Pastoral leaders (ministers and elders) are called to shepherd God’s flock that is under their care (1 Peter 5:2). They do this as a team by leading the church in its life and mission, praying with and for God’s people, proclaiming the gospel while teaching the whole counsel of God, and modelling a living and mature faith in Christ.
Serving God’s people as a Shepherd Leader is a noble task (1 Tim. 3:1). But it can also be difficult, especially when Shepherd Leaders lack basic training.
In past years, Christ College has offered training for elders in church and presbytery settings across New South Wales, the ACT, and Tasmania. To build upon this training, and to make it more accessible to churches in regional areas, the Christ College Faculty have developed a new online Shepherd Leader Training program.
This program is available for new and existing elders, aspiring elders, and those wishing to serve in other church leadership roles.
The Faculty are developing eight modules that will run over the course of two years. These modules will include a variety of multimedia resources to assist shepherd leaders in their learning. The description for each module will be updated closer to its respective term date.
Module A: Elders in Christ's Church (ENROLMENT AVAILABLE FOR 2021)This Module provides a biblical introduction to the role of elders in God’s mission through the church.It focusses on the biblical basis for eldership, the biblical qualifications required of elders, and the primary biblical functions of elders in the life and mission of the church.
Want more details? Download the sample module outline in the Resources section at the bottom of the page.
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Love God in Christ | Be devoted to reading the Scriptures and prayer |
Know Self in Christ | Be thankful for their talents, personality, gifts and calling |
Develop healthy relationships, beginning with own family | |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Develop and communicate a vision derived from God’s mission |
Preach and Teach Christ from the Scriptures | Work as part of a shared leadership based on PCA polity |
This module provides an understanding of how the Gospel fits into the overarching biblical narrative. It helps participants to form a Biblical Theology that allows them to understand the sections of the Bible within God’s overall revealed story.
Graduate Attributes Addressed in This Module
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Love God in Christ | Be devoted to reading the Scriptures and prayer |
Exemplify ‘Christ for all of life’ | |
Know God in Christ | Know God (Trinity, Christology, Pneumatology) |
Understand biblical theology and how it leads to an understanding of the gospel and Christian living | |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Lead public worship |
Module C: Truths We Confess introduces participants to the history and theology of the Westminster Confession and the Declaratory Statement of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Love God in Christ | Grow in personal worship of God |
Know God in Christ | Know God (Trinity, Christology, Pneumatology) |
Understand how Reformed theology informs PCA standards | |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Lead public worship |
Module D: Living for Christ in Australia Today explores foundations for Christian living what that means in the context of modern Australia.
Graduate Attributes Addressed in This Module
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Love God in Christ | Exemplify ‘Christ for all of life’ |
Know God in Christ | Understand biblical theology and how it leads to an understanding of the gospel and Christian living |
Know Self in Christ | Identify as a growing child of God |
Develop healthy relationships, beginning with own family | |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Empower and equip church members |
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Care for People Like Christ | Care for all kinds of people to present them mature in Christ |
Serve others with love | |
Be an active host in the church and home | |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Develop and communicate a vision derived from God’s mission |
Work as part of a shared leadership based on PCA polity |
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Know Self in Christ | Identify as a growing child of God |
Be thankful for their talents, personality, gifts and calling | |
Care for People Like Christ | Care for all kinds of people to present them mature in Christ |
Serve others with love | |
Be an active host in the church and home |
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Know God in Christ | Understand how Reformed theology informs PCA standards |
Lead God’s Church Under Christ | Empower and equip church members |
Preach and Teach Christ from the Scriptures | Preach and/or teach Christologically from the Bible in a range of contexts |
Present and defend the gospel to non-Christians |
Graduate Attribute | Descriptor |
---|---|
Love God in Christ | Grow in personal worship of God |
Preach and Teach Christ from the Scriptures | Preach and/or teach Christologically from the Bible in a range of contexts |
Present and defend the gospel to non-Christians | |
Expect the Holy Spirit to change people through a redemptive approach to the Bible |
There’s no need to enrol as a student, attend college classes, or complete assessments (although motivated students can still do that if they wish). Instead, we’ll give your church a time-limited license so you can access and engage together with our custom-designed video and written course materials in whatever order you like, and at a time that suits you.
Each module contains learning outcomes, a learning plan, participant notes, group discussion questions, instructional videos, a podcast structured around Frequently Asked Questions, a list of further resources, and an optional assessment for individuals who would like to enrol as a student and complete the two-year program.
To make the most of these materials, we recommend the creation of two group discussion opportunities during the school term where you can watch a video together and discuss the questions and prior individual reading material. The podcast works well as a capstone learning experience. There’s no need for much preparation on the part of the church leader. We’ve done all the hard work for you!
We are currently investigating and developing a new licensing and delivery platform for the Shepherd Leader Training program that will allow churches to purchase an annual license for unlimited access to all available modules. We hope to be able to roll this system out in March next year. Pricing for this new model is below. To express your interest, please fill out the form below.
Church License Pricing | ||
* Pricing is per year based on the number of regular church attendees. A valid license grants unlimited use of currently available modules to the licensed church for the license period. | ||
Number of church attendees | Annual License Cost | |
< 50 | $500 | |
50 – 99 | $1,000 | |
100 – 149 | $1,500 | |
150 – 199 | $2,000 | |
200 – 249 | $2,500 | |
250 + | $3,000 |
$60 per individual per module
Students will be invoiced after successful enrolment into the program. Please note that the Shepherd Leader Training modules are not eligible for FEE-HELP as they are internal units.
We are now taking registrations for available Modules at the beginning of each NSW school term. Click the Apply Now button below, and one of our team will let you know about the next steps for enrolment.
Click here to Apply Now (Individual Registration)
If you have any other questions about the Shepherd Leader Training program, e-mail our Program Coordinator, Jonathan Pratt at jpratt@christcollege.edu.au.