LEAD Cohorts are online meeting places for small groups of MB pastors and leaders – or anyone interested in learning more about a specific topic or gathering with like-minded people.
LEAD Cohorts are FREE to all participants. The only cost is for books or materials, if recommended by the cohort leader. LEAD Cohorts typically last three months and meet online every two weeks for about an hour.
The next session of LEAD Cohorts will begin this Fall. Watch your email inbox for information in early September. Below is a listing of the cohorts that were offered this Spring. You can expect to see some of these and possibly some new topics later this year. Online registration will be available. If you have additional questions, please email Janae Rempel.
About Nothing for Those Who Want to Talk About Something - Brian Wiebe and Curt Vogt
In community we can dream of fun possibilities, have a context to handle difficult stuff and celebrate each other’s victories. Out of relationships ministry partnerships happen. This cohort is about building and strengthening relationships through organic conversations – what’s on your mind this week? This cohort is for people looking for friends, real friends who love the Lord and want to build His Kingdom together. No other agendas, please. For male pastors only.
Brian Wiebe is lead pastor of Bethany Church in Fresno, Calif., and Curt Vogt is lead pastor of Buhler MB Church in Buhler, Kan.
Cohort will meet every other Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 2
Feb. 2 & 16, Mar. 2, 16 & 30, Apr. 13 & 27, May. 11 & 25
About Nothing for Those Who Want to Talk About Something - Luke LeViere and Jason Quiring
In community we can dream of fun possibilities, have a context to handle difficult stuff and celebrate each other’s victories. Out of relationships ministry partnerships happen. This cohort is about building and strengthening relationships through organic conversations – what’s on your mind this week? This cohort is for people looking for friends, real friends who love the Lord and want to build His Kingdom together. No other agendas, please. For male pastors only.
Luke LeViere is pastor of Good News Fellowship in Ferndale, Wash. Jason Quiring is lead pastor of Greenhouse Community Church in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Cohort will meet every other Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 9
Feb. 9 & 23, Mar. 9 & 23, Apr. 6 & 20, May 4 & 18, June 1 & 15
Church Planting, Renewal and Growth – Fred Leonard
We want to be churches that reach our communities for Jesus. Whether you are a church planter, working on church re-vitalization or want to talk about reaching your community, this cohort is for you.
Fred Leonard is lead pastor of Mountain View Community Church in Fresno, Calif. Fred has a passion for developing church vision and equipping and releasing men and women into ministry.
Cohort will meet every other Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. CST beginning Jan. 18
Jan. 18, Feb. 1 & 15, Mar. 1, 15 & 22, Apr. 5 & 19
Contemplative Conversations – Chandelle Claassen
This cohort will be reflective and interactive within a relaxed setting meant to care for your soul. We will immerse ourselves in various scriptures in a personal way via a spiritual practice called Lectio Divina or "Divine Reading."
Chandelle Claassen is a trained spiritual director and certified life coach and member of the USMB LEAD Coaching team. Chandelle lives in North Newton, Kansas.
Cohort will meet every other Tuesday at 2 p.m. CST beginning Jan. 18
Jan. 18, Feb. 1 & 15, Mar. 1 & 22, Apr. 5 & 19, May 3
Children's Ministry Leaders – J.L. Martin
Join other Children's Ministry Leaders (staff or volunteer) as we encourage each other and learn together. We will cover topics such as curriculum and what we teach, resources/conferences for us as leaders, equipping parents and training/recruiting volunteers.
J.L. Martin is the Pastor of Children and Family at Hesston (Kan.) MB Church. J.L. has served in children and youth ministry contexts for more than 20 years. He enjoys coffee, reading and working out. He and his wife, Bethany, have four children and live in Hesston.
Cohort will meet every other Wednesday at 10 a.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 9
Feb. 9 & 23, Mar. 9 & 23, Apr. 6 & 20
Community in the Time of Covid – Kevin Larson - CANCELLED
Covid has affected our sense of community, whether or not you are vaccinated, boosted, wear masks or don't. This pandemic has led to friends and even families distancing themselves, either by choice or subconsciously. If you have felt the pain of isolation, loneliness and depression, connection and community can help. I know we may not want to sit through another Zoom meeting, but the focus of this group will be on encouraging, laughing and celebrating each other, while bearing each other's burdens. This group is for anyone and everyone.
Kevin Larson, his wife, and four kids live on the Tabor College campus in Hillsboro, Kan., where Kevin has been a resident educator and student activities advisor for five years. Before that, he was a youth pastor at Garden Valley Church in Garden City, Kan. He has led recovery groups online for eight years, received his Master of Divinity from George Fox University, and is certified as a spiritual director through Sustainable Faith.
CANCELLED
Didn't See it Coming – Ed Boschman
Leadership is hard. Leaders are human. Being human is hard: we get cynical, we compromise, we get disconnected, we get irrelevant, we get proud, we burn out and we get empty. And on top of all that, we are often blindsided by those maladies. So are they survivable? In his book, Didn't See It Coming, Carey Nieuwhof suggests they can indeed be foreseen and there are antidotes. Let’s read the book and get better at being both human and leaders. Jesus’ church deserves this.
Ed Boschman, former USMB executive director, is a LEAD Coach and member of the ICOMB executive committee. He lives in Lynden, Wash.
Cohort will meet twice monthly on Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CST) beginning Feb 23.
Feb. 23, Mar. 9 & 23, Apr. 6 & 20, May 11 & 25, June 8
የኢትዮጵያ ቤተክርስቲያን መጋቢዎችና መሪዎች - ሄኖክ ፀጋዬ – Henock Tsegaye
ይህ ህብረት የኢትዮጵያ አብያተክርስቲያናት መጋቢዎች በጋር በመገናኘት የሚጸልዩበት፣ ቃሉን የሚያጠኑበት፣ ኮቪድ ካለፈ በሃላ ስለሚኖረው የመጋቢነት አገልግሎት የሚወያዩበትና በወሩ የመጨርሻው ማክሰኞ የሚገናኙበት ልዩ የአንድነት ፕሮግራም ነው።
Ethiopian Pastors and Leaders: (English translation) This cohort is geared for Ethiopian pastors and church leaders who desire connection and community, gathering online on a regular basis to talk about church issues, pastoral ideas for worship and doing church during the COVID-19 pandemic, preaching and teaching, praying together and much more. The discussion will be in Amharic and some English.
Henock Tsegaye is senior pastor of Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church in Olathe, Kansas.
Cohort will meet on the last Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 22
Feb. 22, Mar. 29, Apr. 26 & May 31
Let’s talk: Conversations with Missionaries – Stephen Humber
This was so popular in the fall that we'll do it again (with different missionaries). There is so much to learn from cross-cultural workers. Each time this cohort meets, we will have a one-hour conversation with at least one missionary (different each time) about their life and work with an eye toward what we can learn about ministry in our own contexts.
Stephen Humber serves on the mobilization team of Multiply. He lives in Denver, Colo.
Cohort will meet every other Thursday at 11 a.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 24
Feb. 24, Mar. 10 & 24, Apr. 7 & 21, May. 5 & 19
Liderazgo Cristo Centrico – Daniel Rodriguez
Descubriremos como es que cada uno de los lideres dentro de la Iglesia deben enforcar y centrar sus vidas en las enseñanzas del evangelio de Jesus. Muchas de las veces basamos nuestro liderazgo en cosas seculares y perdemos el enfoque de porque hacemos lo que hacemos y con que proposito fuimos llamados a servir a Jesus en su Iglesia. Cuando perdemos el enfoque muchas de las veces nuestros grupos de liderazgo no podran ser efectivos en el servicio a la iglesia y a la comunidad que se quiere alcanzar con el evangelio y nos enfrentaremos con problemas internos dentro de la Iglesia. Compartiremos testimonios y juntos aprenderemos cosas practicas que nos ayudaran a ser mejores lideres. Usaremos como referencia el libro Se Lider de Paul David Tripp.
Todos los lunes a las 8 p.m. hora central. Comenzamos el Lunes Febrero 21, 2022.
English Translation: Gospel Centric Leadership:
We will discover how church leaders should focus and center their lives on the teachings of the gospel of Jesus. Many times, we base our leadership on secular things and lose focus on why we do what we do and for what purpose we were called to serve Jesus in his church. When we lose focus, our leadership groups will not be effective in serving the church and the community that is to be reached with the gospel, and we will face internal problems within the church. We will share testimonies and learn practical things that will help us to be better leaders, using the book Lead by Paul David Tripp as a reference.
Recommended Reading: Lead by Paul David Tripp
Daniel Rodriguez is lead pastor of Iglesia Agua Viva in Omaha, Neb.
Cohort will meet weekly on Mondays at 8 p.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 21
Feb. 21 & 28, Mar. 7, 14, 21, & 28, Apr. 4 & 11
Preaching and Teaching Colossians and Hebrews – Jared Pulliam -– CANCELLED
While ancient, the letters of Colossians and Hebrews provide persevering truth for today’s contemporary church. In a time when pressures can tempt us to remove Jesus from our lives of faith (Hebrews) or try to add to Jesus’ sufficiency for our lives of faith (Colossians), the messages of these books illuminate the crucial reality that our great and only hope is found in the preeminent glories of Christ. This cohort is intended to help preachers and teachers consider the context, structure, challenges, and biblical theology of Colossians and Hebrews, promoting and supporting their exposition in our local congregations.
Jared Pulliam is lead pastor of Christ Church Sellwood in Portland, Ore.
CANCELLED
You're Not Alone; Conversations, Laughter and Encouragement for Pastors' Wives – Melissa Wiebe
It's an amazing job, usually not paid, sometimes lonely, yet oh so busy. We want to encourage a positive, safe space for conversation and support, laughter and building each other up. We will share tips and resources and pray for each other. For pastors’ wives only. Capped at 14.
Melissa Wiebe is prayer ministry director at Lakeview Church, Stansbury Park (Utah) Campus. She is married to Lakeview Church lead pastor Phil Wiebe.
Cohort will meet every other Thursday at 3 p.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 10
Feb. 10 & 24, Mar. 10 & 24, Apr. 7 & 21, May 5 & 19
Youth Ministry Realities – Russ Claassen
Get to know other youth workers as we engage in passionate discussion focused on the realities we face as youth workers. We will explore topics relevant to the group. Sessions may include anything related to youth ministry--from personal leadership development and spiritual growth, to recruiting and training volunteers, parent ministries and talking about Jesus with teens. The possibilities are endless. This cohort is for anyone who works with youth in your local church--volunteers, small group leaders, youth pastors, etc.
Russ Claassen is Southern District Conference youth minister. Russ lives in North Newton, Kansas.
Cohort will meet on the first and third Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. (CST) beginning Feb. 3
Feb. 3 & 17, Mar. 3 & 17, Apr. 7 & 21, May 5 & 19
PLEASE NOTE:
Dates and/or times on registration forms may not be accurate. The correct information is listed in the descriptions to the left. Once registered, you will be contacted by the cohort leader with more details and information. Thank you.
