Arizona Mission Offering supports pastors through leadership development, connection

Pastors have an opportunity to grow in their leadership skills and to revitalize their churches, thanks to the Arizona Mission Offering.

The 2025 goal for the Arizona Mission Offering is to have 225 churches involved and a total offering of $225,000.

Leadership development is one of the eight areas supported by the offering.

Monty Patton, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network, and Chad Garrison, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Lake Havasu City, currently serve as coaches to a Church Boom leadership cohort of 12 pastors.

“This program builds a brotherhood of pastors, learning from each other and bonding over mutual goals and values,” Patton said. “We are invested in raising the leadership capabilities of our pastors.”

This is the second year this program has been used in Arizona. A third year will begin with a new cohort in 2026.

Arizona pastors and coaches meet monthly for a 90-minute online session. Over the course of the program, they develop mission statements, core values and goals specific to their church culture. They cultivate deep relationships, share their progress and challenges, and receive encouragement and support.

Midway through the process, cohorts from around the country meet at a missionary retreat center in Tennessee, allowing pastors the opportunity for rest, counseling and care they need to get and stay healthy.

The retreat offers the opportunity to establish a network of pastors who can share their church pastoral experiences and offer guidance.

Bobby Alldis, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Sun City, is part of this year’s cohort. He saw an online discussion about leadership development suggesting that if a church is stuck, this would be a good thing to get involved in.

“I felt our church was stuck, so I applied,” he said. “It’s really teaching me how to lead. I am a strong preacher but a poor leader. This training really gave flesh to my leadership bones.

“Now, I am a different pastor. Being with the brothers and studying the curriculum has really helped me. I believe it has changed our church because it changed the pastor.”

Instead of having good ideas and letting them fall away, First Baptist, Sun City, leaders have learned how to develop a mission statement and set clear goals, Alldis said. That has inspired people to get involved.

“It changed the dynamic in the church,” he said. “Members are excited and involved. We now have a clear direction: where we’re going, why we’re going and how we’re going to get there. We are a team. We need each other to balance our strengths and weaknesses.”

The Church Boom cohort meets for 90 minutes on the second Wednesday of the month via Zoom. On the last Saturday of the month, Alldis guides eight leaders from his church through the material he has been studying since the Zoom meeting.

“We encourage, edify and build up one another,” he said. “Our mission statement says, ‘We exist to lead people into an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ so that they will worship Him, grow in their faith, and serve Him in their community and the world.’ Now our values support that mission.”

Alldis suggests pastors seriously consider this leadership development opportunity. He believes every pastor should have a pastor.

“Being a pastor can be very lonely,” he said. “This type of group is important. This has been such great support. That is vital, not only to your church but to your soul.”

Funds from the Arizona Mission Offering underwrite tuition, course materials and cost of the retreat attendance.

Learn more about the Arizona Mission Offering at azmn.org/amo/.

Irene A. Harkleroad, a freelance writer living in Carefree, is a member of Black Mountain Baptist Church, Cave Creek.