Why Church Mentoring?
Dr. Buckingham’s conviction is that organizations rise to the level of their leaders. Therefore the best way to help these organizations become more effective is to equip their leaders to be more effective. Dr. Buckingham’s unique approach combines his effective communication and a lifetime of practical insights into what it takes for leaders and churches to succeed in their mission!
Church Mentoring
A typical church mentoring weekend includes Dr. Buckingham working with the pastor and key leaders of the church. These individual interviews and a focus group are designed to discern the unique challenges and opportunities of each congregation. Understanding these current realities is the beginning step in the church mentoring process.
“We are exploding with new people coming in the door, every Sunday. The church recently had a high attendance which was double a few years ago.”
— Pastor Barry Todd, Church Mentoring Participant
“This church had several years of decline prior to the mentoring. Last year we had a 15% increase.”
— Pastor Borden Scott, Church Mentoring Participant
The next step is helping the team creatively explore action steps toward their full potential. This is the heart of the process. Insights gleaned from the interviews and focus groups provide the basis for the recommendations. Each step of the process is designed to build up and encourage leaders without blaming or pointing fingers. In fact, proactive responses to the recommendations will bring about results that will build even greater confidence in the leadership.
One of The BLN team’s great joys and contributions is closing out the weekend by preaching a vision-casting message to help the congregation embrace God's ability to work through their church to accomplish great things for His glory.
Due to the great urgency of the need to revitalize churches and the fact that this process has proven to be so extremely effective for a church of any size, the Buckingham Leadership Institute has raised funding to make it possible for Dr. Buckingham to provide this mentoring at a reasonable cost for any church.
Every Mentoring Includes:
1. Self-Study - Completed by the church prior to the mentoring weekend.
2. Friday - Initial one-on-one interviews with Pastor and ministry leaders.
3. Friday Night - Interview with a focus group of 15-25 people.
4. Saturday (Morning and Lunch) - Leadership seminar on church vitality with as many as possible, especially people involved in a ministry.
5. Saturday Afternoon - Meeting with Pastor to preview recommendations.
6. Sunday Morning - Vision casting sermon.
7. Sunday Morning (immediately after service) - Congregational or Board meeting to present and distribute printed copies of the recommendations.
8. Two-Three Weeks Later - If it is the congregation's responsibility to decide, they would meet to answer questions and discuss the recommendations.
9. Following Week* - Congregational meeting to vote on recommendations.
o Following a Favourable Vote - Various ministries of the church will conduct a thorough audit to align ministry focus with the church's purpose.
*A coach will be made available to facilitate and assist the pastor in follow-up.
Ready to take the next step in your ministry? Click below to begin.
Want the benefits of in-person training?
Get all the benefits of in-person sessions and one-on-one training with Dr. Buckingham himself. Click the button below to book a session or see what else we can do for your ministry
What People Are Saying
BLN delivers principle-based training that benefits pastors and churches of every size. In one weekend, Dr. Buckingham energized my local church through his preaching, consulted with pastors of large churches of our region, and conducted a leadership development seminar with pastors and lay leaders
— Dr. Eric Hallet, Pastor
It taught me to celebrate the wins on Sunday mornings - highlight what God is doing....it is a huge source of energy in our services. The importance of being strategic with your time is missional. Not being bogged down with responsibilities and being a problem solver.
— Pastor Jason Parker
Since attending BLN and applying the lessons, we have continued to have a steady pattern of upward growth in every major area of ministry. As an example, this past Sunday last years’ attendance was 87 and this years’ was 125. After a meeting last evening one of the LBA members made the statement, "my expectations are surpassed every week and I can't wait for Sunday".
