PAW announces grant award for the Lead Well program at the national convention in Baltimore.

Council Boot Camps Financial Stability ● Ministry Management ● Emotional Wellness ● Community Leadership Register for a FREE Boot Camp for the pastors of your council! Healthy pastors produce healthy churches and healthy churches Many pastors today are overwhelmed by financial pressure, emotional fatigue, administrative overload, and community expectations. Lead Well was designed to address these issues from research gathered directly from PAW pastors. And every instructor is an affiliate of the PAW and an expert in their field. strengthen councils! Purpose of Boot Camp Trainings Through Boot Camps, Lead Well seeks to develop and support PAW pastors who are striving to be financially and emotionally well and efficiently leading their ministries and communities - regardless of their age, scale, or stage of ministry. Focus Areas We spend one hour on each topic Financial Stability Our pastors' personal and household finances are stable Emotional Wellness Our pastors feel mentally and emotionally well Ministry Management Our pastors are efficient managers of their ministry operations (financially & administratively) Community Leadership Our pastors are leaders who help meet the economic needs of their communities $300 scholarship for each pastor upon completion (to purchase a tool in the focus areas) Live Q & A with instructors Practical tools pastors can implement immediately All registration and facilitation handled by the Lead Well team *Note: Funds available until exhausted; scholarship spending limited to focus areas Choose Format Pick the format that best fits your Council's rhythm Option 1 Weekly Virtual Cohort Format 4 consecutive weekly sessions, one hour each (ex. each Wednesday evening for a month) Option 2 Intensive Virtual Format 4 consecutive evenings (ex. Monday through Thursday, one hour each day) or one day (ex. Saturday for a 5-hour block) Option 3 One Day Summit Onsite Format One day in-person fellowship (ex. Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm) Note: Limited based on feasibility of travel. Costs for presenters’ travel/accommodations must be shared. Register Here Registration: Council Boot Camp We are a U.S.-based Council * Council/Diocese* Name of Diocesan Bishop* Contact Person's Title* Contact First Name* Contact Last Name* Contact Email* Contact Phone* Will this contact person also be the Lead Well team's point of contact for promotions and logistics? Yes No Which Boot Camp format are you interested in?* Option 1 — Weekly Virtual Cohort Format: 4 consecutive weekly sessions, one hour each (ex. each Wednesday evening for a month) Option 2 — Intensive Virtual Format: 4 consecutive evenings (ex. Monday through Thursday, one hour each day) or one day (ex. Saturday for a 5-hour block) Option 3 — One Day Summit Onsite Format: One day in-person fellowship (ex. Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm), includes 4 learning modules and guided discussion (Note: Limited based on feasibility of travel. Costs for presenters’ travel/accommodations must be shared). Please share the dates and times you would like to host a Boot Camp. If your preferred time is not available, what would be your second choice? Briefly share how you hope this Boot Camp will help your pastors. Comments/Questions? How'd you hear about Lead Well? I acknowledge, understand, and agree with the statement below. * You are signing up your Council up for a Lead Well learning program, a grant-funded opportunity made possible at no cost to your Council by the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). The Lead Well team will handle registration and facilitation of the program, however, you/your Council agree to promote the program and recruit pastors to enroll. Lead Well can provide a flyer for use in promoting your event. Your Council (or individual pastors) will be responsible for the tech equipment (computer or phone) and internet access needed to participate in online learning and/or travel/lodging fees associated with onsite sessions. Lead Well does not offer reimbursements for these expenses. Once your pastors have completed all the lessons in a Lead Well Boot Camp (online or onsite), they will immediately be eligible to receive a scholarship up to $300. These funds can only be used to buy a tool (software, books, consultant, etc.) specifically related to any of the focus areas (personal finances, emotional wellness, managing ministry, or community leadership). Limited to funds available and PAW pastors in the USA (per the funder's instruction). Pastors will not directly receive the funds (the PAW will directly make scholarship purchases on their behalf). If you have chosen the in-person format (option 3), confirmation is subject to the negotiation of shared expenses that are associated with the travel/accommodation costs for the instructors. **Your confirmation will appear at the BOTTOM of the form after hitting submit** Submit

Program Design Financial Stability ● Ministry Management ● Emotional Wellness ● Community Leadership Here's an overview of Lead Well 's design strategies and some brief background information on the concerns that shaped them. Note: This is background information. You're encouraged to visit Overview to better understand the final program design. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) is a membership organization that exists to equip and deploy people and resources to preach, teach, and reach the least and the lost, so that Christ may be preeminent in every life. To be effective in our purpose, we must improve how we nurture our member pastors’ abilities to navigate their own economic pressures and those of the congregations and communities they serve. The research we conducted not only confirmed some of the anticipated issues around the lack of knowledge and skills related to finances and business operations, but it also uncovered new areas of concern, particularly in the interrelation of financial pressures and mental health, along with the ability to meet the growing basic needs of urban communities, especially post-pandemic. While expressed differently, there were four socio-economic capacities that repeatedly emerged as most critical to strengthening our pastors. We heard loudly that if we want PAW pastors to thrive in 21st century ministry then we must focus supports that ensure they are: Background We believe the best way to encourage our pastors’ growth and development in achieving these traits is by delivering direct, scaffolded supports that increase their basic knowledge; provide them with a wide range of high-quality resources, tools, and opportunities to improve their practice; and offer them financial assistance, which we will do through a new debt relief fund (the Ministerial Excellence Fund). Additionally, we must work to improve how our organization serves pastors and holds them accountable, so we need to build the knowledge and capacity of those who surround them in ministry Financially stable (personally), Effective managers of ministry operations (financially and administratively), Emotionally well, and Leaders who are instrumental in meeting the economic needs of their communities. (e.g., congregation leaders and members, pastors’ spouses, peer pastors, organizational superiors) and undergo an effort that improves the policies and practices that affect their success. The research also highlighted that we must make our focus intentional in our system of pastoral support. “Nurturing” pastors means we should be caring, encouraging, and protecting them as we work to grow and develop their ability to stabilize their personal finances, effectively operate their ministries, acknowledge and prioritize their emotional wellbeing, and genuinely lead within the communities they serve. Key Concerns Personal Finances Our funder asked us to think of the challenges of the dual role of pastors - publicly the church’s top (financial) leader and also (financial) leader of a private household. While some pastors have the means to hire a professional service or staff, and some appoint someone from the congregation to help manage church finances, that doesn’t usually offer relief from the private stressors that come with navigating the issues with their own personal debt and sometimes poor credit. We heard our pastors feel pressure, criticized, and judged by others when their personal finances are not in order. A universal and widely known truth was highlighted in our learning process: money matters are private. That silence is a real problem among struggling clergy. We heard spiritual leaders aren't very comfortable sharing about their own circumstances or asking for help when it comes to their own financial and administrative affairs. Sometimes it's rooted in shame, intimidation, lack of knowledge, or pride. Some don't know what or who to ask and others don't like or want to ask. There are also those who believe that asking for help is just theologically wrong and in some way it diminishes their faith. Managing Churches In the research we heard that recovering from the pandemic has been significant. It's pushed some to innovate, especially with technology integration, but too many feel stuck and need help pivoting if their churches are going to survive. Many were already being negatively impacted by a lack of financial resources - due to a small church congregation, the socio-economic status of their membership, stewardship and tithing issues, and/or the pastor's inability to obtain other resources. The effects of the pandemic in many cases have accelerated the prior trends of declining attendance, aging membership, and the increasing social and economic needs of community - not to mention inflation. As pastors feel pressure, so do their congregations! A large number of pastors admit they lack the acumen to effectively manage church budgets or identify and implement fundraising strategies beyond raising offerings; so they pressure congregations to give....more. We believe most of our pastors serve (and carry) small, predominately Black churches with less than 50 members, who are in a low- to moderate-income bracket. It's important to note that although wealth gap research says Black households have less wealth, it also says Black givers actually outgive other ethnic groups, contributing a greater percent of their income to charitable entities (meaning that the Black church is already the largest recipient of their charity). As we listened, we were forced to really examine the context of our leaders and the communities in which they pastor. For the majority of our membership, economics has always been contextualized through a race lens, even if not explicitly spoken. It's well documented that the economic impact of systematic racism in this country has crippled Black clergy and their congregations – and this wicked legacy lives on today. Rarely are racial economic disparities and the impact on the Black church deeply discussed or addressed. But national research says Black clergy salaries average two-thirds that of White clergy. Black clergy are less likely to receive retirement or health benefits and almost half of Black clergy are bi-vocational. The stark reality is many of our pastors are financially dependent on our country’s most financially at-risk populations, who are doing their best to sustain ministries. Emotional Wellness Fiscal and administrative competencies are critical, but the effectiveness of a pastor's ministry is also intrinsically linked to their overall wellbeing. Prioritizing wellbeing ensures pastors can effectively fulfill their roles, which contributes to the overall quality of their ministry. We believe addressing the mental and emotional health aspects of ministry management is essential in 21st century ministry (see more at Research). To address the emotional challenges inherent in pastoral duties, this program incorporates an emotional wellness track to help leaders identify the psychological and administrative sources of their stress and how to plan a healthy path forward. It was also noted that the pandemic has affected how we relate to one another, with people feeling more intense and stressed - which the initiative will also seek to deliver tools to help mitigate. Community Leadership The inherent inequality in Black communities is beyond the control of our pastors today. Yet there's an expectation that Black clergy have a responsibility to help address the material lack of their neighbors and lift them out of their economic plight. Think tank members felt the impact of the pandemic and the rise of social justice movements have caused a renewed focus on Black churches in urban centers as mini social and economic institutions. It's a significant aspect of financial wholeness for congregations and the communities in which they belong. Essential to our pastors’ success here will be knowing how to leverage local grants, partnerships and politics to help alleviate the extra strain the churches and their members feel as they try to meet the emerging needs of the communities they serve. Equipping pastors with skills and tools to enhance their community outreach will help to amplify the social impact of their ministries – and attract more help to share the load, whether it be more funding, volunteers, and/or advocates who have access to resources. Building the Capacity of Others There was a strong consensus that it's going to take the mobilization of our entire network to shift the culture and mindsets that reinforce the detrimental practices and quiet suffering endured by too many of our spiritual leaders. So, while the majority of resources of this effort are allocated towards directly supporting pastors, we're making an attempt to influence, teach, and activate lateral influences (spouses and peer pastors), subordinates (congregational leaders and members), and organizational superiors (diocesan and national leadership). According to research, the fastest way to create a cultural shift and to sustain change is to employ the principles of community organizing, where people come together and organize to change the conditions that affect them. Here we also hope that as we increase the awareness of those surrounding the pastor, not only will they play a major role in helping pastors to be more successful, but they too will be motivated to improve their own personal finances, emotional health, and commitment to serving their neighbors. Also, early in our planning process, the importance of leveraging our own talent was emphasized because some PAW pastors and leaders are further along on the continuum of achieving success in finances and organizational management. We were charged with making sure we actively recruit from among the membership before soliciting outside support., recognizing our own hold an unique perspective to reach their peers. Systems This effort will not only catalyze our efforts to strengthen our members in support of pastors, but it will effect our systems as well. We expect this effort will transform how we serve our pastors, yielding an unprecedented focus on data (its collection, analysis, use in decision making, strategy, and marketing), setting better expectations, and improving accountability with refreshed policies, processes, protocols, and plans.

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