By Anthony Vest-Moorhead
Do you consider yourself a leader? It can be difficult to feel like one if you’re not ordained or a part of church staff. Even as a recognized lay leader, it’s too easy to ask, “Am I really a leader?” If you’ve ever wondered this, let’s challenge that thought.
Are you seeking growth and healing in Christ? Are you actively thinking about ways God might work through you? Are you doing your best to find and follow God’s will in your life, even if you’re unsure of what that looks like? If you can at all relate to these questions, then you are a leader in the Church. And here at Faith+Lead we have a free way for you to connect with other leaders all around the world. Faith+Lead offers its own online platform, the Learning Laboratory, to help you make connections and discover practices that will help along the journey.
And if you are ordained or work in the church, this platform is a powerful point of connection for your ministry. The Learning Lab is full of peers with a wealth of experience from all denominations and walks of life. Some are first-call pastors stepping into their second career, others are retired pastors with years of leadership experience under their belts, and others are everyday Christians (leaders) who are seeking new ways to function in ministry. There is a thriving online community in the Lab, and whatever situation you may find yourself in, you’re one question away from the love and support available from a Christ-centered community.
Here are a few benefits to joining the Learning Lab:
- Connection and fellowship with other people on their own unique walk with Christ
- Access to the combined knowledge and experience of over 10,000 other leaders
- Weekly content and practices to help your spiritual walk
- Free events like the Book Hub (webinars with authors), weekly Bible study through Dwelling in the Word, and more
Online Community
The Learning Lab community is one of the biggest draws to creating an account. Whether it’s for your personal practices or your congregation, there is an abundance of thoughtful advice just waiting for your questions. It’s as simple as creating a post in which you describe your situation and ask for others’ thoughts on the matter. With the size of the community and the endless range of experiences that exist within it, someone will pipe in with an idea or perspective that might be exactly what you need.
That’s merely the practical side. On an emotional level, there’s something unique about sharing an experience with someone through the digital medium. This is especially true when the other person is on the other side of the country or even around the world. The Learning Lab boasts members from across the globe, and the value of knowing that you’re not alone in whatever you’re facing is immeasurable.
Dwelling in the Word
One of Faith+Lead’s free offerings, Dwelling in the Word, is a weekly hour-long gathering for anyone interested in diving into the Word of God. Every Tuesday at 11:55 AM Central, we come together using Zoom for a reading of the following Sunday’s Gospel reading according to the Revised Common Lectionary. The passage is read twice, followed by a hosted discussion time in which you can share your thoughts and questions. It’s great for pastors preaching on the text, Bible nerds, or anyone with the desire to hear directly from God. As an added bonus, we record these sessions and post them along with the accompanying slides and script which are available to use for later study or to host your very own Dwelling in the Word session.
We welcome the Holy Spirit to move through this online discussion space and trust that everyone hears what God wants to tell them through communion and fellowship with one another.
The Faith+Lead Academy
Faith+Lead is known for its courses, coaching, and learning communities. As the pandemic pushed everything online, the Academy was developed in order to continue these offerings, especially because leaders need refreshment to manage pandemic-times ministries. The thing is, the digital medium turned out to be a perfect way to make these resources available to anyone from around the world. Many of the live meetings and presentations are held through Zoom, recorded, and posted for viewing at your convenience, and access remains open for an entire year after the final date of the course.
As a Learning Lab member, you’re the first to know when a new course is open for registration, plus you get direct reminders for when the course starts. And, because the Academy is hosted inside the Learning Lab, you start ahead of the game with the know-how of the website’s functions. Rather than learning an entirely new website and then trying to keep up with course meetings and assignments, you can go in fresh and ready to fully take in the material without the concern of learning the site at the same time.
Group Hosting
Faith+Lead is starting something new! Much in the same way Facebook does (minus the controversy and security concerns), we offer you and your church an online space to form your own group. Perhaps you need a common space for your congregation to gather online or the leaders of your ministry are looking for a platform to organize and stay in touch surrounding the work you’re doing—we offer an ad-free, focused space just for you. The power is in your hands; branding, content, moderation, and group access is all under your thumb if you join this inaugural program. We’re currently looking for a few groups to host and registration is open, so if your church is interested, use the link below, fill out the form, and we’ll follow up with you.
Faith+Lead Learning Lab Church Group Hosting
A Place You Are Welcome
Your Learning lab Hosts are ready and available to welcome you into the community, and we’re here for any questions you have. Faith+Lead created a safe online space, free of spammers and the drama present in other areas of the internet, for members to live in the liberty of vulnerability with other people. Spaces like the Learning Lab are vital while in-person gatherings are shaky at best, and digital pursuits will continue to grow. The internet makes it possible to reach farther than ever before, and many ministry leaders are seeing the value of digital ministries; they’re not going anywhere.
It’s more important than ever to take part in life-giving fellowship and community. God sustains us through times of isolation and loneliness, and sometimes that care comes through a loving community such as the one in the Learning Lab. While you connect with like-minded leaders, you’ll also gain valuable insights into thoughtful, loving leadership. This vibrant community is waiting for you with open arms. Come, join us as we share in the love, joy, and struggles of a life spent following Christ.
Join the Learning+Lab at this link.
