There is a moment that happens in almost every church.
It’s not during the sermon.
It’s not during a committee meeting.
It’s not even during worship.

It’s the conversation in the hallway. The volunteer who notices someone sitting alone. The person who organizes a meal train without being asked. The member who remembers a name, asks a thoughtful question, or stays behind to stack chairs after everyone else has gone home.

Most of the time, these people would never call themselves leaders.
And yet, they are often the ones helping shape the culture, spirit, and future of a congregation.

Somewhere along the way, many of us inherited the idea that leadership belongs to a select few—the pastor, the church council chair, the committee expert, the person who seems to have all the answers. We begin to believe that programs focused on leadership development are intended for “those people,” while the rest of us simply support the work from the sidelines.

But the story of faith has never worked that way.

Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls ordinary people into extraordinary journeys. Fishermen. Farmers. Young people. Elders. People who doubted. People who felt unqualified. People who never imagined they would be asked to step forward.

The invitation wasn’t extended because they had mastered everything already.
The invitation came because they were willing to grow.

That’s the spirit behind the Leadership Academy Preaching Institute (LAPI).

LAPI is designed for both laity and clergy who are called to the ministry of preaching and the proclamation of God’s Word. Whether you regularly step into the pulpit as a lay person assigned by your District Superintendent or as clergy appointed by the Bishop, LAPI exists to help faithful preachers strengthen their craft, deepen their theological reflection, and become more effective communicators of the Gospel.

LAPI also includes a role for active listeners. Perhaps you are a layperson who enjoys sermons but who is not assigned by a district superintendent to preach regularly. You can grow in leadership in your congregation by serving on a listener feedback group for your preacher.

LAPI is not a remedial program. It is not a place where people go because they are lacking something. It is not designed to tell participants what they’ve been doing wrong or hand out a checklist for becoming a “better preacher.”

Instead, LAPI is a place where preachers sharpen their craft. Through reflection, guided learning, sermon discussion, peer engagement, and constructive feedback, participants strengthen both the theological depth and practical delivery of their preaching. Rather than striving for perfection, LAPI encourages faithful proclamation that is authentic, thoughtful, rooted in Scripture, and responsive to the needs of today’s congregations.

It’s a place for people who understand that faith and faithful preaching is not a destination we arrive at but a journey we continue to walk.
And if we’re honest, every meaningful journey changes us.

The late Anthony Bourdain once observed that travel changes you. You leave home thinking you understand the world, and then you sit across a table from someone whose life is entirely different from your own. You hear a story. You share a meal. You discover something unexpected. And when you return home, you are not quite the same person who left.

Faith formation works much the same way.
Growth happens when we step beyond what is familiar. When we encounter new perspectives. When we listen deeply. When we become curious again.

LAPI creates those opportunities.

It brings together people from different congregations, different communities, and different experiences. It invites participants to wrestle with important questions, engage new ideas, strengthen practical skills, and deepen their understanding of what it means to faithfully proclaim the Gospel through preaching, ministry, and leadership.

Not because anyone has failed.
But because faithful people never stop learning.

The most effective preachers are rarely the people who believe they have everything figured out. More often, they are the people who remain curious. They ask questions. They listen well. They recognize that God is always at work, revealing something new, inviting us into deeper understanding and wider compassion.

That kind of posture is at the heart of discipleship.
After all, Jesus did not gather experts around him.
He gathered learners.
He gathered people willing to walk the road, ask questions, make mistakes, encounter new people, challenge assumptions, and discover God’s presence in unexpected places.

In many ways, LAPI is an extension of that same invitation.

LAPI is an opportunity to step away from the routines that often fill our calendars and create space to ask:

• What is God teaching me right now?
• How is God shaping me through preaching?
• How can my sermons more faithfully proclaim the Gospel?
• What gifts have I not fully explored?
• How can I better serve my congregation through the ministry of the Word?
• What might faithful preaching look like in this season of my life?

These are not questions reserved for clergy.
They belong to all of us.

The church’s future will not be shaped by pastors alone. It will be shaped by lay leaders who welcome newcomers, mentor younger generations, organize ministries, build relationships, advocate for justice, care for neighbors, and help congregations navigate change with wisdom and grace. It will also be shaped by faithful lay preachers who stand before their congregations to share God’s Word with authenticity, humility, and compassion.

In other words, it will be shaped by people like you.

Whether you have been preaching for years or are newer to the ministry of the pulpit, LAPI offers an opportunity to continue growing. Not because you need fixing. Not because someone told you to attend. But because God is not finished forming any of us, and there is always room to become a more faithful proclaimer of the Gospel.

Whether you have been listening to sermons for years or are newer to the faith, LAPI offers an opportunity to continue growing as a listener, too.

Who Can Participate?

The Leadership Academy Preaching Institute is intended for those who are actively engaged in the ministry of preaching. Participants should be preaching at least twice each month and be either:

• Laity assigned by their District Superintendent, or
• Clergy appointed by the Bishop.

Participants are also asked to convene a listener feedback group of three to five people within their ministry setting for the duration of the program. This group might include trusted congregation members, fellow ministry leaders, or regular worship attendees who hear your sermons throughout the program. Their role is to offer honest, encouraging, and constructive feedback that helps participants continue growing in their preaching and proclamation of God’s Word.

Alternatively, laity who are not assigned to preach on a regular basis can participate as listeners, learning to provide thoughtful feedback on what you hear during the sermon. If this is you, read this article with your preacher and encourage them to apply for the program.

One of the beautiful truths of the Christian life is that there is always more to discover.

More wisdom.
More understanding.
More connection.
More opportunities to serve.
More ways to participate in God’s work in the world.
The question is not whether you are qualified enough.

The question is whether you are willing to remain open to where God may be leading next.

If you have ever felt called to preach more confidently, wondered how your sermons might connect more deeply with those in the pews, and desired to grow alongside a community of fellow preachers committed to faithful proclamation, then consider this your invitation.

Pull up a chair.
Join the conversation.
Bring your experiences, your questions, your gifts, and your curiosity.
There is a place for you here.

We believe both you and the Church will be stronger because of it.

Interested? Applications for preachers are open now. Click here.

Questions? Reach out to LAPI Coordinator Mary Cranwell at lapicoordinator@epagnj.org to learn more about eligibility, upcoming cohorts, and the application process.