The Academy of Artful Leadership helps gifted leaders continue to grow through hosted conversations around key themes in ministry, peer learning, and individual coaching. The outcome is greater clarity and calculated movement toward transformational congregational leadership.

The Academy utilizes a “coach approach” process, which means that instead of relying on instruction from a teacher or prescriptions from a consultant, a coach helps to mine the expertise and internal wisdom of congregational leaders. This “coach approach” process helps leaders discern the God-sized things that need to happen, develop a plan to get there, and celebrate with them when they do.

The Art of Denominational Leadership Cohort is a 2.0 level course offering by the Academy of Artful Leadership designed specifically for those in judicatory leadership. This survey course covers the fundamental areas that judicatories encounter during their tenure in leadership. All sessions are framed in a coach approach pedagogy providing an opportunity to immediately begin utilizing the tools of each topic. Each session will provide an opportunity for both individual learning and real time application. In addition, participants will engage in one on one coaching sessions with a judicatory who is a trained, certified coach on the challenges and opportunities of judicatory leadership.

Topics Covered

• Session One: Leader as Learner / Disruptor / Designer
• Session Two: Arc of Tenure
• Session Three: Why Culture
• Session Four : Leaders as Coach-Player & Team Builder
• Session Five: Design Culture
• Session Six: Leaders as Networker & Steward
• Session Seven: Create – Monitor – Measure – Report
• Session Eight: Advice & Accountability

Brian N. Prior is an Episcopal Bishop who has spent over 25 years coaching people in prioritizing their purpose, passion, and potential. He is a trained ICF coach with both an MDiv and DD from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. His broad portfolio of experience with both individuals and groups includes religious, non-profit, health care, and education contexts.

Brian serves as the Vice Chair of the Episcopal Church Pension Board, as a board member of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, and has helped start two non-profits for education and recreation. He discovered his passion for coaching first as a camp counselor and then as the camp’s executive director, and has a long history of coaching girls’ high school basketball.

As owner of Prioritize Coaching, Brian embraces his call to walk with individuals and organizations in transformational development. He has received the designation of Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Rev. Chris Holmes, PCC,  has been coaching church leaders across many denominations since 2008, with over 1000 hours coaching laity, clergy, denominational leaders and bishops. In the United Methodist Church he leads the coaching team working with new district superintendents and directors of connectional ministry, as well as several conference leadership cabinets.

Chris authored, along with George Howard, the Coach Approach Skill Training (CAST) for ministry, which is an approved training program of the International Coach Federation. CAST has now trained over 1000 church leaders in the basic and advanced skills of coaching for ministry. He also is co-creator and faculty for Auburn Seminary’s coach training and author of The Art of Coaching Clergy, as well as many articles on coaching.

As a founding member of the Maryland Chapter of the International Coach Federation, Chris served as President from 2012-2014. Prior to coaching, he pastored churches for 26 years and served as District Superintendent of the Annapolis District in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Chris and Margaret have been married for over 35 years, have three grown children. Chris is an accomplished watercolor artist.