Practical Leadership Training
Expand your leadership skills
AMBS’s Practical Leadership Training modules are designed to help pastors, lay leaders, community leaders and leaders of nonprofit organizations increase their capacity to provide effective Anabaptist leadership in a variety of settings. You can select the modules that are best suited to your interests and needs.
The modules — which vary in depth, length and format — focus on four areas: administration, leadership, contextual engagement and well-being.
Upcoming modules
Leadership Clinics
Leadership Clinics will take place in person on Monday, Feb. 23, prior to the start of Pastors & Leaders 2026. You can register for a Leadership Clinic by itself or in addition to Pastors & Leaders.
Clinics run 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET, unless otherwise noted. The registration deadline is Feb. 16.
–Click on a clinic title to view the description–
Caring for Immigrants and Congregations in Times of Crisis | Instructor: John Garland
Pastor John Garland and his congregation, San Antonio (Texas) Mennonite Church, have been on the front lines of supporting and caring for immigrants and refugees in their city for more than a decade. Learn from their experiences and gain insights into how trauma-transformation can help congregations support and protect immigrant communities and themselves.
Faith Formation for Families in Anxious Times | Instructors: Malinda Elizabeth Berry, Joyce Peachey Lind, Lisa Weaver
We are all too aware of the turmoil and upheaval that are creating uncertainty, anxiety and fear in our families, our communities and our world. In this clinic, participants will receive a framework for helping families — especially those with children in grades K–8 — stay rooted, grounded and growing in God’s love in these chaotic times. All three leaders bring their experience and expertise as parents, pastors and educators to this clinic.
- Learn to use a framework that celebrates and expands on Anabaptist-Mennonite faith formation values and practices.
- Join us for inspiration, space to breathe and companionship for the journey ahead.
Healthy Boundaries 101 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Instructor: Ed Kauffman
Maintaining healthy boundaries not only protects congregations and congregants from clergy abuse and trauma, but also protects pastors from burnout and misuse of their power and position. Using videos, group discussion and reflection, we will explore issues of power, relationships and maintaining health. This training meets Mennonite Church USA’s requirement for Healthy Boundaries training for all pastors.
- Understand power dynamics inherent to positions of authority.
- Learn ways of ministering that maintain the integrity of the ministerial relationship while also protecting those who are vulnerable.
- Gain awareness of risk factors for crossing boundaries.
- Understand the difference between crossing boundaries and boundary violations.
Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace | Instructor: Regina Shands Stoltzfus
Regina Shands Stoltzfus will share from her new book, Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace (Tehom Center, 2025), in which she explores how to sustain the work of liberation and resistance to oppression in a world marked by longstanding anti-Blackness and unrelenting injustice. Attentive to history, trauma and the sustaining power of community, she names both the weariness and hope that shape justice work.
- Learn from Regina’s perspective and experiences as a Black woman with decades of teaching and scholarship in peace studies, theology and ethics.
- Reflect together on what it looks like to remain engaged for the long haul.
- Consider how resilience, care and collective vision can make transformation possible.
Your Voice in Worship | Instructor: Allan Rudy-Froese
This clinic is designed for preachers, storytellers, Scripture readers and worship leaders. Participants will be led through a progression of vocal exercises, games and discussion on voice in worship settings. Wear loose-fitting clothing so that you can stretch and move comfortably; we will be physically active!
- Learn how to use your voice as a full-body instrument and how to warm up your body and voice for worship.
- Strengthen your projection and clarity in speech.
- Gain insights into stage fright and how voices can reveal and conceal.
February–June modules
–Click on a module title to view the description–
Leading Congregations in Transition | Online short course | Feb. 5, 12, 19; March 5, 12, 19 • 7–9 p.m. ET | Instructors: Paula Killough, Dan Miller
Transitional ministry has a unique place in the mission of the church. While “interim pastors” provide preaching and pastoral care, “transitional ministers” lead congregations through major transitions, preparing them to enter a new chapter of leadership with a goal of sustained organizational health and vitality.
Transitional ministry is a recognized ministry of both Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA. This course requires a letter of recommendation from a conference or regional minister.
- Participate in a confidential pre-course interview (60–90 minutes) to identify your gifts as a potential candidate for transitional ministry and set personalized learning goals for the course.
- Learn to function with competence and confidence in many transitional ministry contexts.
- Gain tools and resources for leadership development, continuing education, support and accountability.
- Receive three hours of individual post-course coaching and extensive resources for future transitional ministry.
This course would also be helpful for lay members of leadership teams in transition. Congregational leaders may request an exemption from the letter of recommendation.
Register by Jan. 22 | Cost: $300
Effective Church Boards | Four-session online workshop | March 4, 11, 18, 25 • 6–7:30 p.m. ET | Instructor: Michael Danner
Every church has a governance structure. When they are effective, they create a context for health and growth. When they are not, they create vulnerabilities. This workshop will help you understand the why and the how of effective church boards and practice effective governance in your congregation — providing a foundation for effective and engaged ministry.
- Gain a deeper understanding of how governance rooted in Anabaptist values can support and advance the church’s mission.
- Learn about general oversight, fiscal oversight, pastoral supervision and fiduciary/legal responsibilities of church boards.
- Understand the difference between task conflict and relational conflict.
- Learn about keys to effective decision-making that emerges out of the gifts of the community.
Register by Feb. 25 | Cost: $100
Anabaptism and Professional Organizations | Three-part webinar series | March 31, April 14, April 28 • 7–8:30 p.m. ET | Instructor: Jeremy Shue
In this series of webinars, we’ll investigate how Anabaptism strengthens, challenges and transforms the way we work and run our businesses and organizations. Register for the topics that interest you, or sign up for all three!
- Anabaptism and Organizational Structures (March 31): Explore how hierarchy, technology and generational divides come into conversation with theological convictions.
- Anabaptism and Financial Practices (April 14): Examine how assumptions around debt and interest shape long-term goals and practices.
- Anabaptism and Ecological Care vs. Cost (April 28): Engage the tensions that all businesses and organizations face in how they impact the ecological systems around them.
Register by March 24 | Cost: $40 per webinar or $100 for all three
Being the Church amid Polarization and Conflict | Four-session online workshop | April 9, 16, 23, 30 • 7–8:30 p.m. ET | Instructor: Jes Stoltzfus Buller
The current context of polarization has our congregations, communities and families railing. We have church members, family members, old friends, colleagues and others who see the world in entirely different ways than we do. The world is in desperate need of skills to transform our communities. This workshop will offer tools for leaders of all kinds to effectively navigate the pitfalls of polarization in their congregations and communities through healthy dialogue skills, community-building practices and restorative justice processes.
- Learn how polarization affects how individuals and groups engage conversation on conflictive issues.
- Gain tools for understanding and approaching conflict in the midst of polarization and division.
- Learn principles and best practices for moving towards conflict and addressing divisive issues through healthy dialogue.
Register by April 2 | Cost: $100
From Fixing to Listening: Coaching for Leaders | Webinar | April 15 • 2–3:30 p.m. ET | Instructor: Shana Peachey Boshart
Coaching is a distinct and transformative approach to supporting growth in others — a leadership skill relevant to any organization. Through real-life demonstration, group reflection and hands-on practice, we’ll explore what’s unique about coaching and model coaching skills you can begin to use right away. Come ready to reflect, practice and leave with practical tools you can apply immediately.
- Understand how coaching differs from other helping relationships.
- Learn the core characteristics of a coaching mindset.
- Practice the set of questions that structure a coaching conversation.
Register by April 8 | Cost: $40
Transforming Congregational Conflict and Communication | Online short course | April 15 – May 26 | Instructor: Betty Pries
Conflict in the congregation is one of the most difficult experiences pastors and lay leaders will encounter while in ministry. Conflict can destroy congregations. Done well, however, engaging differences can be a sign of vitality, energy and spiritual maturity. Drawing from biblical, theological, practical and spiritual sources, this short course will explore the possibilities and pitfalls of courageously engaging in differences within congregational life and of building congregational cultures that nurture the tender balance between honesty and kindness and that generate faithfulness and joy.
Short course students are expected to read assigned materials and complete short assignments, writing in an online discussion forum. Students manage their own time to meet weekly assignment deadlines. The course includes optional weekly videoconference sessions with the instructor.
Online sessions will be held Mondays, April 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18, 25 • 9–10 p.m. ET (These sessions are optional and will be recorded for those who can’t attend.)
Register by April 8 | Cost: $300 if you register by March 25; $350 if you register between March 26 and April 8
Teaching the Bible in an Age of Distraction | Online short course | May 19, 26; June 2, 9, 16, 23 • 7–8 p.m. ET | Instructor: Meghan Larissa Good
Many people today struggle to connect deeply with Scripture in an age of skepticism, distraction and low biblical literacy. Bridging the Bible gap equips pastors, teachers and lay leaders to guide adults into transformative encounters with God’s Word — whether in small groups, sermons or classrooms. Through practical tools and reflective learning, participants will learn how to teach in ways that spark curiosity, sustain engagement and shape disciples who think and live like Jesus.
- Diagnose motivational and cultural barriers that prevent adults from engaging deeply with Scripture.
- Develop personal practices to support your own lifelong transformation as a learner-teacher.
- Design and facilitate learner-centered small group studies and sermons that promote active participation and transformative understanding.
- Adapt teaching and preaching approaches to address contemporary challenges such as skepticism, distraction and low biblical literacy.
Register by May 12 | Cost: $300
Register now
Leadership Clinic registration
- The early registration cost is $75 USD when you register by Jan. 26.
- The registration cost after Jan. 26 is $90 USD.
- The final registration deadline is Feb. 16.
- Lunch in the dining hall is $12 (optional).
The registration cost for AMBS students is $10 before Jan. 26 and $20 after.
February–June module registration
The registration deadline for each module is one week prior to the module start date, unless otherwise noted. See the module descriptions for exact dates.
Group discounts: Groups can receive a 25% discount when five or more people from the same church or organization enroll in the same module. For information on how to get the group discount when you register, contact the Church Leadership Center at churchleadership@ambs.edu or 574.296.6269.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Participants can purchase Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for completed modules for $15. To receive CEU’s, participants must attend all sessions and complete all assignments.
Refunds
If participants cancel two or more weeks before the start of the module, their fees will be fully refunded. If they cancel within two weeks of the start of the module, their fees will be refunded, minus $25 USD. Participants can apply their refund from a canceled module as credit — less $25 USD — toward a future module of the same price within one year.
Customized modules
We can also bring Practical Leadership Training modules directly to your conference, church gathering or other event — in person or online — customized to meet your needs. See a list of previous modules here.
Questions? Contact us at churchleadership@ambs.edu or (574) 296-6281.
About Practical Leadership Training modules
In 2021, AMBS asked church leaders, “What is the most meaningful thing that AMBS can do to support current and future leaders for the church?” Many leaders shared that while seminary had prepared them well for Bible study, preaching and pastoral care, they needed practical leadership skills to meet challenges resulting from the pandemic, polarization, shifting church commitments and an unpredictable future.
In response, we’ve designed our Practical Leadership Training modules to help pastors, lay leaders, community leaders and leaders of nonprofit organizations increase their capacity to provide effective Anabaptist leadership in a variety of settings. We’re adjusting our offerings along the way — based on feedback we receive from participants, churches and organizations.
If you, too, are longing to expand your leadership skills, sign up for any or all of our modules! You can select the ones that are best suited to your interests and needs.
Module formats
Practical Leadership Training modules are offered in five different formats:
| Format | Duration | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-person seminar | One 60-90-minute session | In person | $25 |
| Webinar | One 60-90-minute session | Online | $25 |
| Leadership clinic | Full day (6–8 hours) | In person | $75–90 |
| Four-session online workshop | One 90-minute session per week for four weeks | Online | $100 |
| Short course | Six weeks | Online | $300 |
Looking for more options?
Try an upcoming graduate-level course
Want to explore seminary study? Take an upcoming course!
Nonadmitted students get 50% off their first two courses for credit!
Try an online short course
Looking to expand your theological knowledge?
Take one of our six-week discussion-based online short courses.
No grades, no papers!
Request a visit from an AMBS instructor
Invite the faculty and staff of AMBS to come directly to you in person or via videoconference.
Meet the instructors
Malinda Elizabeth Berry, PhD
Malinda Elizabeth Berry is Professor of Peace Theology and Director of the Faith Formation Collaborative at AMBS. She expresses her commitment to Anabaptism in the Mennonite tradition in her approach to an array of current topics and concerns: Christian social responsibility; environmental stewardship — with an emphasis on human ecology; and renewing congregational life in its structural and spiritual dimensions. Malinda enjoys engaging conferences and congregations, providing resources and services to meet the diverse demands they face today. She is a graduate of Goshen (Indiana) College, AMBS and Union Theological Seminary in New York.
Shana Peachey Boshart
Shana Peachey Boshart of Elkhart, Indiana, is a certified leadership coach and an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA. She is Project Facilitator for Shine Curriculum’s “Shine Everywhere,” an initiative to discover and practice the “everywhere” habits that form faith in children. Previously, she served as Denominational Minister for Faith Formation with Mennonite Church USA and as Conference Minister for Christian Formation with Central Plains Mennonite Conference. A graduate of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, she also earned a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies from AMBS in 2017.
Jes Stoltzfus Buller, MA
Jes Stoltzfus Buller of Sincelejo, Colombia, is an independent conflict transformation and restorative justice consultant and also serves as Associate Director of Sembrandopaz, a peacebuilding organization in Colombia. She has more than 15 years of domestic and international experience in facilitating group dialogue, managing collaborative peacebuilding projects, developing curriculum, designing processes, working at systems change and training individuals of all ages in conflict transformation. She holds degrees in Sociology and Bible, Religion and Philosophy from Goshen (Indiana) College and a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership and Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Michael Danner, DMin
Michael Danner of Elkhart, Indiana, is Associate Executive Director for Church Vitality for Mennonite Church USA. He has served in ministry for more than 30 years — as a congregational pastor, area conference minister and denominational leader. He is passionate about walking with pastors and church leaders to help local congregations thrive in mission. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana; a Master of Arts in Religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois; and a Doctor of Ministry in Contextual Theology from Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois.
John Garland, MDiv
John Garland of San Antonio, Texas, became pastor of San Antonio Mennonite Church in 2016 during an immigration crisis that has dramatically shaped the church and its ministry. He’s currently doing doctoral work on communal trauma, spiritual resilience and the Psalms. His applied theology interprets Christianity as a trauma-transforming faith movement; he reads Scripture as divinely inspired through and for traumatized communities; and he understands hospitality, story and prayer-centered community as powerful tools of healing. He is the National Association of Social Workers’ Texas 2020 “Public Citizen of the Year.”
Meghan Larissa Good, DMin
Meghan Larissa Good is Faculty of Record for the Teaching Leadership component of AMBS’s Doctor of Ministry in Leadership program. She serves as Resource Development Manager for Jesus Collective, a network that equips individuals and churches to navigate the shift toward robustly Jesus-centered faith and practice. Meghan is the author of Divine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Recover a Better Christian Story (Herald, 2023) and The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today (Herald, 2018). She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Portland (Oregon) Seminary at George Fox University and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.
Ed Kauffman, MDiv
Ed Kauffman of Elkhart, Indiana, has been leading Healthy Boundaries trainings since 1996 and has worked with situations of clergy misconduct as a pastor, member of ministerial committees, conference minister, investigator and consultant. He pastored four congregations in the U.S. and Canada over 32 years and served as Conference Minister for Central Plains Mennonite Conference for nine years. Ed is a graduate of AMBS and has taken specialized training in Clergy Misconduct Prevention and Healthy Boundaries with FaithTrust Institute. He and his wife, Gay, serve as resident Volunteer Coordinators at AMBS.
Paula Killough, MDiv
Paula Killough of Tumwater, Washington, earned a Master of Divinity from AMBS in 2008 and was ordained by Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference in 2011. She served as Senior Executive for Advancement for Mennonite Mission Network for 10 years. She joined AMBS’s Development Team in June 2018 and retired from her role as Director of Campaign in October 2024. She has been part of Leading in Transition since 2017.
Joyce Peachey Lind, MDiv, MAT
Joyce Peachey Lind of Harrisonburg, Virginia, serves as Staff Curriculum Editor for the Shine curriculum. Prior to that, she pastored at Community Mennonite Church and taught first grade for 10 years at Eastern Mennonite Elementary School, both in Harrisonburg. Joyce holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg and a Master of Divinity with a major in Christian Faith Formation from AMBS. An ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA, she also has formal training in spiritual direction.
Dan Miller, MDiv
Dan Miller of Goshen, Indiana, has spent his career working with transitions in three psychiatric settings, 11 congregations and two conferences. He received training in intentional interim ministry through Interim Ministry Network and Church Resource Ministries (now Novo) and believes that good transitional ministry is grounded in spiritual practices and discernment. A graduate of Hesston (Kansas) College, Goshen College and AMBS, he is a longtime student of Bowen Family Systems Theory through Lombard (Illinois) Mennonite Peace Center’s Clergy Clinics.
Betty Pries, PhD, CMed
Betty Pries of Waterloo, Ontario, is Core Adjunct Faculty and DMin Faculty of Record at AMBS. She also serves as CEO and Senior Consultant at Credence & Co. She specializes in providing mediation, training, facilitation, coaching and consulting services for businesses, nonprofit organizations, governments and churches. She has also developed expertise in managing conflict in faith communities and workplaces. Betty received much of her training through Mediation Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba, including a Diploma in Mediation. A chartered mediator, she holds a Master of Theological Studies and a Doctor of Philosophy from the Free University Amsterdam.
Allan Rudy-Froese, PhD
Allan Rudy-Froese serves as Associate Professor of Preaching and Voice at AMBS. He teaches Preaching, Biblical Storytelling, and Spiritual Practices: Voice & Identity. Allan graduated with a Ph.D. in theology and homiletics from the Toronto School of Theology in 2012. Allan’s research interests include comedy in the book of Jonah, Anabaptist preaching worldwide, and the psychophysical aspects of the human voice. He incorporates Kristin Linklater’s (1936-2020) voice method and practice into his courses at AMBS, as well as his workshops with preachers, worship leaders, and scripture readers. Allan graduated as a Designated Linklater Teacher (DLT) in the summer of 2023.
Jeremy Shue, MDiv
Jeremy Shue of Goshen, Indiana, served as a pastor at Silverwood Mennonite Church in Goshen from 2010 to 2021 with responsibilities for outreach, administration and leading the Pastoral Team. In 2012, he helped launch Re-Gen, Inc., a plastic recycling and processing company, where he currently leads sales and operations. As a convicted Jesus follower and lifelong Anabaptist, he continuously wrestles with how to lead organizations in a way that aligns his theological convictions with practical application. He holds a Master of Divinity from AMBS.
Regina Shands Stoltzfus, PhD
Regina Shands Stoltzfus of Goshen, Indiana, is Professor of Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies at Goshen College. Her courses include Race, Class and Ethnic Relations; Personal Violence and Healing; Peacemaking; and Transforming Conflict and Violence. Regina co-founded the Roots of Justice Anti-Oppression Program and has worked widely in peace education. She holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Ashland (Ohio) Theological Seminary and a PhD in Theology and Ethics from Chicago Theological Seminary. She is co-author of Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality (Herald, 2021) and author of Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace (Tehom Center, 2025).
Lisa Weaver, MA
Lisa Weaver is Director of Children’s Ministry and Music for Bethany United Methodist Church in Madison, Wisconsin, and an active member of Madison Mennonite Church. She also taught for 25 years in public schools and English-as-a-Second-Language programs. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Goshen (Indiana) College and a Master of Arts In Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She has authored three picture books for children (Praying With Our Feet, Stitch by Stitch, Three For Me) and several resources for adults (including Living the Anabaptist Story and Let the Children Come to Me).