Called to Cultivate Something New? Apply for the Leadership Incubator

Applications are now open for Faith+Lead’s New Christian Communities Leadership Incubator, a 12-month online learning community for leaders who sense God calling them to cultivate new forms of Christian community among people who are not currently connected to a local church. Learn more and apply for the New Christian Communities Leadership Incubator.

The pilot program offers a practical opportunity for leaders across the Grand Canyon Synod who are exploring fresh expressions of ministry, new worshiping communities, or other ways of sharing the gospel within their particular contexts. The cost is $249.

Rather than beginning with a predetermined model of church, the incubator begins with listening and discernment: Where is God already at work? Who are the neighbors with whom God may be calling us into relationship? What form of Christian community might faithfully take root there?

Over the course of a year, participants will combine theological reflection with experimentation through monthly online gatherings, Faith+Lead Academy courses, two online workshops, live coaching calls, practical ministry experiments, and peer learning.

Participants will develop practices of deep listening, discernment, trust-building, resilience, missional imagination, adaptive leadership, and sustainable ministry. The program is designed to help leaders move from discerning possibilities to launching at least one fresh-expression project shaped by what they learn.

The cohort will be coached by the Rev. Sean Steele, an Episcopal priest, church entrepreneur, traditioned innovator, and ICF-certified coach, and Tessa Pinkstaff, a spiritual director.

The program reflects a deeply Lutheran understanding of vocation and mission: God is already active in the world, and the church is called to listen, discern, and participate in that work. New ministry therefore begins not simply with preserving an institution or importing an existing model, but with attending carefully to neighbors, context, Scripture, and the movement of the Spirit.

Synod leaders, rostered ministers, and congregational leaders are also encouraged to consider who else should hear about this opportunity. Faith+Lead suggests prayerfully identifying two or three people who show curiosity, courage, and a willingness to experiment—and personally inviting them to consider applying. Sometimes a trusted leader’s invitation is what helps someone recognize their own call to take a faithful next step.

Learn more and apply for the New Christian Communities Leadership Incubator.