Glasshouse
“Glasshouse” /ˈɡlɑs-hau̇s/ … a building in which new plants grow stronger and more fruitful through provision of a curated environment and focused attention.
Glasshouse is a pastor leadership development initiative that aims to:
- Create a clear understanding of the expectations and requirements of new pastors.
- Upskill pastors in the key skills and transitions as one moves from being an Associate to a Senior Pastor or from Bible college to a solo pastor.
- Create peer connects to support learning, sustainability, and support.
- A tailored training and experiential curriculum to build the knowledge and practice required for a new senior pastor or solo pastor, which will involve 6 days of training over 1 year.
- A two-day overnight ‘boot-camp’, which brings new pastors together with some of the leaders within the NSW & ACT Baptist Association.
- Access to 6 mentoring/coaching sessions per year from a seasoned Baptist Senior Pastor.
- Experiential church visits and interactive seasons from respected church pastors.
Lloyd Irwin has been involved in local church leadership since his mid-twenties. Following work as an architect, Lloyd transitioned into church ministry as an associate and then as senior pastor. His interest in pastoral health, experiential learning and leadership equipping led him then onto the faculty at the Australian College of Ministries, with focus areas in spiritual formation, mentoring and communication of the faith, as well as roles in strategic development as part of the senior leadership team.
In 2005, seizing a serendipitous opportunity to move with his wife Amanda and family overseas, he became a partner at an organisational development consultancy. He and his wife later founded Spark Leadership, where they still work equipping leaders, teams, and culture to meet the demands of today’s rapidly changing workplace. He unapologetically brings the values of Jesus to his business work and is known in many circles for his unorthodox leadership philosophy of love.
Craig Farmer has led and served the local church for over thirty years. He has a proven track record in leadership and a driving passion for healthy mission-focused churches.
After completing a degree in Social Services, Craig worked and then led teams of youth workers in the area of youth homelessness for a number of years.
After completing another degree in Theology and Ministry, Craig led a church in Sydney’s southwest for 16 years, mostly as Senior Pastor. The church grew to include 5 campuses and 7 congregations, made up of different nationalities. The church also developed a multi-million dollar community welfare presence with not-for-profit enterprises, crisis accommodation for youth, a preschool, food programs and many other innovative ways to engage with and serve their multicultural community.
- Cost: $2000 per person (limited financial assistance may be available from the Baptist Association NSW & ACT)
- A minimum of 12 participants per cohort, up to 20 participants.
- Combination of virtual and face-to-face if there are participants who are regional or rural located.
- 1 or 2 facilitators depending on the topics provided by Partners in Ministry
- A tailored training and experiential curriculum to build the knowledge and practice required for a new senior pastor or solo pastor, which will involve 6 days of training over 1 year.
- A two-day overnight ‘boot-camp’, which brings new pastors together with some of the leaders within the NSW & ACT Baptist Association.
- Access to 6 mentoring/coaching sessions per year from a seasoned Baptist Senior Pastor.
- Experiential church visits and interactive seasons from respected church pastors.
Lloyd Irwin has been involved in local church leadership since his mid-twenties. Following work as an architect, Lloyd transitioned into church ministry as an associate and then as senior pastor. His interest in pastoral health, experiential learning and leadership equipping led him then onto the faculty at the Australian College of Ministries, with focus areas in spiritual formation, mentoring and communication of the faith, as well as roles in strategic development as part of the senior leadership team.
In 2005, seizing a serendipitous opportunity to move with his wife Amanda and family overseas, he became a partner at an organisational development consultancy. He and his wife later founded Spark Leadership, where they still work equipping leaders, teams, and culture to meet the demands of today’s rapidly changing workplace. He unapologetically brings the values of Jesus to his business work and is known in many circles for his unorthodox leadership philosophy of love.
Craig Farmer has led and served the local church for over thirty years. He has a proven track record in leadership and a driving passion for healthy mission-focused churches.
After completing a degree in Social Services, Craig worked and then led teams of youth workers in the area of youth homelessness for a number of years.
After completing another degree in Theology and Ministry, Craig led a church in Sydney’s southwest for 16 years, mostly as Senior Pastor. The church grew to include 5 campuses and 7 congregations, made up of different nationalities. The church also developed a multi-million dollar community welfare presence with not-for-profit enterprises, crisis accommodation for youth, a preschool, food programs and many other innovative ways to engage with and serve their multicultural community.
- Cost: $2000 per person (limited financial assistance may be available from the Baptist Association NSW & ACT)
- A minimum of 12 participants per cohort, up to 20 participants.
- Combination of virtual and face-to-face if there are participants who are regional or rural located.
- 1 or 2 facilitators depending on the topics provided by Partners in Ministry
Possible Topics
The topics below can be chosen by the cohort participants to best serve their needs in collaboration with the Baptist Association to ensure the topics are the most relevant and helpful for the cohorts attending.
Not all of the topics would be covered unless the program was extended to a 2-year program.
Self-Management
- The identification and prioritisation of key ministry work
- Effectiveness and time/energy management
- Soul care and psychological hazards
Teams & Meetings
- How to develop teams that work well together and the role of the leader to facilitate this.
- Conducting effective and engaging team meetings and retreats.
Small Groups & Discipleship
- The role and opportunity for small group to function as part of the discipleship engine room
of the church. - Developing and encouraging small group leaders
- Best practices within small group ministries
- Embedding discipleship practices throughout the church
Multiplication of Disciples, Leaders & Churches
- Effective disciple-making strategies
- Leadership identification and development
- Church multiplication (this topic will likely be taught as ‘bonus’ content
- Staffing models
- The staffing cycle – recruitment, developing staff and holding them accountable.
- The legal frameworks and requirements.
- Skills of coaching.
- Strategic thinking and strategic planning skills
- Involving people in the process of planning and visioning.
- From vision to execution.
- Communicating and reinforcing vision and strategy.
- The nature of conflict, power and loss within a church context
- Personal conflict styles and congregational conflict stages
- Deescalating conflict – approaches and skills.
- The challenges associated with change
- Change management model.
- Implementation of change in a world of change.
- Introduction of a simple tool to evaluate and use to improve welcoming and integration in a church.
- Creating a systems approach to integration
- Creating a culture of welcoming and integration.
- Introducing the lifecycle model, including a diagnostic tool.
- The church sizes framework.
- Using the insights to plan next steps.
- Discussion about the importance of, and essentials of youth and children’s ministry.
- Consideration of how to support transitions for youth and children.
- Thinking about personal transitions and life stages and how to navigate these well.
- Introducing finance for non-financial people
- How to raise funds and teach on stewardship.
