Research has shown that an effective church leader or planter must be proficient in four critical competency domains:

1. Living inter-connectedly with a gospel dynamic (Personal—Interpersonal domain)

2. Communicating grace and truth in a way that forms and engages disciples (Prophetic domain)

3. Creating a missional culture (Priestly domain)

4. Executing visionary leadership (Kingly domain)

The Incubator training curriculum is designed to help church leaders and planters develop proficiency in each of these four domains (as determined by research which discovered the 34 church planter competencies upon which we build our program). Each training module is aimed specifically at addressing one or more of the 34 church leader or planter competencies.

The modules are divided into four units:

• Unit 1: Gospel theology & spirituality

• Unit 2: Gospel contextualisation & mission

• Unit 3: Gospel communication & community

• Unit 4: Gospel leadership & influence

The units are typically offered in sequence over two years in each city. You may join the Incubator at the beginning of any unit, and there is no need to complete the units in sequence.

Each Incubator learning module involves time for peer-to-peer coaching, personal spiritual formation, application of ideas to real-world problems and hands-on training that combines theology, church leadership theory and best practice in adult learning.

INCUBATOR CORE UNITS

• UNIT 1: Gospel Theology & Spirituality

  Module 1: Gospel Theology
  This module focuses on understanding how the work of Jesus Christ changes everything we are and do—as individuals, as a community, and as ministers of God’s grace—as opposed to “just trying harder” to apply biblical principles to my life. We know the gospel is the life-giving message of redemption that we always preach. And many of us are convinced it is also the dynamic that causes on-going transformation in our lives and communities. This unit will help you more consistently apply this in your life and leadership.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Exhibits a grasp of the gospel of grace as a ‘dynamic’ in life, not just having sins forgiven.
  • Can articulate the broad scope of the gospel as it relates to life and ministry
  • Able to describe the “two thieves of the gospel” and which he/she tends toward
  • Can describe the difference between “the gospel” and a moralism or self-esteem approach to personal growth
  • Grasps how the gospel affects the ‘what’, as well as the ‘how’ of doing ministry
  
  Module 2: Personal Grace Renewal Dynamics
  It’s not enough just to understand the gospel; we need to be constantly experiencing the renewing work of Jesus Christ, making us new and sending us as his people in his redemptive mission. This module helps participants experience gospel renewal through sharing, case studies, guided prayer and learning activities centred around the basic truths of our adoption and the reality of indwelling sin (idolatry).

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Continues to grow in personal transparency as well as gospel renewal in his own life
  • Able to explain the role of idols and can identify his/her own tendency toward idolatry
  • Practices a lifestyle of repentance and faith, growing confidence and joy in Christ
  • Is able to lead others into a discovery of both their idolatry and what gospel repentance looks like
  • Also understands how to use the CLI to develop personal learning motivation and objectives.
  
  Module 3: Personal Life of the Gospel Centred Leader
  Though we endeavour to care for the church leader’s personal life every time we meet, this module gives the topic special treatment. The effective leader knows how to do self-leadership and self-care before he or she leads others. This module focuses on the character of the leader as well as understanding your unique leadership style so you can manage yourself and others in order to more effectively engage in the work of the kingdom of Christ.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Exhibits a bias toward action, consistently executing evangelistic, cultural and ministry plans.
  • Constantly assesses the environment, sees needs, learns from failure, and gets the new information, skill set, resource or personnel that the job requires. (Though ‘learning agility’ cannot be trained into a person, we can encourage the development of some skills that help the planter to be a more agile learner)
  • Knows the unique temptations of a leader and embodies a servant-model of leadership that encompasses the role of suffering, spiritual conflict, authority, humility and love in the leader’s life (Gospel-based leadership)
  
  Module 4: Kingdom Centred Prayer
  The heart of the ministry of Christ’s kingdom is expressed in prayer. Since the Holy Spirit is the indispensable agent of any true ministry, the church is called to express its life, and do its work, through the agency of prayer. Through prayer the gospel renews us, we learn more deeply of God’s priorities and we receive new empowerment for what he is sending us to do.

  These kingdom concerns are reflected in the model prayer of Jesus. This module trains church leaders in kingdom prayer by practicing it.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Exhibits a passionate prayer life, both personally and corporately and trains others in kingdom prayer
  • In his/her leadership, knows how to bring prayer to bear on strategic ministry initiatives
  • Can develop a workable Action Plan that is realistic, comprehensive, and contextualised

• UNIT 2: Gospel Contextualisation & Mission

  Module 5: Gospel Contextualisation
  This module focuses on understanding the unique globalised, urban context in which we live and how that understanding can help us communicate and develop ministry forms which are meaningful to the people we are reaching. Far from ‘capitulating’ to culture or ‘watering down’ the gospel, contextualisation aims to make Christ alive and dynamic in the given situation where you are planting your church.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Has a positive view of culture and is eager to engage, and train others to engage, with the ideas and people who form culture
  • Can employ ethnographic research skills and data to discern the values and key understandings of a given people and to determine the needs which the ministry of the church should address
  • Can contextualise ministry forms (preaching, spiritual formation programs) and approaches (POM, evangelism, mercy ministry) in such a way that Christ comes alive in that culture
  • Given an issue, is able to ‘do theology’ in such a way that allows God’s word to speak to a specific culture
  • Is growing personally as a ‘contextualiser’ of the gospel (being challenged by his/her own cultural bias and growing in love and understanding of his/her context, thus applying the gospel to it in new ways)
  
  Module 6: Evangelistic Networking
  This module aims to help learners develop the skill of consistently and winsomely presenting Christ to others in a host of new situations, so that communicating Christ becomes an integral part of the culture of the new church. Emphasis is placed on developing “evangelistic pathways” and networks of relationships which grow out of a culture of hospitality in the church as well as how to think about evangelistic events, process evangelism and the training of others in your church.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Experiences increasing wonder in the all-sufficiency of the gospel for every need
  • Exhibits consistency, creativity and winsomeness in regular, personal evangelism
  • Knows how to ‘network’ evangelistically and use relational pathways
  • Is able to engage the church in evangelistic endeavours (relationships, events, etc.) so that the church develops a missional culture
  
  Module 7: Missional Ecclesiology
  There is a lot of talk today about “being missional”. Practically, what does that mean for a church? This module helps participants understand the unique characteristics of ministry in the global city and helps them develop a balanced, missional culture in their church so that the good news of Jesus is expressed in every element of church life and reaches out in holistic ministry.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Has a theologically driven vision for the church and city. (Church Planting Movements and a redemptive/historical theology of the city)
  • Develops a strategic model (Philosophy of Ministry) of the church with ‘outward-faced’ and ‘balanced’ ministries
  
  Module 8: Mobilising Others in Mission
  The effective church leader knows they cannot grow a church by themselves. Instead, they become leaders and pastors of gifted Christians who do the work of ministry. Thus it is important for church planters to know how to assess people’s strengths and weaknesses and how to develop systems of relational training and oversight that guide people to their place of most effective ministry.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Is able to read people, knowing their strengths, weaknesses, alignment to the vision, openness and loyalty
  • Is able to design and implement an effective leadership training program that is gospel-based, relational, transformational, etc and provides the church with the leaders that it needs
  • Knows how to recruit the right people and direct them effectively so that they are growing in their personal lives and productive in ministry

• UNIT 3: Gospel Communication & Community

  Module 9: Proclaiming Christ from all of Scripture
  This hands-on preaching practicum aids participants in finding Christ in every text of Scripture and in developing the confidence that beholding Christ in the gospel is what transforms us. Participants analyse model sermons, as well as their own, and practice constructing gospel-based sermons that make Christ the resolution of the problems which affect our urban, and many times, skeptical listeners.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Has a gospel understanding of the Scripture and can preach about many issues from many texts by showing Christ and not resorting to moralism, shaming, or passive antinomianism (theological content)
  • Is able to bring people face to face with Christ. In confronting, comforting, encouraging, or challenging, the gospel is always the dynamic in how people change (how people change)
  • Makes the gospel ‘fascinating’ with context-sensitive passion, argument, transparency, scholarship and application (sermon construction)
  
  Module 10: Applying Christ to the Heart by Grace
  This module is a hands-on practicum that helps learners develop the skill of “applying Christ” to listeners’ hearts and minds so that they change in a biblical way, instead of through resorting to moralistic or ‘feel-good’ applications of Scripture. Issues such as “growth in communication skills”, “finding your voice”, “how to study” and other practical matters of homiletics are addressed.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Able to explain the difference between preaching from a moralistic paradigm and a biblical one
  • Is able to bring people face to face with Christ. In confronting, comforting, encouraging, or challenging, the gospel is always the dynamic in how people change
  • Is a competent, engaging communicator. You are easy to listen to and you engage with an audience (mechanics of speaking)
  
  Module 11: Dealing with Conflict in the Grace of Christ
  In this module, church leaders practice how to understand the conflict and differences of perspective that so commonly disrupt the life of congregations and how to bring truthful and powerful communication skills to the people they work with. Time is given to practicing how to have a gracious and wise “difficult conversation” with a person with whom you need to interact.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Graciously engages in conflict resolution and church discipline without avoidance or blame shifting and teaches others to do the same
  • Able to develop a culture of gracious conflict resolution in the church and community that trains people how to engage the pain and wrong in personal and community areas and bring shalom
  
  Module 12: The Grace Dynamics of Corporate Renewal
  Every few years we recognise our need for renewal: physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. But we need more than personal renewal. Churches need renewal as well. This module equips participants in the continuous spiritual renewal of their congregation by understanding the theology and relational dynamics of renewal, as well as the practical ministry issues involved in effectively planning for and bringing renewal into the life of the congregation.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Able to explain how the gospel fuels individual and corporate renewal
  • Values living in honesty and transparency, makes choices that reveal his/her knowledge of his/her deep need for others in worship, personal change, ‘re-creative’ fun and effective ministry to the world
  • Is able to develop and lead efforts/plans/programs that lead the church into renewal

• UNIT 4: Gospel Leadership & Influence

  Module 13: Executing Visionary Leadership
  In order to see people engaged, transformed, equipped and empowered, leaders need vision but they also need to chart a path for people to follow, giving attention to execution as well as ministry design. Keeping spiritual formation at the forefront of this, leaders will gain clarity about how they need to grow in communicating ministry vision, establishing appropriate measures to monitor progress, and develop their self-awareness about and plan for growing in the spiritual maturity required to lead with humble confidence.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Communicates ministry vision in a way that inspires others to act
  • Identifies and establishes appropriate measures to monitor progress towards Kingdom vision
  • Identifies relevant areas of strength and development to foster growing spiritual maturity and self-awareness
  • Articulates coherent and contextual ministry strategy using a plan on a page or infographic

  Module 14: Leadership Through Others
  From working directly with teams to empowering others to build and work in their own teams, ministry leaders need to learn to lead through others — especially as their ministries scale or multiply. To do this they must grow in understanding the various levels of leadership, designing development plans to raise up leaders relevant to the context (ideally in the context of an established learning community or pipeline), and gain and practice skills in giving feedback around performance with a developmental orientation.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Identify the relevant gifts and capabilities required for people to play their part in achieving the ministry’s kingdom vision and strategy
  • Identify potential men and women to raise up as leaders, who undergo regular capability reviews so their development needs are clear
  • Develop a bespoke leadership framework for your ministry context that provides a clear and accessible pathway for discerning the gifts, skills and talents congregation members and seeing them develop
  • Distinguish between pastoral and performance issues with staff members and volunteers in order to provide effective feedback that helps them develop

  Module 15: Leading Ministry Transformation
  This module addresses the challenge of implementing a ministry approach that makes change and transformation a priority — from the personal level upwards. As well as developing a toolkit to assist personal transformation through repentance, reflection and learning, participants will practice skills in goal-oriented and gospel-saturated coaching to disciple others towards spiritual maturity and effectively implement lasting change.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Embraces and advocates rhythms, habits and practices that enable personal change and growth through repentance, reflection and learning
  • Uses goal-oriented gospel coaching to walk alongside others as they mature in Christ and develop as leaders
  • Prepares a change management plan for an area of ministry that needs development to effectively implement lasting change
  • Able to speak and listen with love and radical candour, differentiating between the needs of different kinds of stakeholders
  • Develops a personal action plan to address gaps and growth areas in their leadership
  
  Module 16: Leading for the City
  Christian leadership must take us well beyond the four walls of a church and the Christian community into the cities and contexts of which we are part, to seek their good and wellbeing. In order to do this, leaders will need to embrace and grow in build deep, trusting relationships with other church leaders (outside their own church, network or tribe), developing and articulating a vision for whole of life discipleship — integrating faith and work, mercy and justice, words and deeds — and find sustainable rhythms for identifying resources and catalysts for gospel movement in the city.

  COMPETENCY OUTCOMES:
  • Able to articulate and implement strategies to develop leaders beyond the church, expressed in an action plan to amplify emerging leaders outside the church context
  • Confident to identify resources and catalysts to develop unity efforts, kingdom collaboration and gospel movement in a city/area
  • Develop sustainable practices of self-leadership to ensure long terms health that balances personal and public as well as church-focused and city-focused aspects of movement leadership
  • Map relevant stakeholders and construct a plan to develop a gospel movement focused on serving, blessing and seeking the flourishing of the city/area

Dates and Locations

The City to City Incubator Core 2027 will be delivered in the following locations:

Melbourne (dates to follow)

Cost

AUD$1,100 per person, per year (2 units per year)