The course helps to complement - not replace - the work that is already being done by local eldership teams to develop new elders by providing high value, focussed training to prepare new and future elders for the demands of the role.
Over 3 weekends per year (in September/October, March and June), trainees come together at residential weekends to receive live teaching from the team and other experienced elders.
The first training weekend for the 2024-26 intake will be in Autumn 2024. Further details of dates and locations will be shared nearer the time.
Each weekend will have a theme and is geared specifically towards equipping students for the demands of eldership:
Biblical Eldership in Life & Ministry
Biblical Leadership Culture
Pastoring through the Lens of Scripture (2 weekends)
Building a Spirit-filled Community
Building with a Vision of a Glorious Church
Each weekend will incude a high-value mix of the following:
Exegesis on a number of key biblical passages from a range of biblical genres
Pastoral Equipping (e.g. biblical foundation; counselling skills; marriage and divorce; church discipline…)
Family DNA - understanding our ways as a family of churches
Leadership skills, including lessons learnt from experienced elders (e.g. team dynamics; vision; culture setting; preaching & teaching)
Personal Life (e.g. spiritual growth; emotional wellbeing; devotional…)
Three times each year we go away for a residential weekend. Twice to King’s Community Church (Norwich, UK) and once to High Leigh Conference Centre (UK).
Shepherd is not a substitute for local church input; rather we encourage more of it. All students should be heavily involved in elder-related roles in a local context and we want eldership teams to journey alongside anyone they are sending on the course. We expect students to be given opportunities and receive input from their local eldership teams to help them grow.
One way in which the local eldership team will support their students is by mentoring: each student will have a mentor for the duration of the course. This mentor will ideally be an elder from their local church.
“This course will strengthen our planting and flourishing of churches in a big way! The importance of focussed preparation and equipping from seasoned leaders can't be over-emphasised.”
The Shepherd course is overseen by Goff Hope, and delivered by a wider team representing a range of experience in both church leadership and the workplace
Angie and Goff Hope
Goff Hope is the course leader and is responsible for shaping the overall content of the course. He is an elder at King’s Church Norwich and has been involved in training for Relational Mission and Newfrontiers for a long time. He has decades of experience in ministry.
Goff’s wife Angie plays a vital role providing support for the course.
Alongside Goff is an experienced team with backgrounds in church life and ministry. Together they bring a wealth of experience to the course, a passion for pastoral ministry as well strong mutual friendships that spill over into the training weekends.
“It’s been extremely valuable both in terms of relationship building and also equipping.”
“The Shepherd course was a great help as I started out as an Elder of a local church. There were really good times of discussion, ‘one-anothering’, worship and prayer, not to mention the many others on the course who are in similar roles meant a chance to get to know elders from other churches. I would definitely recommend this course.”
“Shepherd has been great for building relationships with others across our family of churches who are also coming into eldership. It has been a really helpful environment to share the ups and downs, challenges and joys of shepherding the people of God.
Shepherd has given me space to consider some of the aspects of ministry I find most challenging as an elder: discipling people to follow Jesus faithfully through mental health challenges, contending for the Gospel in the face of cultural opposition, church discipline, leading myself well and enabling Spirit-filled gatherings.”
The first training weekend for the 2024-26 intake will be in November 2024. Further details of all dates and locations for the 3 weekends will be posted nearer the time.
Fees for the course are £750 per year, payable before the start of each year. The fees will cover:
The cost of tuition
Three residential weekends (accommodation and all meals)
Application is a joint responsibility between the student and the local eldership. Once a potential applicant has discussed this application with his local eldership team, he can begin completing the application form.
Please note that in order to create the most effective learning environment, numbers are limited to 30 students for the 2 years.
If you would like to find out more, please email angie@kings-norwich.com
Shepherd is run and administered by Revelation Church London