Growing as a Leader
This autumn the Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller is inviting all licensed clergy, including Non-Stipendiary Ministers and serving Church Army officers from the Diocese to spend three days in Donegal town. Between Monday 6th and Thursday 9th October, the 2008 Clergy Conference will focus on ‘Growing as a Leader’.
All main sessions will be led by James Lawrence. James works for the Church Pastoral Aid Society (an Anglican mission agency based in the UK) as Director of the Arrow Leadership Programme. This role combines his two passions in ministry, leadership and evangelism. James came to faith as a teenager from a non Christian background. Following a degree in theology at Durham University, James trained at an Anglican vicar-factory (Ridley Hall, Cambridge). He then worked as assistant minister of an ecumenical church before taking on a part time role as deanery advisor in evangelism.
He joined CPAS in 1993 as an evangelist, engaged in missions and training others in evangelism. He has a particular concern for men and his workbook Men - the Challenge of Change (CPAS) was published in 1997. That year he was invited to join Springboard (the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York’s initiative for evangelism) to resource the Church of England in its mission. After three years in this role, he became Director of Evangelism at CPAS. Evangelism is still an important part of James’ ministry. He travels widely talking about the Christian faith in venues ranging from pub function rooms to university common rooms. As well as helping leaders plan church-based evangelism, he trains church members in practical faith sharing. His book Lost for Words was published in 1999, and the training pack designed to help children, young people and adults share faith naturally was published in 2001. After many years of working with churches, James was convinced that leadership was a key factor in healthy, growing churches.
In 1998 he established the Arrow Leadership Programme in the UK. He loves the opportunity that Arrow gives him to work with a wide variety of leaders around the UK and Ireland, as well as abroad. He teaches, trains and mentors leaders of all ages, as well as leading the Arrow Team. Arrow is an eighteen month leadership and evangelism development programme committed to developing leaders to be led more by, lead more like, and lead more to Jesus (www.cpas.org.uk/arrow). He took up his current position in September 2002.
His book Growing Leaders was published in 2004, and a training resource for equipping lay leaders in the local church (Growing Leaders Course) was published in 2006. A keen observer of contemporary culture, James reads widely and is interested in sport, travel and the cinema. He says: ‘I’m fascinated by the way our society is changing – and determined to help the church communicate in a way that makes sense to today’s men, women and children. Leadership of such churches is a complex business. I am so grateful for all that Arrow taught me about leadership and the opportunity to resource other leaders in their leadership and evangelism.’
He is married to Sophie, an occupational psychologist, and they have two sons and a daughter. James loves anything that travels fast. He enjoys running a family car business with his two boys and ironing. He wishes he has more time to ride his ageing motorbike.
This three day conference promises to be a fulfilling and challenging event, comprising reflective sessions, teaching, worship and prayer time. It will be held in the Central Hotel, Donegal Town from the afternoon of Monday 6th October until the morning of Thursday 9th October.