2025 Leaders of Christian Organisations (Senior Leaders) Network
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The Leaders of Christian Organizations Network: Senior Leaders Track seeks to equip experienced leaders to direct the continent’s Christian churches and organizations in a way that ensures the greatest impact for God’s Kingdom. This Network seeks to provide practical wisdom, useful leadership insights, and biblically-based solutions to key problem areas, as well as to encourage leaders facing key organisational challenges. This Network also addresses significant issues that experienced leaders may encounter, from how to deal with their own assumptions of personal integrity and virtue, to topics like strategic planning, vision-casting, time management, and delegation, prioritising organisational objectives, and assessing finances and resource development.
Each day will incorporate mixed modes of learning, combining expert input, working on live leadership issues, working through tools and frameworks that you can take away and apply back home, time for peer learning exchange, and the opportunity to pray together as fellow leaders. We hope this will enable each participant to contribute from the richness of their own experience in leadership, as well as providing space and support to apply learning to the specific leadership challenges and opportunities you face.
Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "I knew I needed help and training, and ELF is an answer to that need. I feel really encouraged to continue investing in Christian leaders who will impact the church, universities, the marketplace, and the world."
- Annayiz Goutier, National Leader of Students for Christ, Belgium - "As the leader of an organisation, I had the ability to be inspired, encouraged, and empowered to do more effective ministry through the Forum’s Leaders of Christian Organisations Network. Through the Forum I see the huge potential to develop skills and ministry connections through the Forum’s Networks. These are potential peers and partners for future ministry. I have learned much and developed skills and character for my work."
- Samuel Cekov, Executive Director of Ambassadors for Christ, Slovakia - "I participated in ELF this year for the first time, after 28 years of full-time ministry. The leadership training has been fantastic and the worship God-focused. I have connected with many like-minded brothers and sisters. I plan to come back next year, hopefully with my entire leadership team."
- Laszlo Kazar, Director of Word of Life, Hungary
Applicants should be leading or helping to lead Christian organisations or churches. They should be seeking practical tools and biblically-based solutions in key problem areas of the leader's role.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
John Allert is the Eurasia Regional Director with Via Nations. He has been working for 20 years with emerging leaders. In that time, he has lived on support working with Cru, Campus Ministry Today, and the Center for Mission Mobilization. John also holds a Master in Christian Education from… Read more
Rick Hill is a speaker, author and leader based near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Having previously served in various ministry roles, Rick now oversees the Council for Mission in Ireland within the Presbyterian Church. He is also an elder in Carnmoney Church and author of Deep Roots of Resilient… Read more
John Kirkpatrick served as a minister in the Presbyterian Church for the past 40 years. He’s recently retired but is still very active across several ministries. He chairs the management board at Union Theological College and has some teaching and mentoring responsibilities there. John also… Read more
Henryk Król is president & CEO of DEOrecordings Association (CCM Media), an umbrella organisation owning three limited companies: Studio DR, Ltd (he is its President and CEO), Radio CCM Ltd. and MCC Group, Ltd. It forms an innovative media ministry based in Poland that combines traditional… Read more
Zefjan Nikolla is the General Secretary of BSKSH (IFES Albania) and pastor of Emanuel Evangelical Church in Tirana. He is involved in various national and international evangelistic initiatives ranging from youth ministries to attempts to reach government leaders. He is also the director of the… Read more
Mihail Stefanov is the assistant pastor at Crossroad’s Church Sofia (crossroadchurch.bg) and the founder of Culture and People (cultureandpeople.eu) – an international consulting firm helping global business leaders transform the culture of their organizations. He has a deep passion for… Read more
John Stevens is the National Director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, a family of over 500 Bible-centred churches in the UK, a position that he has held since 2010. Prior to this he was one of the founding pastors of City Evangelical Church Birmingham, which was planted in… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 18 May
Among the many qualities of leaders, integrity and vulnerability stand out. Without integrity, leadership is emptied of any meaning. But how is integrity developed and maintained in a fallen world? Vulnerability might seem incompatible with strong leadership, but it is strength of a different sort. In this session, we will investigate both of these character traits and consider how embracing and enjoying the Gospel is the key to leadership that inspires and best serves the purposes of God.
Being isolated in ministry can lead to burnout, a heart far from God, and damage to our most cherished relationships. We need teams, but many of us have experienced how bad teams can devastate a ministry and be black hole of time and effort. How do we lead and develop healthy, long-term, fruitful teams? In this session, we will examine some biblical principles that lead to healthy teams and encourage collaborative learning and discussion. We will share lessons learned and practical tips that will help your team develop into more effective leaders who are life-giving to your ministry.
Monday, 19 May
Leading younger leaders is not only the privilege of older leaders, but it is one of their most significant contributions to the health of the church. This session will focus on lessons we can draw from the Apostle Paul’s relationship with Timothy. We will emphasise the essential qualities that experienced leaders should be developing in younger leaders in order for these younger leaders to be effective in the ministries God has called them.
No one church, ministry or mission agency is able to carry single-handedly the work of God’s kingdom. Nor should Christian leadership ever be a solo task. This session will offer helpful principles and practices in the area of church partnership and gospel collaboration. We will explore practical aspects of collaborative leadership such as building strong relationships, developing healthy partnerships and being clear on our missional distinctives.
Tuesday, 20 May
Conflict between people is inevitable, but it can also be an opportunity for growth, unity, and deeper faith when handled with wisdom and grace. In this session, Christian leaders will explore biblical principles and practical strategies for navigating and resolving conflict within their ministries and communities. We will learn how to lead with integrity, humility, and discernment, fostering reconciliation and peace in the face of division. This session aims to equip leaders with the spiritual and practical tools needed to manage tension while remaining anchored in Christ's example of love and truth.
Christian leaders are not perfect and will inevitably sin and fail in many ways. Whilst Christian leaders are rightly held to a higher standard of godly conduct, this does not mean that they should not be treated with grace and forgiveness when they fail. Some failures might rightly result in disqualification from ministry, but the proper response to others is repentance, restoration, and reconciliation. This session will consider what the Bible says about leadership failure, what churches, organisations, and leaders should do when there has been a significant failure, and how a healthy, biblical response to leadership failure impacts our communities and the wider society.
Wednesday, 21 May
What does it mean to lead well as a follower of Christ? What are the keys to success, and how should “success” be defined? In this session, Henryk Krol will walk through his 50 years of leadership experience, sharing his biggest mistakes, surprising discoveries, and the top 5 lessons he has learned in striving to lead others while following the Lord.
In this last session we will explore:
- How can we continue to grow as leaders?
- What are the next steps to springboard to fruitful ministry and leadership?
We plan to end by forming cohort groups to keep one another accountable to the plans we've made and to spur each other on throughout the year and then entrust each other in God’s providence in prayer.