The Academy for Church Growth
A 2½-year process offered in five full sessions
Rev. Dr. Doug Anderson

WORKSHOP DETAILS Session I: Jan 21-23, 2008 (Mon 10AM-Wed 11:30AM) Session II: Jun 23-25, 2008 (Mon 10AM-Wed 11:30AM) Session III: Jan 19-21, 2009 (Mon 10AM-Wed 11:30AM) Session IV: Jun 22-24, 2009 (Mon 10AM-Wed 11:30AM) Session V: Jan 18-20, 2010 (Mon 10AM-Wed 11:30AM) All sessions @ St. Joseph Conference Center, Tipton, IN $80 per session (appointed NIC ministers, full or part time, $60/session) Skill area 1, 3, 4, 7 or 8 - What?

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he Academy for Church Growth is a two-and-a-half-year training process for developing clergy and lay leadership in the area of church growth. The Academy understands church growth as developing disciples for Jesus Christ through spiritual growth, outreach, and fellowship that results in growing churches. The Academy offers sound theological and practical principles for disciple-making that enables churches to grow.

Each of the five sessions covers a different aspect of this system’s understanding of church growth, with workshops and seminars. Key issues to reach new populations are highlighted – vital, indigenous worship; volunteerism through spiritual gifts; discipling through small groups; and visionary leadership for changed transition. Between sessions, support/accountability groups comprised of churches of similar size meet twice to help each other implement the principles and strategies of the Academy appropriate to his or her own unique church, ministry, and context.

The five sessions of the Academy for Church Growth are as follows:

• Preparing for New Disciples
• Organizing for Growth
• Growth as Spiritual Maturing
• Leadership with Gifts, Power, and Working Style
• Growing Systemically and Through Barriers

The Academy for Church Growth has a proven track record for over several years of helping churches make disciples for Jesus Christ and, therefore, grow.

Please Note: Each participant will be expected to attend all five sessions and be involved in an Accountability/Support Group, which will meet twice during the six-month intervals between sessions.

Second Note: Anyone who has partially completed the Academy for Church Growth in previous years and would like to attend the 2008-2010 Academy to pick up seminars missed should consult with the Associate Director of Recruitment & Leadership Development.

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REV. DR. DOUG ANDERSON is executive director of the Bishop Rueben Job Center of Leadership Development at Dakota Wesleyan University. He was a district superintendent and pastor of several growing churches of different sizes in the United Methodist Church. He has led a variety of practical church seminars and consultations for over 20 years. He is a member of the Academy for Spiritual Formation of the Upper Room.