Pray Love Lead Highlights

As part of our Daring FAITH campaign, the “T” initiative is to train 25% of our members to be global leaders in the church and ministry, in business and the community, and in the arts and media. Each month, our members are taking steps to help meet this goal by participating in new training programs hosted by Saddleback ministries. Check out some of the exciting training events that took place during the month of January!

 WOMEN’S MINISTRY: PRAY LOVE LEAD

On January 18, nearly 1,500 women attended Pray Love Lead, a training conference held at our Lake Forest campus. The two-hour event connected women to God and others, and trained them on living a life of purpose.

Keynote speaker and author of Pray Love Lead, Bianca Olthoff, shared insight on how to become an effective leader with life-giving faith. Following a powerful time of worship, attendees were equipped on becoming passionate leaders in their sphere of influence.

According to Saddleback Women’s Minister, Beth Schwartz, “Bianca Oltfhoff shared a word that related to girls from age 12 to 100. We were encouraged to ‘play with fire,’ and were given next steps to radically say ‘yes’ to Christ.”

 Near the conclusion of the gathering, the women wrote their fears on paper and threw them into the fire. In an effort to stand firm in their commitment, they were encouraged to take a bold step of service, ranging from volunteering in the PEACE Center to fostering a child. Others were inspired to go on a PEACE trip, mentor a teen, attend Bible study, or enroll in Celebrate Recovery.

 The powerful event helped train an army of women who are passionate about living out God’s purpose for their lives.

SMALL GROUPS: IRVINE NORTH

On January 22, our Irvine North campus held training for Small Group Hosts at Northwood High School. The event was a time to share stories and learn some of the best practices in host leadership. A total of 25 volunteers were trained, including Small Group Community Leaders.

COUNSELOR ADVANCED TRAINING: PASTORAL COUNSELING

Held six times annually, Counselor Advanced Training (CAT) provides coaching to church counselor volunteers and supervisors.  At the first training of the year, 230 people attended the three-hour session held on January 22. The main objective was to enhance biblical counseling application as attendees gained skills to serve the community, and use God’s Word in counseling.

CHURCH COUNSELING TRAINING

Church Counseling Training began on January 26 at 6:30 PM in Tent 3. This was the first of a 30-week training program designed to help improve communication skills, build a biblical foundation for marriage and parenting, face inner struggles, and battle spiritual discouragement.

At the completion of the Church Counseling Training program, lay leaders are selected to become church counselors. A second course will be hosted on Wednesday, February 1 at 9:00 AM in Tent 2.

STORYTELLING TRAINING:

Held at Saddleback Anaheim on January 19, our editorial team hosted Storytelling 101. Several members attended the event and made a further commitment to join the ministry. The introductory workshop is designed to equip writers with the necessary skills to conduct an interview for a story.

At our Lake Forest campus on January 10, follow up training was available through Storytelling 201. During the workshop, nine people were trained in methods needed to shape a powerful story.

SSM UPDATES: JHM LEADER TRAINING

January 15 marked the kick off of JHM Leader Training, attended by 78 volunteers. Student leaders were trained on crisis care for youth, specifically on the subjects of grief and suicide prevention. Additional training pertained to the upcoming JHM winter camp.

As these ministries equip and train our members to be global leaders, they also help move us one step closer to meeting our Daring Faith "T" initiative. Between all 17 of our campuses, we now have over 800 ministry opportunities were you can serve and train to be a leader! To learn more about future training opportunities, email Maturity@Saddleback.com.