What is the Spiritual Leadership Program?

Building on 2 Timothy 2:2, The Spiritual Leadership Program is a 3-year training course for men designed to lay a Biblical foundation for a lifetime of Spiritual Leadership.
“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,
entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

What is the purpose of the Spiritual Leadership Program?

The Great Content (Scholarship) of Scripture is studied in order to prepare men to be and to make Great Commandment (Relationship) and Great Commission (Discipleship) disciples for the Glory of God. As disciple-makers, these men are challenged to become “the makers of disciple-makers” and fulfill the Great Commitment (Leadership).

Who is this program designed for?

While every Christian is commanded to make disciples only some Christians will be gifted in and desirous of becoming leaders in the church. This program is designed for men who meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. A desire to lead others Spiritually
2. Member at Kindred who has attended for at least one year
3. Currently serving in a Kindred ministry
4. If married, your wife is 100% on board and your home life is in order
5. Agreement with Kindred’s doctrinal statement
6. Clear commitment to do the work being faithful, available, and teachable
7. Passing of an application process and entrance exam

What courses are taught? 

The Spiritual Leadership Program consists of ten courses (called modules) designed to help men become proficient in the purposes stated above.

What is the structure of the program?

Spiritual Leadership I

Year One is focused on establishing a Theological and Biblical foundation for Spiritual Leadership.

Spiritual Leadership II

Year Two is focused on rightly handling the Word. As a Shepherd, you must know how to Defend the Word (Canon), Interpret the Word (Hermeneutics), Teach the Word (Homiletics) and Live the Word (Examples in Church History).

Spiritual Leadership III

Year Three is focused on pastoral theology emphasizing a man’s Character, Christ-Centeredness, Calling, Conviction, Competency, and Chemistry in preparation for a life of spiritual leadership. Special attention is given to developing the character qualities found in 1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1 as well as developing the men as shepherds by honing their skills in teaching, discipline, and counseling.

How are the courses taught? 

To become a spiritual leader it is not enough to “know” but rather you must be able to “do”. Therefore this program is based on the tutorial model rather than a lecture model. The bulk of each evening is dedicated to “doing” theology in an interactive format.

What is the atmosphere/tone of a typical evening?

Casual, Christ-Centered, Joyful, Serious-Minded, Intense, Mind-Blowing, Demanding, Stretching, Exacting, Exhausting, Eye-Opening, Brotherly, Tough-Love, Accountable, No Place to Hide, On-the-Spot, Exposed, Encouraged.

The leaders have the task of knowing the subject so well that we can draw the student along through great questions and conversation rather than through lecture. The students in this course have by and large already heard many lectures on theology and Bible in their Christian lives but they don’t have what we are going to try and provide for them…A way of “Doing Theology” which is a synthesis of all that they have learned, are learning and will be learning.

What are the desired ministry outcomes for the men who graduate? 

1. Every Man Grow in the Foundations of Spiritual Leadership:
 Systematic Theology
 Biblical Theology
 Hermeneutics
 Homiletics
 History of the Church
 History of the Canon
 Biblical Leadership
 Biblical Teaching
 Biblical Discipleship
 Biblical Counseling

2. Every Man Affirm Their Full Agreement With Kindred’s Core Convictions
While “good and godly” Christians may disagree about some of the following beliefs and still have fellowship, full agreement with the following beliefs are required for leadership at Kindred.

3. Every Man Pursue At Least One Leadership Opportunity at Kindred:
 Ministry Director
 Maker of Disciple-makers
 Counselor
 Life Group Leader
 KU Teacher
 Deacon

4. Some Men Pursue Leadership Opportunities As:
 Elders
 Pastors
 Evangelists

When and where does the program meet? 

Years 1-3 meet one night a week (either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday depending on which year you are in) from 6:00 - 9:30pm. All classes are held in the Training Rooms at the Church Office Building.

What is the biblical background for this program? 

Jesus commanded us to make disciples and He showed us how to do it through His training of the 12:
 Jesus took 3 years with these men
 He taught topically
 He asked over 100 different questions
 He disciplined one-on-one and in a group
 He had 1-3-12-70-120-5000
 He spent a lot of time with them
 They ate together
 They worshipped together
 They learned to pray
 They watched Jesus minister
 They received a final commission
 He sent them on missions
 He prayerfully chose the men to train

What is the workload like for the program? 

It is challenging. It will stretch you. It is a life-changing, eternal investment. Most men find that it takes 10-20 hours a week outside of class to handle the workload.

Who are the instructions?

The program is led by Kindred’s elders, pastors, and SLP grads.

What is the cost of tuition and materials?

The Spiritual Leadership Program is free for all men accepted into the program. The cost of all meals, materials, and textbooks (40+) is a small price to pay for the strategic investment in Kindred’s future accomplished through raising up Biblically Qualified men for Spiritual Leadership. In other words, we cover the cost.