Stepping Up to Supervision: Practical Tools for Faithful Ministry Leadership

Many pastors, deacons, and ministry leaders enter ministry expecting to preach, teach, care, and accompany people in faith. Fewer anticipate the reality that ministry often includes supervising staff, navigating performance conversations, and balancing grace with accountability.

A new learning opportunity from Faith+Lead, Stepping Up to Supervision, is designed to help ministry leaders navigate those challenges with confidence, compassion, and theological grounding.

Beginning August 18 and running through September 1, 2026, this live online cohort experience will help participants explore questions many church leaders quietly wrestle with:

  • When do you wear your pastor hat, and when do you wear your supervisor hat?

  • How do you manage staff members who are also part of the congregation?

  • How do you balance accountability and grace, listening and leading, connection and direction?

Led by respected leadership consultant and congregational expert Susan Beaumont, the program combines practical supervision tools with theological reflection rooted in ministry settings.

Participants will take part in three extended live Zoom workshops focused on real-world ministry supervision, with opportunities for interaction, discussion, and practice. In addition, registrants receive one full year of access to session recordings and course materials, allowing leaders to revisit content as situations arise in their congregations or ministries.

The program emphasizes skills that many church leaders wish they had learned earlier, including:

  • Building trust and accountability among staff

  • Aligning hiring and job descriptions with mission and ministry

  • Setting meaningful goals and expectations

  • Navigating difficult conversations with clarity and compassion

  • Reframing supervision as ministry-aligned development rather than merely management

The cost for the cohort is $195, with scholarship opportunities available.

For rostered ministers, congregational staff, and lay leaders who supervise employees or volunteers, this course may offer practical support for one of ministry’s most challenging and often under-discussed responsibilities: leading people faithfully.

Learn more or register through Faith+Lead’s Stepping Up to Supervision program.

Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian Flatgardfaith+lead, Luther SeminaryComment