UK church leadership training course

Lead with Confidence

Practical people management training for church leaders

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leadership transformation

Why join the course?

Are you qualified in theology but lacking people management skills?

Who this course is for

You're responsible for leading your congregation and you want to do it with excellence.

You care deeply about serving Jesus and His church. In doing so, you want to lead with clarity and confidence, without leadership feeling overwhelming, reactive or misaligned with your faith.

This course is designed for:

  • Church leaders responsible for leading their congregation
  • Pastors, ministers, vicars and elders with line management responsibility
  • Ministry leaders (operations, youth, worship, outreach) who oversee paid and or volunteer teams

Whether you lead paid staff, volunteers or both, this programme equips you with practical leadership skills that support healthy teams and sustainably.

The challenge church leaders face

Leading people in church is uniquely demanding

Church leaders are often expected to:

  • Care pastorally for people
  • Cast and sustain vision
  • Lead volunteers who can choose when and how they engage
  • Manage paid staff who are often part of your congregation
  • Navigate power, trust and spiritual influence responsibly
  • Handle conflict and difficult conversations without damaging faith or relationships

Many leaders are called into ministry but receive little or no training in people leadership.

Why practical training matters

Confidence can be undermined by pressure and complexity

The emotional, relational and spiritual weight of leadership can lead to:

  • Avoiding difficult conversations
  • Carrying too much personally
  • Blurred boundaries between care and accountability
  • Unclear expectations or misalignment
  • Fatigue and loss of confidence

Good church leadership shouldn't rely on instinct or guesswork alone.

Church leaders deserve practical, grounded leadership training that reflects the realities of ministry.

Our flagship training programme: Lead with Confidence (church leadership edition)

Lead with Confidence is a series of interactive workshops designed specifically for leaders working in church and ministry contexts.

We work closely with:

  • Churches and church networks
  • Charities and faith-based organisations
  • Leadership teams and ministry leaders

Our approach is:

  • Practical and relevant
  • Grounded in real leadership situations
  • Supportive, reflective and honest
  • Focused on confidence, clarity and responsibility

Learn through live, interactive workshops

Delivered by an experienced Learning & Development Consultant, the programme offers:

  • Live, interactive online workshops
  • Practical discussion around real church leadership challenges
  • Space for reflection and peer learning
  • Opportunities to practise leadership skills in a supportive environment

All sessions are delivered live online — not pre-recorded — to ensure meaningful interaction.

→ View the programme

Choose your cohort

Choose the 2026 cohort that suits your schedule.

Both cohorts are delivered fully online. We have two cohorts throughout 2026:

  • April — 2 & 3 hour sessions every Thursday for 5 weeks
  • September — 2 & 3 hour sessions every Tuesday for 5 weeks

Each cohort follows the same five-session journey as listed below.

→ View the course details

Book your place today

Secure your place online today

There are limited spaces per cohort to ensure the workshops can be interactive for all participants.

→ Book your place

Book the workshop most relevant to you

You can also book onto a specific workshop from weeks 2, 3 and 4, allowing you to focus on the skills most relevant to your role.

→ View course details

Let's chat about your options

If you are unsure of which cohort is right for you or whether to commit to the full course or just a single workshop, we are happy to chat with you about your options.

→ Contact us to discuss your options
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church leadership training

Who should take this course

This course is designed for leaders working in the UK church of any denomination or movement. No previous leadership training is required.

Pastors, ministers, vicars

You are trained pastorally and theologically, but not for people management and team leadership.

Ministry leaders

You lead a team, often of volunteers, where you have to balance expectations from your church leadership and congregation.

Week-by-week

Workshop journey

The five sessions blend practical workshops, peer reflection and personal development — giving you tools and techniques to use immediately.

Week 1

Stepping Into Church Leadership

This session is delivered online for all cohorts.

Online3 hours

What you'll learn

A foundational session focused on the transition from doing ministry to leading people in ministry. This session explores leadership through trust, responsibility and healthy authority, using church-based scenarios involving volunteers and paid staff.

Key takeaways

  • Understand the mindset shift from individual contributor to leader
  • Explore trust as the foundation of healthy ministry teams
  • Build psychological safety in church and volunteer teams
  • Apply a structured five-step approach to delegation
  • Delegate clearly without guilt, control or over-functioning
  • Balance pastoral care with leadership responsibility

Week 2

Resilient Leadership: Leading Under Pressure

This session can be booked as a standalone workshop subject to availability.

Online2 hours

What you'll learn

Tools for staying grounded, resilient and emotionally healthy in the pressures of church leadership. This session recognises the emotional and spiritual load leaders carry and offers practical ways to lead sustainably.

Key takeaways

  • Recognise signs of burnout, overload and compassion fatigue
  • Understand emotional pressure in ministry contexts
  • Develop resilience practices for sustainable leadership
  • Support team wellbeing while maintaining clarity and expectation
  • Avoid rescuing, over-functioning or carrying what isn't yours

Week 3

Leading with Clarity & Accountability

This session can be booked as a standalone workshop subject to availability.

Online2 hours

What you'll learn

Learn how to lead with clarity and accountability whilst maintaining pastoral care. This session explicitly addresses leading volunteers and paid staff, and how clarity supports trust, ownership and engagement.

Key takeaways

  • Translate church vision into clear, actionable expectations
  • Align ministry goals with wider church mission
  • Hold accountability with kindness and confidence
  • Maintain momentum through structured check-ins
  • Address misalignment early and constructively
  • Encourage ownership without pressure or manipulation

Week 4

Feedback & Difficult Conversations in a Church Context

This session can be booked as a standalone workshop subject to availability.

Online2 hours

What you'll learn

How to give feedback and navigate difficult conversations in ways that are honest, respectful and spiritually healthy. This session explores power dynamics in church leadership and the responsible use of influence.

Key takeaways

  • Deliver feedback that builds trust and growth
  • Structure difficult conversations clearly and calmly
  • Manage emotional and defensive responses
  • Use faith language responsibly in leadership conversations
  • Create a learning-focused, accountable culture

Week 5

Emotional Intelligence in Action & Leading with Intention

This session is delivered online for all cohorts.

Online3 hours

What you'll learn

This final session integrates emotional intelligence with reflection on your leadership journey and future direction. You'll explore how your personality, emotional patterns and values shape your leadership impact.

Key takeaways

  • Identify emotional triggers and leadership patterns
  • Practise empathetic listening and presence
  • Improve self-regulation and impact awareness
  • Build stronger, healthier leadership relationships
  • Define your personal leadership approach
  • Reflect on key growth moments across the programme
  • Commit to intentional leadership habits
  • Create a practical plan for continued development
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Joe Husbands delivering a leadership training session

Meet your Trainer

Joe Husbands

Learning and Development Consultant

Joe is an award-shortlisted Learning & Development Consultant with extensive experience designing and delivering high-impact leadership and management programmes.

With a particular specialism in leadership development, Joe supports organisations — including churches and charities — to build confident, emotionally intelligent leaders.

Joe is a practising Christian and serves at his local church so he understands the realities, responsibilities and tensions of church leadership. His approach combines professional leadership practice with care, clarity and integrity.

Testimonials

What previous cohort members are saying about this course

“It has made me want to think more intentionally about what kind of a leader I want to be.”

“Given me a much calmer presence, understood how I can develop and the actions I can put in place to be a better leader.”

“I feel I have shifted from team member to leader and to leading with intention.”

“It’s been great, it’s a good exploration of different models, it makes you think about what kind of leader you want to be. And gives a good grounding in core leadership principles.”

“You understand yourself better, gives you more of a clearer mindset and gives you the confidence to deliver from models and tips on how to lead with a confident approach.”

“It’s a great quality course, with excellent delivery. Very practical too. Made a big difference to my leadership journey.”

Location & Investment

Course details

All cohorts are delivered fully online via interactive Zoom workshops.

Course Price

Investment

Standard Price

£495+ VAT

(per person)

Book your place

Are you a client of Cornerstone Resources?

For churches on a monthly partnership contract with us, you can pay using your allocated monthly hours. This includes the 20% training discount provided to partnered clients.

If you prefer not to use your allocated monthly hours and would rather pay the fixed fee, you can pay via the booking link below however this will be charged as full price and not include the 20% training discount.

Please contact your HR Consultant or Advisor to discuss your preferred option and secure your place.

Flexibility built in

Flexible booking options

Standalone Workshops

Weeks 2, 3 and 4 can be booked as standalone workshops, offering flexibility for leaders who want to focus on a specific leadership challenge or are unable to commit to the full programme.

Full Programme

Weeks 1 and 5 form the foundations and consolidation of the programme and are available only as part of the full course.

Online

Location

Online Workshops

All online workshops are delivered via Zoom with interactive breakout rooms throughout the programme. You will be emailed the Zoom joining links following booking confirmation in the days preceding the workshop.

Date & Time

Dates for your calendar

We run cohorts on different days of the week to suit different schedules.

23 April

09:30 – 12:30

Online

30 April

09:30 – 11:30

Online

7 May

09:30 – 11:30

Online

14 May

09:30 – 11:30

Online

21 May

09:30 – 12:30

Online

22 September

09:30 – 12:30

Online

29 September

09:30 – 11:30

Online

6 October

09:30 – 11:30

Online

13 October

09:30 – 11:30

Online

20 October

09:30 – 12:30

Online

Book your place

Book your place

Choose the cohort that works for you

Secure your place on the cohort that suits your schedule.

Online workshops

April cohort

Weekly sessions on Thursdays with a mix of 2 and 3 hour workshops.

Book your place
Online workshops

September cohort

Weekly sessions on Tuesdays with a mix of 2 and 3 hour workshops.

Book your place

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for?

Contact us

and we'll be happy to help.

What happens if a session is cancelled?

If we need to cancel a session, we will either reschedule it or provide a pro-rata refund for that session.

What if the trainer is unable to deliver?

If the trainer is unavailable and no suitable substitute is available, the session will be rescheduled or refunded on a pro-rata basis.

Can I transfer my place to someone else?

Yes, with prior agreement. Please contact us in advance.

What if I miss a session?

Refunds are not available for missed sessions.

Is this course recorded?

Sessions will not be recorded, however you will receive the key takeaways and reflective document following the session.

What if I have accessibility requirements?

Please contact us in advance and we will do our best to accommodate reasonable requirements.

Terms & Conditions

Course terms

These terms explain how we manage bookings, delivery and participation for the Lead with Confidence programme.

1. Booking & Payment

Places on the programme are confirmed once payment has been received in full, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Bookings are made per participant and are not transferable without prior agreement.

All prices are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.

2. Programme Delivery

The programme is delivered live online unless otherwise stated.

Session dates and times will be confirmed in advance.

We reserve the right to make reasonable changes to session content, timing or delivery format where necessary, provided the learning outcomes remain materially the same.

3. Trainer Availability & Substitution

In the unlikely event that the named trainer is unable to deliver a session, we will make reasonable efforts to provide a suitably qualified substitute from within our organisation.

Where no suitable substitute is available, the affected session will be rescheduled to a mutually agreed date, or cancelled with a pro-rata refund for the affected session only.

We are not liable for any additional costs incurred by participants as a result of rescheduling or cancellation. This protects you while still feeling fair and reasonable.

4. Cancellations by Us

We reserve the right to cancel or postpone a session or programme due to unforeseen circumstances, including illness, technical failure, or circumstances beyond our control.

Where a session or programme is cancelled by us, participants will be offered a rescheduled session, or a pro-rata refund for the affected session(s).

5. Participant Cancellations & Refunds

If a participant cancels more than 14 days before the programme start date, a full refund will be issued.

If a participant cancels within 14 days of the programme start date, no refund will be provided.

Once the programme has started, refunds are not available for missed sessions or partial attendance.

Participants may nominate a substitute attendee with prior agreement. (You can adjust the notice period if you wish.)

6. Attendance & Participation

Participants are responsible for attending sessions and ensuring they have appropriate access to the required technology.

We are not responsible for missed sessions due to technical issues on the participant’s side.

Sessions will not be recorded for future use.

7. Programme Materials & IP

All programme materials, content, frameworks and resources remain the intellectual property of Cornerstone Resources.

Materials are provided for the participant’s personal development only and must not be shared, reproduced or distributed without written permission.

8. Confidentiality

We ask all participants to respect the confidentiality of personal or organisational information shared during sessions.

We cannot guarantee confidentiality where participants choose to share information in group discussions.

This is especially important for church and charity contexts.

9. Liability

We do not accept liability for any loss, damage or injury arising from participation in the programme, except where required by law.

The programme provides leadership development and does not constitute legal, financial, medical or pastoral advice.

10. Data Protection

Personal data will be processed in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

Data will be used solely for the purposes of programme administration and communication.

11. Governing Law

These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.