Leadership Institute speakers include, from left: Thom Rainer, Rebekah Layton, Ken Priddy, Tom Ricks, and Jimmy Dodd.
A key strategy for the future of the EPC is “creating a leadership development culture” as the denomination transitions from a period of transfer growth to a goal of long-term sustainable transformational growth. Implementation of that strategy kicks off with the inaugural EPC Leadership Institute on Tuesday, June 23, prior to the 35th General Assembly in Orlando, and continues with Thom Rainer on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Four tracks will be available on Tuesday from 1:00-5:00 p.m.:
- Lead Like Jesus
- The Impact of Leadership on Church Revitalization
- Cultivating Denominational Growth
- Six Key Relationships Every Pastor Needs
On Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00-11:45, Rainer will keynote the Leadership Institute by addressing leadership themes from his book, Simple Church.
Rainer serves as President of Lifeway Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and earned MDiv and PhD degrees from Southern Seminary. Prior to leading LifeWay, he served as president of Rainer Group consulting and dean at Southern Seminary. He also has served as pastor of four churches and has authored or co-authored 26 books.
Track 1: Lead like Jesus
Leaders influence others, and—more than a trait—leadership is a skill that can be learned.
In this workshop, Rebekah Layton will provide tools to equip women to influence others for Christ, wherever God has placed them. As Layton will explain in detail, a relational leadership model based on biblical principles is applicable in the family, congregation, workplace, and community. Women can learn to lead like Jesus.
Rebekah Layton is Director of Organizational Development at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo. A former Director of Evangelism at a large multi-site church, her passion is to equip women to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and to create Christ-honoring cultures in the home, workplace, and congregation.
Track 2: The Impact of Leadership on Church Revitalization
The EPC GO Center Team will lead the three-session workshop that focuses on the lifecycle of a local church and the difference of both good and ineffective leadership on that cycle.
- Session 1: The Impact of Leadership on Small Church Turnaround
- Session 2: The Impact of Leadership on the Church Lifecycle
- Session 3: The Impact of Leadership on Missional Growth
Each session will be guided by a theme verse and include practical applications to help leaders move from concept to planning to implementation. Presenters include the GO Center Team and other REs and TEs throughout the EPC.
Track 3: Cultivating a Growing EPC Movement
Like farming, the growth of the Church is dependent on God’s kind provision and cannot be reduced to formulaic manipulation. However, God promises to grow His Church and graciously calls us to participate in His work. Join Tom Ricks and the EPC Church Planting Team for a discussion about various practices that can help cultivate the growth of the EPC.
- Session 1: Where to Begin
- Session 2: Creating a Church Planting Pipeline
- Session 3: Round Table Discussion
Track 4: Six Key Relationships Every Pastor Needs
Pastors everywhere struggle with ever-increasing challenges in the backstage of their private worlds and front stage of their public ministries. But you don’t have to just survive—you can thrive. In this workshop, pastoral care expert Jimmy Dodd will reveal how pastors can make the shift by investing in six key relationships.
Dodd is the founder of PastorServe, an EPC Ministerial Vocation Committee commended resource. A well-known and respected speaker, Dodd is a graduate of Wheaton College and Gordon-Conwell Seminary, and served as a pastor for more than 20 years.
Click here for more information on the Leadership Institute.