An Inside Look: Lead School

Interested in Lead School for 2024-2025? Learn more and apply!


Karis Church is passionate about developing Christian leaders and we believe that training is best done in the local church. So how do we actually cultivate this training in Karis? That’s right: Lead School! We are looking for new people to join our next class starting this Fall!

Wondering what Lead School is? Lead School is a leadership development program for women and men longing to grow spiritually and theologically and for those who may be interested in serving in lay church leadership. Hear from some of our most recent participants about their experiences:

“I signed up for Lead School because I wanted a structured setting to read and discuss intellectual aspects of the faith. Lead School provides an environment for wrestling with complex questions and discussing and applying theological truths. I loved the group discussions that were central to Lead School. I gained tremendous insights from other participants, and the discussions even provided space to learn where I was in error, which I would not have gained from reading the text independently. Another great thing about Lead School is that the topics were never merely intellectual; I regularly left meetings with an encouraged heart and a sense of awe at how rich, deep, and beautiful God is. Lead School provided many excellent lessons in itself, but it also provided knowledge of new resources that are continuing to deepen my faith even after completing Lead School… I'm also equipped with greater confidence to share Jesus with my friends and coworkers.”

-Matt Ogan

“[Lead School] sounded like a great opportunity to set aside time to meet with believers I hadn't met yet and intentionally fellowship over biblical doctrine and chat about how to apply that practically in our church context…[Having] healthy conversation about topics that almost felt like they were chosen because people would disagree on them was really refreshing!…I want to be in a place where I could answer like Isaiah, "send me, I'll go," if it comes. Respectful interaction on real, rubber-meets-the-road kinds of human experience, through the lens of Jesus, the gospel, and biblical theology, is a universally applicable and perishable skill.”

-Michael Ford