Week ofNov 16
Session 1
Before You Choose a Model
Name what you believe changes people, and take an honest look at your starting conditions.
Tool: Starting Conditions SnapshotCohort 01 starts the week of Nov 16 · Registration closes Nov 16Save my seat →
Ministry Models Cohort · 6 live sessions
Choose a ministry model that actually makes disciples.
A six-session cohort for leaders launching or relaunching a college or young adult ministry. Walk through the major ministry model families with other leaders, see what each one does well and where each one breaks, and leave with a model you've chosen on purpose.
Live onlineNov 16 – Jan 18Small group of leaders
The 60-second model check4 questions
Here's what nobody tells you
66%
of young adults who attended church as teens drop out for at least a year between 18 and 22. And most of them don't leave over a bad sermon or the wrong worship style.
Guess the #1 reason they left.
Tap your guess.
Lifeway Research, 2019
The real reason ministries fade
Every model is a theory of change wearing clothes.
Pick a model before you name what you believe changes people, and you'll end up copying someone else's ministry. The worship night fills the room for a semester. Then the draw runs out, and so do the people.
Copy-paste ministry"Youth group 2.0"Built around the leader's preferences
Inside the cohort
Seven model families. One honest comparison.
Sorted by where formation actually happens, not by size or style. Swipe through what you'll compare together.
The big idea
Healthy ministries don't run one model. They combine three parts.
The engine
Where disciples are formed
The one place you expect real change to happen. You choose this first.
GroupTableMissional Community
The front door
How new people find you
Low-barrier ways in that point people somewhere smaller.
Monthly gatheringOpen dinnerExplorer course
The thread
How they connect across generations
What the research says matters most for faith that lasts.
MentoringServing teamsMixed-age groups
By Session 6 you'll have named all three for your ministry, and decided what you won't do.
Your six sessions
Four before Christmas. Two to finish strong.
Each session has short pre-work, live teaching and discussion with other leaders, and one playbook tool you'll use right away. We pause for the holidays so you're not planning in December.
Save my seatWeek ofNov 23
Session 2
Gathering Models
Why a gathering is a great front door and a weak engine, and how to make it point somewhere smaller.
Tool: Next-Step MapWeek ofDec 7
Session 3
Group and Classroom Models
Groups and classes only form people when someone is actually being discipled inside them.
Tool: Group Multiplication SketchWeek ofDec 14
Session 4
Missional Community and Table Models
Models that start with mission and belonging, and reach people who'd never walk into a service.
Tool: Sent-To MapHoliday break
Week ofJan 11
Session 5
Integrated and Residency Models
Where the research points hardest: weaving young adults into the whole church.
Tool: Intergenerational Connection PlanWeek ofJan 18
Session 6
Choosing and Building Your Model
Pick your engine, front door, and thread. Then plan a 90-day pilot before you call it the model.
Tools: Model Scoring Grid + Model Decision pageOn January 18 you'll be holding
Not more ideas. A decision you can defend.
A one-page Model Decision you can put in front of your pastor, your team, or your coach, backed by the tools you built along the way.
- 1Starting Conditions SnapshotYour context, people, capacity, and theory of change
- 2Next-Step MapFrom first visit to known by name to serving
- 3Group Multiplication SketchGroups, leaders, and who's next
- 4Sent-To MapThe people or place you're sent to
- 5Intergenerational Connection PlanWho, how often, and the ask
- 6Model Scoring Grid + Model Decision pageSeven families, seven lenses, one choice
Model Scoring
GridSession 6
GridSession 6
Starting
ConditionsSession 1
ConditionsSession 1
ContextCommuter campus + young professionals
People12 already coming
Capacity
Model
DecisionSession 6
DecisionSession 6
Theory of changeYoung adults become disciples when they're known by name and walked with.
EngineSmall groups that disciple
Front doorA monthly gathering
ThreadMentoring with older adults
What we won't do
90-day pilot
What changes
From guessing to knowing.
Before the cohort
- Copying what worked at another church
- Measuring success by first-month attendance
- An event with no clear next step
- Young adults on the edges of the church
- Deciding alone
After the cohort
- A model built on your own theory of change
- Judged by belonging, relationships, and next steps
- A mapped path from first visit to serving
- Older adults named and ready to mentor
- A 90-day pilot, shaped with peers who get it
A note from Andy
You don't have to figure this out alone.
I've watched a lot of young adult ministries start strong and fade fast. Almost never because the leader didn't care. Usually because we copied a model before we knew what we believed changes people.
This cohort slows that down. We'll look honestly at every major model, what it's great at and where it breaks, alongside other leaders asking the same questions. That's what Elementum is: leaders building for the next generation, together.
Come leave with a model you chose on purpose. I'd love to have you in the room.
- You're launching a college or young adult ministry
- Or relaunching one that's stalled
- You want something you can sustain in year two
- You'd rather decide with peers than alone
Join Cohort 01
Your model is a decision. Make it on purpose.
Ministry Models CohortSix live sessions
Nov 16 – Jan 18
Nov 16 – Jan 18
$297
One-time, or 3 monthly payments of $99
- Six live sessions with teaching, discussion, and peer feedback
- Six playbook tools, one built in every session
- The seven-family field guide and evaluation lens
- Your Model Decision page and a 90-day pilot plan
- A room of peers working the same questions at the same time
–days until registration closes
Secure checkoutConfirmation by email
What happens after you register.
- You get a confirmation emailWith everything you need to show up for Session 1.
- You do the short pre-workWrite down the last ministry model you were part of, and a first draft of your theory of change.
- You show up the week of Nov 16Session 1: Before You Choose a Model. Bring your draft and meet the other leaders.
Who is this cohort for?+
Pastors, staff, and leaders launching or relaunching a college or young adult ministry. If you're the one deciding what that ministry looks like, it's for you.
We already have a ministry. Is it too late?+
No. Relaunching leaders are a big part of this cohort. You'll run what you're doing now through the same seven questions and decide what to keep, change, or stop.
Will you tell me which model to pick?+
No. No model is right for every church. You'll choose one on purpose for your context, then test it with a 90-day pilot before calling it permanent.
What's the time commitment?+
Six live online sessions, plus short pre-work before each one and a little post-work after. Each session comes with one practical playbook tool.
Why the break after Session 4?+
Sessions 1 to 4 run before Christmas. We pause for the holidays and pick back up the week of January 11, so you finish with fresh eyes and plan your pilot for the new year.
How big is the group?+
Small on purpose. It's a cohort, not a webinar, so there's room for real conversation and feedback on your plan.
Registration closes November 16
Stop copying. Start choosing.
Six live sessions. Seven model families. One model you chose on purpose, and a 90-day plan to test it.
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Ministry Models CohortCloses Nov 16Save my seat
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