What are Pastor Groups?

Pastor Groups provide church leaders a space to converse and collaborate as they gather in person with other pastors in their area, or across the country via online meetings. These cohorts of 5-10 pastors come together on a regular basis (over 4-6 months) to encourage one another amidst the challenges of being a leader in the church, while exploring new ways to help the church and community flourish.

Why should pastors meet?

Pastors often find themselves feeling isolated, even if they are constantly surrounded by other people. Usually there are not enough safe places to gather and find encouragement, both showing and receiving empathy among other pastors. Yet we think this gathering together is critical to pastoral flourishing. Good things happen when pastors commit to meet together, grow in support, and trust with one another. And we're here to help.

Ready to start?

Meetings are designed to be 60-90 minutes in length and it is easy to start a group. [1] Choose the leader kit, which includes additional resources for deeper engagement and a meeting guide. [2] Share this page with other group members and ask them to purchase the participant kit. You can also purchase all the kits needed for your group participants and distribute them yourself. [3] Register your group and let us walk with you during your study.

The Study: Virtue in Practice

Description

We live in a world where churches often value pastors who possess charismatic personalities, are talented public speakers, gifted public theologians, and community leaders who can attract a crowd. In such a culture, it can be easy to lose our way, and forget that biblically speaking, none of these pastoral characteristics are primary. The somewhat recent slew of public pastoral crises and moral failures have reminded us that we have strayed from God’s design. What would it look like to pursue a different path of pastoral development, one focused on pursuing virtue formation, living lives of wholeness and integrity, and greater focus on who we are becoming? In this study, pastoral participants will examine how they are paying attention to practices and habits of mind, heart, body, vocation, relationship, and goods, with the goal of growing in Christ-like virtue, for love of God and neighbor.

Additional Details

Duration: 11 meetings

Leader kit [guide plus two books]:
• Virtue in Practice print study guide
Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving,
by Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie
Tending Soul, Mind, and Body: The Art and Science of Spiritual
Formation
, by Gerald Hiestand (Editor), and Todd Wilson (Editor)
• Note pad, pen, and stickers (you need a sticker)

Participant kit:
Virtue in Practice print study guide
• Note pad, pen, and stickers (you need a sticker)

Other tools:
• Download the meeting guide
Register your group