A LEAD Team is a gathering of approximately 6 to 10 pastors or other key leaders who come together on a routine basis to build meaningful relationships, focus on spiritual growth, and work together to see mission accomplished through mobilizing (revitalizing) and multiplying (planting new churches). Because pastors are already working together, "tilling the soil" church planters tend to find themselves welcomed with open arms and supported in some key ways.

Dr. Dwight Perry

The acronym, L.E.A.D. means something. It refers to the four key elements of the meetings:

Learning

Members are committed to learning something related to ministry enhancement. For example, the team might agree to read a certain book and be prepared to discuss it when they gather together. Or they might study "The Church Planters' Toolkit" together.

Encouraging

Team members are personally encouraged in a number of ways. Each meeting involves doing something fun together: bowling, horseback riding, paint ball, laser-tag, fishing…whatever. And there are times of mutual coaching and intercessory prayer, so each member should go away feeling the encouragement of the body of Christ.

Achieving

The team is about doing mission. Each team tries to plant at least one new church each year, and each team works toward helping one of their established churches become "mobilized", or revitalized. Meetings will involve team members reporting on assignments they've had, relative to their corporate mission.

Dreaming

We're about seeing God's Kingdom advance, so time is allotted at each meeting to dream about the future. Where might He be leading us to make a difference together? How can we dream God's dreams after Him?

The teams meet about six times each year, and each meeting is an overnighter, comprising about 24 hours. Participants become, in the words of historian Stephen Ambrose, "a band of brothers". They are lead by a "Head Coach", and currently in the Great Lakes Baptist Conference we have nine LEAD Teams, spread around the district.

Please contact Dr. Dwight Perry to get involved in a LEAD team near you.