Bishop A. R. Massenburg Leadership Training Institute
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The Episcopal Preparation Pipeline

The Eight Tracks

Every role in the church, fully prepared. Each track is a complete, standalone formation program — deployable for any leader, at any level, at any time.

8
Tracks
28
Courses
224
Lessons
Track 01 · Foundation Level
01

Deacon Track

Where it all begins. The biblical character, practical competency, and long-term formation of the deacon who serves with excellence.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

The foundation of the episcopal pipeline. Three courses building the biblical character, practical competency, and long-term formation of the deacon who serves the congregation with genuine excellence. If you don’t start right, you won’t end right — so it is with the Deaconship.

DC601 So You Want To Be a Deacon — Calling & Character 8 Lessons

  • The Biblical Foundation — Christ is the Head; He established the deacon office
  • From Simplicity to Now — How the church drifted from the simple NT model
  • What Does “Deacon” Actually Mean — A deep study of the word diakonos
  • The Seven of Acts 6 — The prototype that changed the church
  • Called and Qualified, Part 1 — The first six character requirements of 1 Timothy 3
  • Tested and Proven, Part 2 — The final qualifications of 1 Timothy 3
  • The Deacon’s Home — Why your family life is not private when you hold public office
  • Two Offices, One Church — The elder-deacon relationship

DC602 The Ministry and Mechanics of the Deacon 8 Lessons

  • The Selection Process — How deacons are identified, examined, and ordained
  • The Deacon’s Role — Serving wherever the elders direct
  • Benevolence Ministry — Caring for the needy with dignity, discernment, and compassion
  • Financial Stewardship — Handling the church’s resources with integrity
  • Facilities and Logistics — Preparing the house of God for worship with excellence
  • The Deacon and the Pastor — Supporting the senior leader’s vision
  • The Deacon’s Wife — Building a ministry partnership in the home
  • Ordination — The theology, the ceremony, and the weight of being set apart

DC603 Deacon Growth and Development 8 Lessons

  • The Deacon’s Spiritual Life — Prayer disciplines and inner life habits
  • Excellence and Ethics — The biblical standard and ethical framework
  • Building Team Ministry — How a unified deacon body multiplies its impact
  • The Deacon and Church Discipline — Supporting elders in the restoration process
  • Mentoring the Next Generation — Identifying and developing future servants
  • The Deacon and the Congregation — Building trust and expressing Christ’s care
  • Growing Toward Elder — For the deacon whose formation is pointing that direction
  • Legacy — What finishing well looks like; leave the office better than you found it
Track 02 · Development Level
02

Minister Track

Your calling deepens. Learn what it means to BE a minister, not just DO ministry tasks.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

Formation for the ordained minister in active service — covering the ministerial calling, the mechanics of ministry life, and the ongoing development that sustains long-term effectiveness. This is where calling becomes competency.

MI601 Entering Christian Ministry 8 Lessons

  • Entering Christian Ministry — The Call, the Commission, and the Cost
  • Ministry Gifts Part 1 — Discovering Your Spiritual Equipment
  • Ministry Gifts Part 2 — Deploying Your Spiritual Equipment
  • The Five-Fold Ministry — Where You Fit in the Body of Christ
  • Ministering with Integrity — Character Before Competency
  • Ministering with Excellence — The Standard the Ministry Deserves
  • The Minister and Personal Spiritual Disciplines
  • The Minister in the Local Church — Relationships, Roles, and Responsibilities

MI602 The Minister in Practice 8 Lessons

  • Sunday Service Ministry — Platform protocol, preparation, and presence
  • The Minister and Preaching — Handling the Word with accuracy and power
  • Pastoral Care Basics — Visiting, counseling, and carrying the weight of people’s lives
  • The Minister and Crisis Ministry — Hospital, funeral, and emergency response
  • The Minister and Administration — Paper, systems, and organizational responsibility
  • Working Under Authority — The minister’s relationship with the senior pastor
  • The Minister and Conflict — Navigating church tension with wisdom and grace
  • The Minister’s Marriage and Family — Protecting what the ministry will try to consume

MI603 The Minister Growing Forward 8 Lessons

  • The Life of Study — Building a permanent learning and development discipline
  • The Minister’s Personal Finances — Biblical stewardship for those in full-time ministry
  • Building Ministry Relationships — Networks, peers, and accountability structures
  • The Minister and Social Media — Using digital platforms without being used by them
  • Handling Criticism and Opposition — Staying whole when ministry gets hard
  • Succession and Transition — Entering and leaving ministry assignments with integrity
  • Identifying Your Ministry Focus — Moving from general minister to specific assignment
  • The Long Ministry Life — What faithfulness looks like across decades
Track 03 · Maturity Level
03

Elder Track

Wisdom meets authority. Become the kind of leader people trust with the hardest situations.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

The biblical office of elder — its theology, its qualifications, and its function in the governance and care of the local church. Three courses for those called to shared pastoral oversight.

EL601 The Elder’s Calling and Character 8 Lessons

  • What Is an Elder? — Biblical word studies: presbuteros, episkopos, poimen
  • The Biblical Case for Plural Eldership — Why the NT model is multiple elders, not one
  • The Elder’s Qualifications — 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 examined in depth
  • The Elder’s Calling — How God calls to the elder office and how that call is confirmed
  • The Elder’s Character — The interior formation that qualifies the exterior function
  • The Elder and His Household — Why the family is the first eldership assignment
  • The Elder and Holiness — The life standard that makes the office credible
  • Examination and Installation — The process of becoming an elder in the local church

EL602 The Elder’s Function 8 Lessons

  • The Elder as Shepherd — What shepherding actually requires day to day
  • The Elder as Overseer — Governance, authority, and the weight of oversight
  • The Elder as Teacher — Holding fast to sound doctrine; correcting those who contradict
  • The Elder and Preaching — When and how elders preach
  • The Elder and Church Discipline — The elder’s role in the Matthew 18 process
  • The Elder Board — How a plurality of elders functions and makes decisions together
  • The Elder and the Deacon — The two-office partnership in practical ministry
  • The Elder and the Senior Pastor — Authority, submission, and the eldership team

EL603 The Elder’s Development 8 Lessons

  • The Elder’s Spiritual Life — The disciplines that sustain the elder through years of oversight
  • The Elder and Conflict — Navigating the inevitable tensions of shared governance
  • The Elder in Crisis — Leading the church through loss, scandal, and institutional difficulty
  • The Elder and the Congregation — Building the trust that makes elder authority functional
  • The Elder and Succession — Identifying and developing the next generation of elders
  • The Elder and Burnout — Recognizing and addressing the depletion that oversight produces
  • The Elder Growing Toward Bishop — When the elder’s formation points to the next office
  • Elder Legacy — What the elder leaves behind; building the eldership that outlasts you
Track 04 · Shepherding Level
04

Pastor Track

The heart of shepherding. Lead a congregation with care, wisdom, and strategic vision.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

Formation for the senior pastor — from the theology of the pastoral calling through the daily mechanics of pastoral leadership and the long-term development of the shepherd who endures.

SYP101 So You Want to Be a Pastor — The Calling 8 Lessons

  • Called Before You Were Ready — Understanding the Pastoral Calling
  • The Inner Life of the Pastor — Character Before Competence
  • What Kind of Person Should a Pastor Be?
  • Gifts, Graces, and the Gospel — Your Pastoral Toolkit
  • The Pastor’s Study — Why the Desk Is as Sacred as the Pulpit
  • The Pastor and Prayer — Leading from the Presence of God
  • The Pastor’s Marriage and Home — Protecting What the Church Will Try to Consume
  • Getting Started Right — First Steps in the Pastoral Assignment

SYP201 So You Want to Be a Pastor — The Ministry 8 Lessons

  • Preaching as a Lifestyle — Developing the Message Week After Week
  • The Pastor as Shepherd — Visitation, Presence, and Pastoral Care
  • The Pastor and Crisis — Hospitals, Funerals, and the Moments That Matter Most
  • Building the Ministry Team — Hiring, Leading, and Letting Go
  • The Pastor and Finances — Biblical Stewardship of the Church’s Resources
  • The Pastor and Conflict — Navigating the Inevitable Tensions of Church Life
  • The Pastor and Church Growth — What Healthy Growth Actually Looks Like
  • The Pastor’s Authority — Understanding and Exercising Spiritual Authority Faithfully

SYP301 So You Want to Be a Pastor — The Long Game 8 Lessons

  • The Sustainable Ministry — Building a Pace You Can Maintain
  • The Pastor and Rest — The Theology and Practice of Sabbath
  • Criticism and the Pastor — Staying Whole When the Attacks Come
  • The Pastor and Social Media — Presence Without Distraction
  • Building the Legacy Church — Ministry That Outlasts the Founder
  • Succession Planning — Preparing Your Church for the Next Leader
  • The Pastor in Transition — Entering and Leaving Well
  • Finishing Strong — What Faithful Pastoral Ministry Looks Like at the End
Track 05 · Support Leadership
05

Adjutant Track

The power behind the throne. Carry authority and multiply vision without needing the spotlight.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

The adjutant’s calling, character, and practical responsibilities — three courses forming the bishop’s closest assistant for the weight of support ministry at the highest level of church leadership. You’re not just an assistant; you’re a key leader.

AD601 The Adjutant — Calling and Character 8 Lessons

  • What Is an Adjutant? — Biblical and historical foundations of the support calling
  • The Adjutant’s Calling — How God calls to the support role at the episcopal level
  • The Adjutant’s Character — The formation that makes confidential support possible
  • The Adjutant and Loyalty — The non-negotiable foundation of the adjutant relationship
  • The Adjutant and Discretion — Confidentiality as a sacred responsibility
  • The Adjutant and Submission — Spirit-produced submission to episcopal authority
  • The Adjutant’s Household — Managing home and high-level support ministry simultaneously
  • The Adjutant’s Calling Confirmed — Examination, installation, and the weight of the assignment

AD602 The Adjutant in Practice 8 Lessons

  • The Adjutant and Protocol — The standards and expectations of episcopal ministry
  • The Adjutant in the Service — Platform presence, timing, and service support
  • The Adjutant and Travel — Supporting the bishop in ministry travel and engagements
  • The Adjutant and Communication — Managing the bishop’s communication with integrity
  • The Adjutant and Administration — The practical organizational work of the adjutant role
  • The Adjutant and Crisis — Supporting the bishop through institutional and personal difficulty
  • The Adjutant and the Bishop’s Family — Ministry to the household, not just the office
  • The Adjutant and Other Leaders — Navigating relationships within the episcopal staff

AD603 The Adjutant Growing Forward 8 Lessons

  • The Adjutant’s Spiritual Life — Sustaining the inner life while serving at high intensity
  • The Adjutant and Self-Care — Preventing the depletion that close support ministry produces
  • The Adjutant as Leader — When the adjutant carries their own leadership responsibilities
  • The Adjutant and Transition — When the season of adjutant service ends
  • The Adjutant as Mentor — Investing in the next generation of support ministry leaders
  • The Adjutant’s Legacy — What faithful adjutant service produces over a decade of investment
  • The Adjutant Moving Toward Elder or Overseer — The natural trajectory of proven support ministry
  • The Complete Adjutant — What finishing the assignment well looks like
Track 06 · Regional Authority · The Backbone
06

Overseer Track

Leading beyond the local church. You’re no longer pastoring one church — you’re overseeing pastors.

3
Courses
24
Lessons

Leading beyond the local church — three courses preparing the Overseer for the regional authority, organizational weight, and pastoral oversight across an entire district. By the time he is considered for the Bishopric, his transition is not a leap. It is a step.

OV601 Overseer Historical 8 Lessons

  • The Overseer in the New Testament — Episkopos in context
  • The Overseer in the Early Church — How the office developed in the first centuries
  • The Overseer in Church History — Regional oversight across the great traditions
  • The Overseer in the African American Church — A distinctive history and heritage
  • The Overseer and the Bishop — The relationship between regional and episcopal leadership
  • The Overseer and Denominational Structure — How overseers function within organizational systems
  • The Overseer as Precedent — Learning from the overseers who built what we inherit
  • The Historical Overseer and the Contemporary Assignment

OV602 Overseer Biblical 8 Lessons

  • The Biblical Language of Oversight — Word studies in episkopos and related terms
  • The Overseer in Acts — Regional leadership in the expansion of the early church
  • The Overseer in the Pastoral Epistles — 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus on oversight
  • The Overseer and the Elder — The relationship between local and regional authority
  • The Overseer’s Qualifications — What 1 Timothy 3 requires at the regional level
  • The Overseer as Shepherd of Shepherds — Pastoring the pastors under oversight
  • The Overseer and Church Discipline — Regional authority in the restoration process
  • The Biblical Overseer in Contemporary Ministry

OV603 Overseer Competency and Character 8 Lessons

  • The Overseer’s Character — What regional leadership demands that local leadership did not
  • The Overseer and Vision — Casting and sustaining regional vision across multiple churches
  • The Overseer and Conflict — Navigating conflict between pastors and between churches
  • The Overseer and Finance — Regional financial oversight and institutional stewardship
  • The Overseer and Church Planting — Identifying, developing, and supporting church planters
  • The Overseer and Struggling Churches — Intervening when a church under oversight is in crisis
  • The Overseer Growing Toward Bishop — When the overseer’s formation points to the episcopal office
  • The Overseer’s Legacy — Building a district that outlasts the overseer who built it
Track 07 · Episcopal Office · The Apex
07

Bishop Track

The apex of THE CIRCLE. Five comprehensive courses. Consecration should be a confirmation — not a beginning.

5
Courses
40
Lessons

The apex of THE CIRCLE. Five comprehensive courses covering what a bishop is, the historical development of the office, how bishops are formed, how they function, and how they are furnished for the work.

BP101 What Is a Bishop? 8 Lessons

  • The Name and Its Weight — What “bishop” actually means; episkopos in Scripture and history
  • The Bishop’s Divine Origin — The office God designed before denominations defined it
  • The Bishop’s Authority — Where it comes from, what it covers, and what it does not
  • The Bishop and the Apostle — The relationship between these two five-fold offices
  • The Bishop’s Character Standard — Beyond 1 Timothy 3 to the full episcopal qualification
  • The Bishop’s Household — The family that makes or breaks the office
  • The Bishop’s Calling — How God calls to the episcopal office and how the call is confirmed
  • The Bishop’s Identity — Knowing who you are before anyone else confirms it

BP201 Bishop Historical 8 Lessons

  • The Bishop in the New Testament — The apostolic foundation and the first episcopal leaders
  • The Bishop in the Post-Apostolic Church — Ignatius, Polycarp, and the emerging episcopal structure
  • The Bishop in the Great Councils — How bishops shaped doctrine and canon
  • The Bishop in the African Church — Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and the African episcopal tradition
  • The Bishop in the Reformation — How the Protestant traditions re-evaluated the episcopal office
  • The Bishop in the African American Church — A history of episcopal leadership in Black Christianity
  • The Bishop in the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements — A century of episcopal development
  • The Bishop Today — What the history teaches the contemporary episcopal leader

BP301 Bishop Formed 8 Lessons

  • The Formation of the Bishop’s Soul — What God does in the hidden place before the public place
  • The Bishop’s Prayer Life — The discipline that sustains everything else
  • The Bishop’s Study Life — The theology behind the teaching that shapes a movement
  • The Bishop’s Relationships — Who stands beside the bishop and why it matters
  • The Bishop and Accountability — The structures that protect the office and its holder
  • The Bishop and Failure — What happens when the bishop falls and how recovery is possible
  • The Bishop and Opposition — Navigating the attack that comes to every significant leader
  • The Formed Bishop — What the fully formed episcopal leader looks and lives like

BP401 Bishop Functioning 8 Lessons

  • The Bishop’s Day — What episcopal leadership looks like in actual practice
  • The Bishop and Preaching — The episcopal message; speaking to a movement, not just a congregation
  • The Bishop and Teaching — The doctrinal responsibility of the episcopal office
  • The Bishop and Governance — Leading the organization that carries the vision
  • The Bishop and Finance — Institutional stewardship at the episcopal level
  • The Bishop and Conflict — Navigating the high-stakes conflicts that reach the episcopal desk
  • The Bishop and Crisis — Institutional, personal, and public crisis management
  • The Bishop and Legacy — Building what will still stand when you are gone

BP501 Bishop Furnished 8 Lessons

  • The Bishop’s Team — Building the staff and adjutant structure that extends episcopal capacity
  • The Bishop’s Office — The administrative and operational infrastructure of episcopal ministry
  • The Bishop’s Network — Building the relationships that resource the vision
  • The Bishop and Church Planting — The episcopal responsibility to extend the Kingdom through new churches
  • The Bishop and Education — Theological education as an episcopal priority and legacy
  • The Bishop and the Next Generation — The responsibility to identify, develop, and deploy emerging leaders
  • The Bishop and Consecration — The theology, the ceremony, and the weight of episcopal installation
  • The Fully Furnished Bishop — Everything in place; the work begins
Track 08 · Apostolic Office · Sent with Authority
08

Apostle Track

The apostolic calling examined, defined, and equipped. Five courses for those called to this dimension of ministry leadership.

5
Courses
40
Lessons

The apostolic calling examined, defined, and equipped. Five courses covering the biblical and historical foundations of the apostolic office, the authority and accountability it requires, how the apostle functions in the local church, and the apostolic networks that extend the Kingdom. The apostolic office is not a title — it is a formation.

AP801 The Apostolic Call & Commission 8 Lessons

  • What Is an Apostle? — Etymology, Greek/Hebrew foundations, biblical definitions; gift vs. office
  • The Divine Calling — How God calls apostles; recognizing and confirming the call
  • Old Testament Prototypes — The shaliach concept; Moses, Joshua, and the sent one
  • New Testament Apostleship — The Twelve, Paul, and the ongoing apostolic function
  • The Apostolic Character — What the office demands of the person who holds it
  • The Apostolic Household — The family standard at the highest level of ministry office
  • The Apostolic Call Confirmed — Recognition, commissioning, and accountability
  • Walking in the Apostolic Assignment — Living sent

AP802 The Apostolic Office — Historical & Biblical 8 Lessons

  • The Apostolic Office in the New Testament Church
  • The Apostle in the Post-Apostolic Era — How the office was understood after the Twelve
  • The Apostolic Through Church History — Recovery and recognition across the traditions
  • The Modern Apostolic Movement — A century of apostolic restoration
  • The Apostle and the Five-Fold Ministry — Ephesians 4 in context
  • The Apostle and the Other Offices — Relationship to prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher
  • The Apostle and the Bishop — Two offices, distinct and complementary
  • The Apostolic Office Today — What history teaches the contemporary apostle

AP803 Apostolic Authority & Accountability 8 Lessons

  • The Nature of Apostolic Authority — Where it comes from and what it covers
  • The Limits of Apostolic Authority — What it is not, and where it ends
  • Apostolic Accountability — The structures that protect the apostle and those they serve
  • The Apostle and Spiritual Covering — Giving and receiving covering with integrity
  • The Apostle and Submission — Authority exercised under authority
  • The Abuse of Apostolic Authority — Recognizing and preventing the misuse of the office
  • The Apostle and Church Discipline — Authority in the restoration process
  • Authority That Builds — Apostolic power deployed for the Kingdom, not the self

AP804 Apostolic Ministry in the Local Church 8 Lessons

  • The Apostle and the Local Church — How apostolic ministry serves the congregation
  • The Apostle as Builder — Laying foundations others build upon
  • The Apostle and Church Planting — The apostolic responsibility to start new works
  • The Apostle and Leadership Development — Raising the leaders the church will need
  • The Apostle and Doctrine — Guarding and establishing sound teaching
  • The Apostle and Order — Setting things in order in the house of God
  • The Apostle and the Pastor — Serving the local shepherd without displacing him
  • Apostolic Ministry That Lasts — Building what endures

AP805 Apostolic Networks & Kingdom Expansion 8 Lessons

  • The Apostolic Network — What it is and how it functions
  • Building the Network — Identifying, gathering, and developing network relationships
  • The Apostle and Kingdom Expansion — The mandate to extend the church
  • The Apostle and Missions — Apostolic ministry across cultures and nations
  • The Apostle and Resourcing — Funding and sustaining apostolic work
  • The Apostle and the Next Generation — Raising emerging apostolic leaders
  • The Apostle and Legacy — Building the network that outlasts the founder
  • The Fully Deployed Apostle — Sent, established, and multiplying
“
Consecration should be a confirmation — not a beginning. THE CIRCLE prepares the leader so thoroughly that arriving at the office is a step, not a leap.
— Bishop Dr. A. R. Massenburg  ·  Architect of THE CIRCLE