arts	Biology
Business	Physical Education	Accounting
Political Science	Graphic Design	Film
Liberal Studies	Journalism	Education

It's not about having a certain degree or even graduating from a certain college. It's about calling.�

Future leaders need a calling to lead a ministry at an existing church, plant a church, or a new campus of an existing church.

If one wants to learn how to lead a church or a ministry, the best way to accomplish that is to be in residency or as an apprentice with current church or ministry leaders. Learning in context and in community with other learners.

Over the course of a year, using a "gradual release" method, "Leadership-Mentor Faculty"�walk alongside residents and apprentices; gradually releasing them to greater leadership roles, responsibilities, and opportunities. Embedded in this experience is a weekly gathering where students get "nuts-and-bolts" strategies, methods, and systems instruction.

While not discounting the role of seminary, in fact they encourage it, they don't see it as a pre-requisite to leadership.� The goal is to open the opportunity to become a church or ministry leader to a greater pool of potential leaders to meet the leadership needs for thousands of new churches.�

Some recent lifewayresearch.com seems to support the view that experience is viewed as more important than seminary education in hiring decisions of churches.�

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy believes they can harness the gifts, talents, and abilities of these future leaders through a very intentional and practical "hands-on" ministry leader apprenticeship experience.�

Their apprenticeship utilizes a "Leading-Learning-Mentoring" paradigm.�

Developing leadership skills while learning to lead one of Saddleback Church's ministries.�
Learning methods and strategies directly from Saddleback pastors and staff while "doing the work."�
Mentoring by Saddleback pastors.
Avenue and opportunities to get hands-on ministry leadership training and development in context.�
Blending their explicit learning with contextual tacit learning.�
Growing in a community of fellow future leaders.�

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy seeks to equip, empower, and encourage individuals to pursue their ministry leadership calling.�

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy believes that when people combine their education, experience, and God given potential with the practicum and mentoring that their ACCELERATE Ministry Leadership Apprenticeship or ELEVATE Church Planter/Multi-Site Residency provides, they will be uniquely equipped and empowered to take on leadership roles as church planters, multi-site campus leaders, or ministry leaders.�

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy intends to...Leave No Leaders Behind.�

God Doesn't Call the Qualified..God Qualifies the Called.

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:46:00 GMT

The Saddleback Church Leadership Academy has a vision for equipping the next generation of ministry leaders. But, many people assume they must be a seminary graduate or have a degree in Religious Studies or the Bible to be qualified to lead a ministry at an existing church, church plant, or a multi-site campus.

Imagine how many talented and skilled people with potential to be amazing ministry leaders or even plant a church don't' pursue this calling because they don't think they have the right sort of education or experience. The reality is that potential ministry leaders don't need the right degree, what they need is a calling.

God doesn't call the qualified..he qualifies the called.

Becoming an effective and healthy ministry leader is not a result of graduating with a degree in Bible or finishing seminary. It comes from an intentional process of developing �a potential ministry leader's ability to cast vision, motivate themselves and others, build relationships, solve problems, plan and execute ideas, and develop their God-given calling and purpose.

Becoming an effective ministry leader is not a result of choosing the right major in college, but comes from learning through hands-on leadership experience.

For instance, current Leadership Academy participants have backgrounds or majored in:
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Communications	Math
Psychology	Art
Finance	Public Relations
English Literature	Culinary Arts
Biology	Business
Physical Education	Accounting
Political Science	Graphic Design
Film	Journalism

You see it's not about a certain major, degree, or current profession.it's about heart and calling.

At the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy, we aren't just looking for seminary graduates or people currently working in ministry. We are looking for people who feel called to become ministry leaders and the desire to pursue it. Maybe that is you.

Being equipped for ministry leadership comes from blending learning and leading-getting hands-on with the work that ministry leaders do-and mentoring along the way by some of the most respected church pastors and ministry leaders in the country.

ACCELERATE yourself into staff ministry leadership at a church plant, multi-site church campus, or existing church.

Develop your leadership skills while you learn to lead one of Saddleback Church's ministries.

Learn methods and strategies directly from Saddleback pastors and staff.

Be mentored by Saddleback pastors.

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Earn a Certificate in Ministry Leadership through our year-long ACCELERATE apprenticeships in children's ministries, student ministries, worship arts, small-groups, or church administration.

If you or anyone you know would like more information on the ACCELEARATE Ministry Apprenticeship (Certificate of Ministry Leadership) check out the Saddleback Church Leadership Academy�website or Email us at LeadershipAcademy@Saddleback.com

Saddleback Church Leadership Academy.officially launched!

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:13:00 GMT

Gathered around the long, polished conference table were twelve eager resident interns attending their first official class meeting of Saddleback Church's Leadership Academy. They were filled with anticipation and a little awe as they shared how God had led them to this opportunity. Kicking off the Decade of Destiny, their class is the first of many tracks of training designed to equip individuals from around the world to develop leadership skills to fulfill God's call in their life for ministry.

Geoff Surratt, Saddleback's new Pastor of Church Planting encouraged and challenged the group, "What's exciting to me about this school is the opportunities that will come from your internship. What we're doing here is designed to help you discover who God has called you to be. Ministry is not a job, it's something you LIVE. This is going to be a lot of work. It's going to be a BLAST!"

If He Calls, I'll Follow

Students from across the country include both men and women from diverse ethnicities, ages and backgrounds. What is common among them is a passion for the lost and a commitment to be about doing what God has called them to do with their lives.

"I found the Saddleback internship online and told God, if it opens up, I'll come," one resident intern said. "Within three weeks, I came!"

Another told the group, "In 2003. I attended Saddleback by accident and my life began to change radically. I started to find out how to make a LIFE out of the rest of my life. I learned to take a leap of faith without knowing what comes next."

Another 22-year old student was adamant, "This is what I want to do. The Gospel has the power to change lives; it is the ONLY thing that can change lives!"

"At the age of 40, God said it was time for a new, fresh start in ministry," one of the more mature interns said. "I knew I didn't have the big picture and that I needed to redefine my ministry and take a risk."

He had been a church auditor and God had been preparing him for this moment. "This program came up and God said, 'this is the time.' I think it's a great opportunity to do what God is asking me to do," the new intern said.

This Is Only The Beginning

Pastor David Alford, director of the school, is excited to see how God will lead this first class of resident interns and is already looking to the future.�"We want to identify leaders with experience and gifting and support them. Some leaders are out there but have no experience, so we want to invest in leaders from a broad range of called people."

Rob Jacobs, Director of Enlistment for Saddleback Church Leadership Academy, is the man for the job. "The only message for the world is 'Jesus-will-change-your-life!' He said. "We have designed what we believe is the most unique and powerful church planter and ministry leader training experience anywhere."

Saddleback�Church Leadership Academy�has officially launched, but this is only the beginning of what God has in store!

What do you think are some of the benefits of having a school like this? Share your thoughts below by clicking the "comments" link.

Interested in learning more about the Leadership Academy? Want to get further details about how you can join the program in Fall 2011? Contact Rob at robj@saddleback.com.

Are you ready to join the fray?

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:00:00 GMT

What would you do if you were given access to a 170 acre retreat center in the heart of Orange County, the resources of Saddleback Church and a mandate to help plant 100 churches a year, plant churches in the 100 most influential cities in the world and plant a church among every unreached people group on earth by the end of the decade? Seriously, what would you do?

That is the vision that drives the Saddleback Leadership Academy. Our mandate from Pastor Rick Warren is to lead a church planting revolution that will change the face of Christianity across America and around the world. This fall we will be begin resourcing hundreds of leaders to transform congregations, launch campuses, and plant churches across the globe. We are creating opportunities for leaders no matter where they are in the development process, from rookie to seasoned veteran.

So, if you are fired up by the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, if the thought of leading a tribe to change the world gets your juices flowing, if you think God has created you to be a revolutionary there is a place for you at the table. Are you ready to join the fray?

Check out Launch - a part-time launch-phase program for leaders who are planting a church or starting a multi-site campus.

Check out Elevate - a one-year full-time residency designed for leaders who are preparing to plant a church or lead a multi-site campus.

Check out Accelerate - a year-long full-time apprenticeship designed for leaders who are called to staff leadership at a church plant, multi-site campus, or existing church.

Check out Discover - a 4-month, part-time internship designed for college students or recent graduates.