Year-Round Mentoring Group for Pastors
with Jim Crooks, John Kirkpatrick & Paul Coulter
Testimonies from Past Participants
“I am very grateful to the Lord for this YRM for pastors. It was a big help to me. This time helped me divert my attention from the individual details to the Lord and devote more time to Him. This helped to reduce internal tension and discover greater internal balance.”
Gabrielius Lukosius, pastor from Lithuania
“Since I was appointed as pastor/elder (three years ago), I knew I needed the help of a more experienced pastor. I get someone to talk to and that´s a lot. Also, it´s helping me to focus, as a pastor, on the key aspects of the ministry and I´m improving on that, thank God, not trying to do so much on my own but rather delegating more and focusing on what only an elder can do.”
Esteban Cillero, elder in a church in Spain
Overview
Pastoral Ministry is one of God’s means to fulfill his purposes for the Church. Pastors/ministers are in the forefront of the action – or they should be. They will experience some wonderful adventures as they see God at work. They will also experience many trials, and the nature of their role can sometimes leave them exposed and vulnerable. Temptations will present themselves, often in subtle ways. How can we be sustained, fruitful, flourishing, and useful in the midst of these pressures?
We believe God has provided simple and accessible means within the body of Christ, through one another. Just as ‘safe houses’, and even the biblical ‘cities of refuge’, are models of survival in the pressures of life, this Year-Round Mentoring Initiative aims to provide a safe place for pastors in the form of a small ‘band of brothers’.
GOAL:
To gather, mentor, and cultivate a small community of pastors who will have the courage to be honest with themselves and transparent with each other so they can be strong and find strength from others.
PARTICIPANTS’ GROUPS:
Participants should be pastors and pastoral leaders who treasure pastoral ministry as a strategic means of God and would value mentoring within a band of brothers. Participants will be separated into two streams:
a) Starting well – up to seven men in the first seven years of pastoral ministry who would value support and encouragement.
b) Continuing well – up to twelve men with over seven years’ experience in ministry who are seeking refreshment in their ministry heart, values, and priorities.
PLAN:
1. Online meetings during the year between May 2022 and May 2023
2. December 2022 three-day retreat (from noon on 6-8 December)
We plan to meet in-person as a group, along with other Year-Round Mentoring Groups of the Forum (exact location TBD). The participant fees for the retreat are 150 Euros, or 100 Euros for scholarship recipients. For the retreat, non-scholarship recipients also have the option of paying 190 Euros in order to stay in a single room. Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses.
3. Pre-Forum Conference at the 2023 Forum, 19 and 20 May 2023 (Participants will still need to apply for the 2023 European Leadership Forum and will be responsible for paying Forum fees in order to participate in the Forum. Participants must also pay for their own travel expenses.).
YRM Leaders
Jim Crooks
Jim Crooks is an Associate of Living Leadership in the UK providing support to Pastors. He was a Pastor of an independent church in Perth (Scotland) for many years but retired from that role in December 2021. Previously, Jim had a long career in senior management in Colleges of further and higher education and latterly as Principal of colleges in Northern Ireland and Scotland. He is committed to leadership development in others – and himself. Jim has also served as a read more>>
John Kirkpatrick
John Kirkpatrick studied theology at Queens University and Union Theological College and served as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in inner-city, rural, and town churches. Since 1993 he has been the pastor of Portrush Presbyterian Church. Here, along with the regular work of the church, he oversees an apologetic course called Reality316, which provides training in apologetics and the biblical worldview. He serves as a chaplain in the sport of motorcycling. read more>>
Paul Coulter
Paul Coulter is a native of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, where he lives with his wife, Gar-Ling, and their two children. He has just taken up a position as Head of Ministry Operations with Living Leadership, whose aim is to grow leaders who are captivated by the gospel of God's grace. Previously he has worked as a medical doctor, a cross-cultural pastor with Chinese Christians in Belfast, a youth worker and director of equipping in a large suburban church, and a lecturer in learn more>>
Application Process
To apply:
Thoroughly review the curriculum.
Complete the online application.
All applications will be reviewed. We will notify you whether or not you have been accepted as a participant in the 2022-23 programme within four to six weeks.
If you have questions, contact us at initiatives@euroleadership.org.