Jon Wright wrote an article about his experience
Other students said …
David and Tami—Thank you for another helpful XPastor course. I’m grateful to God for you. Justin
I feel I have solid, accurate information regarding legalities, responsibilities of board members and staff, and insurance. Kevin
I had lunch with Frank last week and he raved about the certification program. Matt
Keep doing what you are doing! It really helps guys like me stay at it! Tim
Thank you for the class today. It was very interesting in light of the Sam Chand reading … I am thinking about “atmosphere” and “culture” and recognizing that the earth shaking under my feet is in part because we say we want a different atmosphere than what our culture reflects … this is the tough reality of XP life. Jennifer
Just wanted to write and say thanks for putting all these classes together. I thought today’s class was awesome. I will actually listen to it again as it was packed with great information. You are doing a great job putting the topics together with the people to share it. Your hard work is beneficial to many. Tom
Sam Chand was great today; three pages of notes! Jon
The XPastor Online Course is an amazing resource for executive leaders in the church. Learning from a group of top church leaders, with tons of practical and applicable takeaways for my ministry context, has been tremendously helpful for me. John
Practical, real world ministry discussions that hit at the heart of the ministry of the Executive Pastor. Scott
I am enjoying the frank and honest conversations about how things work for different XP’s. Thanks for the open dialogue. Tom
I’ve received a thorough look at every aspect of hiring. Ed
I’ve been enjoying the classes each week. Thanks for putting all of this together. One of the assignments I’ve been working on is reviewing Employee Handbooks from ten other churches and critiquing ours. I’ll be writing that up for assignment two. Ron
I was figuring if God does make me an XP someday, I’ll naturally begin to see things differently … and my ability to see purely from the staff perspective will fade. Greg
Really enjoying the class even though I’m watching it via download. Clint
So much of the class has been deliverable for me, both the webinars and the readings. I’m compiling all of my notes from the webinars and all of the articles into a notebook which I imagine I will reference on a regular basis for years to come (I’m already referencing them on a regular basis). John
I have literally been able to take nuggets from each session and put them into practice in our ministry. The suggested reading articles have been very beneficial as well. I love the ability to watch the webinars at a different time. Practical, real world ministry discussions that hit at the heart of the ministry of the Executive Pastor. Scott
I was able to take to our senior staff some of the ideas, such as creating success profiles and opportunity profiles for our team. This course has been great in helping me realize how I can contribute to church staffing situations and help make the right hire for our context. Matt
About every topic we are talking about will be taken back to the church, just a matter of timing. I would say the first thing that seems to have come up in at least three of the five classes is culture—understanding who we are and where we are going. This will influence all the areas we have talked about—Hiring, Compensation, Generosity, and Pay Grid. Tom
The resource material is extensive and good. Often the best part of the presenters is the sharing from experience in the churches they have served. This provides context from the circumstances of various churches and how issues were addressed. Their backgrounds are diverse with good business background as well as ministry background. Hiring Process was a fantastic class with specific applications all over the place. Ed
We had begun the process of revising our policy manual and employee manual. The course has provided resources for this process and I’m looking forward to those topics. We are just now entering our annual review season so today’s class was timely. Ron
It appears that my assignments for this course will make some big strides towards getting our church where she needs to be in this area. Justin
Each of my assignments has been particularly geared towards my local church. I’ve really enjoyed the format and all of the speakers have been very good. Greg
The Staffing Course has made clear a number of things that I can do to position our church to grow now and in the future and then taught me how to get them done. Super helpful. Justin
Greg Wrote …
Content: We get to see and interact with top people in the XP/Pastoral field discussing their specific area of expertise. (Recent examples include: XP from Mars Hill, Sutton Turner, on Staffing; Dr. Sam Chand on Communications).
Focus: The XPastor Online Course program disciplines you to study/focus on areas critical to XPs in a way that nobody ever would/could on their own. I’ve read better books, asked better questions, and had better guidance than I would/could on my own. The practical assignments have also disciplined me to work harder and more in-depth (not to mention network more) than anyone ever would on their own.
Cost: Granted, $2,500 a year may seem like a lot for each year compared to a pastor’s salary. However, it is an absolute pittance against what you would pay in grad school or for a D.Min. Not to mention that there isn’t any grad or doctoral program that is aimed specifically at what we’re studying. This was the deciding issue for me. Like some others in the class, I’ve already got three college/grad degrees … I don’t need another degree; I need the specific knowledge and experience to become the best XP I can. XP Online Courses are taking me down that road in a way a degree can’t right now.
Accessibility: Dr. Fletcher answers my emails about assignments typically within 24 hours (never more than 48, even over the summer!) and is one of the top in the nation in the XP field. David stays on the cutting edge of the XP field and is nationally recognized. Who better to learn from?
Pacing: Every single person in this program is shockingly busy and is a bit challenged. However, I can still find time to complete all the assignments, classes, and reading for the ten-week course. The pacing is perfect for busy individuals (not too much to overwhelm, not too little that I’m not challenged). The other side of this is that what I’m reading, learning, and doing is so fascinating that it doesn’t feel as much like “work” to me.
Convenience: Let’s face it, our schedules are all different and varied. I’m able to make some of the classes live, and the others I watch late at night on video after my kids are in bed. When I was on vacation this summer, I watched more than one in remote locations. Even when I miss the live sessions, I know I can ask questions online.
Résumé: This aspect is very important to some, and not at all to others. Nevertheless, it should be noted: Those who complete any of the three levels (or all of them) will have a significant addition to their résumé if/when they change churches, showing that they have stayed on top of their field and are lifelong learners. Those who are looking to break into the XP field for the first time may have a leg up over those who haven’t prepared for the role in such a disciplined way. I’ve found that XPastor.org is a known and respected name with the top churches in this country and with recruiters.
As you can see, I’m “all in” with XPastor Online Courses!