Shepherd Leader Training
Our New Program For Developing Shepherd Leaders
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.
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Modules
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. See below for a description of each module.
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.
Watch Our Module A Video Sample
Want more details? Download the sample module outline in the Resources section at the bottom of the page.
Graduate Attributes Addressed In This Module
| 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.
This module introduces participants to the history and theology of the Westminster Confession and the Declaratory Statement of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
This module explores foundations for Christian living and what that means in the context of modern Australia.
This module explores the foundations of Christian pastoral care and introduces the principles and practices of church-based pastoral care.
This module provides a Biblical foundation for leading God’s people. It introduces frameworks and practical suggestions that equip participants to exercise oversight in the church and lead church ministries more effectively.
This module explores the Biblical foundations of preaching or teaching and introduces the principles and practices of Christ-centred expository preaching or teaching.
Graduate Attributes Addressed in This Module
| 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 |
Church-Based Training
There’s no need to enrol as a student, attend college classes, or complete assessments. 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 that individuals could submit to their church leaders.
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!
Costs
Church Licenses
*New Church Licenses From March 2021
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 by the start of 2022. 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 |
Whilst it is primary aimed at new and existing elders, this program is also for those thinking about what it means to be a shepherd leader in a church context.
Yes, you can – but some assessments (‘ministry artifacts’) may require you to work with those in your local church. We think that this program is best done in a group setting.
Yes, you can choose which module you’d like to start with, to suit your church leadership context. Generally, the first four modules are the ‘foundational’ modules and we encourage you to complete those before completing the remaining four.
Yes. We’re calling them ‘ministry artifacts’ – assessments that are grounded in your local church context. However these are only required if you enrol as an individual student, and not for participants under a church license. Details for ministry artifacts can be found in the module outlines.
FAQs
If you have any other questions about the Shepherd Leader Training program, e-mail our Program Coordinator, Jonathan Pratt at jpratt@christcollege.edu.au.
