Our Blog
Where you will find articles and resources to help you grow as a leader.
Our Dreams
We dream of faith communities growing, attracting people of all ages and cultures as they make a difference in their own neighborhood and in the world.
We dream of a movement of Christian leaders on their faith pilgrimage, trying to live a little more like Jesus each day.
We dream of embodying Jesus’ words to Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31)
We dream of faith communities filled with leaders living out a deep, bold, consequential faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Mission
“The most important one” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:29-31
Mission: Developing leaders with deep, bold, consequential faith in Jesus Christ
Vision: Leaders growing ministries and faith communities to serve the world, living every day as disciples.
Strategy: To resource people in practicing discipleship that loves God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loves our neighbor as ourselves.
Serving: Rostered, lay and student leaders
Our Vision of Christian Leadership
So what makes a Christian leader different? It’s about following Jesus, living each day as a disciple. You might say it is about following to lead.
LEAD has clarity on what it means to be a disciple drawing on the ancient words of the Shema and the Great Commandment lived and spoken by Jesus Christ. We use these words to shape our lives and our organizational structure as we seek to align all we do to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Read more.
Our Team
Our team is a combination of paid, stipend and volunteer staff who are committed to developing Christian leaders. In addition to this core team, we also have an internship program, a strong relationship with the TX–LA Gulf Coast Synod staff and collaboration with leaders across the world.
Meet the team here…
Our Visuals
LEAD uses symbols and colors to identify each of the four areas in the Disciple Frame.
HEART – the color is purple and the Greek symbol is κ (Kappa)
SOUL– the color is blue and the Greek symbol is Ψ (Psi)
MIND– the color is green and the Greek symbol is δ (Delta)
STRENGTH– the color is orange and the Greek symbol is ί (Iota)
Our History
The courage to LEAD!
The 2012 TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod Assembly made a big decision to focus on leadership development. The entrepreneurial spirit of designing a separate non-profit organization to take up this focus was groundbreaking for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America synods.
LEAD began with a listening process. Peggy Hahn (often accompanied by Chris Hicks or Vonda Drees) intentionally listened one-on-one to 92 pastors in the synod as well as to others across the country. Together we learned how pastors were growing in their own faith and also gained insight on their congregational needs for leadership development.
With this information in hand, the Design Team went through an intentional process of reflection and discernment exploring the questions of Christian leadership. Over time it became clear that the Shema, and in Jesus’ words, the Great Commandment, were at the core of what it means to be a Christian leader.
Pastor Rich Nelson, on the Design Team, shared a journey he had been leading people through for over 9 years using these very scriptures. After learning more about “The Way” from Rich, the Design Team had clarity on a system for growing leaders we now call The Disciple Frame.