The Lakelands Institute is a consortium of visionary pastors, coaches, and community builders who offer wisdom, experience, and practical know-how to church leaders who recognize that ministry has forever changed.
Courses
Principled Leadership in Polarized Times
Leadership in this age when divisions harm community life presents an unprecedented challenge. In this course, Rev. Jake Morrill outlines ways leaders can be fully present, and yet well-differentiated, among the people they lead.
Antiracism from A to Z
This course is built for groups. Click for info about group pricing.
In seeking to build an anti-racist church, words are important, and what we mean matters even more. Join Rev. Neal Christie for a fascinating exploration of words and concepts that define and describe our work together.
Zoom 3:16: Online Presence for Engagement
How many times in the last year have you said, “They didn’t train us for this in seminary”? How could they have known? Just as you prepared for serving effectively in the pulpit and the classroom, you can prepare to effectively communicate your message via Zoom, and you won’t even have to go back to seminary to do it!
Ministry Alternatives: a mastermind for those who are considering a change
This mastermind is a six-month group coaching experience for those who’ve had enough. If you’re burned out, overwhelmed, and have a desk drawer full of job applications, keep reading.
Mini Think Tanks: Inviting Creative Imagination and Experimentation Into My Church
What might be possible if we create a think-tank of peers who want to get out of their own way, find ways past potential obstacles and resistance, and create something new?
Coaching Foundations
Looking to add coaching to your ministry certifications? While therapy helps people process their past, coaching is a powerful way to help people look to the future. This course will get you started on your journey to becoming a certified coach!
Faith and Photography
Have you ever considered photography, even with your smartphone, as a spiritual discipline that can draw you closer to God and help you see the beauty in all of God’s creation?
The Online Worship Academy
This course will put you ahead with top-to-bottom, comprehensive training. This course will teach you how to present more worshipful, polished, and engaging worship online to reach more people.
Podcasting Your Ministry
In this spotlight course, you will be taken step-by-step through the process of creating audio content and distributing it. By the time you complete this comprehensive course, you’ll have a professional quality stream of audio available to anyone.
Reimagining Community: Engaging people in virtual space
Religious faith depends upon community. Learn how to find and build community in this time of social distancing and church, synagogue, and mosque closures.
Create a Course With the Lakelands Institute
Do you have knowledge or experience that would help clergy and other church leaders? Take this short course to see if your expertise might be turned into a course with the Lakelands Institute.
Covenant for Conversation
When we engage in dialogue, it is good to have certain boundaries in order to create the space for us to speak, listen, and deeply hear others. This short course is designed to help us enter into a covenant with each other to speak and hear with grace and kindness.
Why Lakelands?
Our courses are led by clergy and church professionals who know what it means to lead a local church. We’ve all had to pull off miracles with limited resources and have come up with solutions when budgets were thin. We came together for such a time as this.
Why Now?
Whether it be the pandemic, the struggle for racial justice and equity, or the polarized politics of today, we are experiencing a different world than the one we were born in. Leaders are struggling for survival, knowing that challenges like these have not occurred in our lifetimes. With experience in facilitating deep dialogue, leading through transition, tech skills, and a vision for the whole church, we feel like we were made for this moment. You were too. So let’s do this!