About the Church Leadership Programme

CLP encourages you to explore reflective practice as a foundation for sustaining healthy leadership in ministry. It aims to deepen your theoretical and practical understandings of reflective practice, by engaging with a range of perspectives including theological, biblical, and psychological approaches.

How the  CLP is taught

Experiential learning is central to this programme and will be fostered in several ways:

  • A regular reflective space led by your tutor, creating an environment for shared reflection and discussion.
  • Self-reflective tasks designed to help you personalise your engagement with the material.
  • A reflective journal, maintained throughout the programme, which will form a key part of allowing you to integrate your learning into the heart of your ongoing ministerial practice.

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of reflective practice and its application to leadership in your context.
  • Apply reflective practices to bring insight, transformation, and growth into your leadership and ministry.
  • Gain a clearer understanding of your strengths, vulnerabilities, and development needs as a leader.
Course Costs

The cost of the course is £1500, and it runs for one year. This includes the cost of residential weekends including accommodation at Luther King House and your meals on Saturday and your breakfast and lunch on Sunday. They do not include travel costs.

Funding for URC ministers

If you need help with funding, you should, in the first instance, ask your local church and Synod if they are able to assist.  Where this is not possible, or where there may be a shortfall, you should contact your Synod Training and Development Officer or equivalent.  They will liaise with the Ministries Office who are able to underwrite any shortfall, in order to ensure that funding is not a barrier to study.

Study Duration

The course is delivered in-person and online.

3 Residential Weekends per year

2026–2027 Residentials (Luther King House, Brighton Grove, Manchester, M14 5JP)

• 26-27 September 2026 – Check in on 25 Sept and check out on 27 Sept

• 6-7 March 2027 – Check in on 5 March and check out on 7 March

• 22-23 May 2027 – Check in on 21 May and check out on 23 May

10 Midweek sessions (19:00-20:30 Weds evenings on Zoom)

  • 23 September 2026
  • 7 October 2026
  • 4 November 2026
  • 25 November 2026
  • 16 December 2026
  • 13 January 2027
  • 24 February 2027
  • 17 March 2027
  • 21 April 2027
  • 19 May 2027

Useful Information

Our Virtual Learning Site, Moodle, will be your one-stop hub for all key information, documents and resources related to your course. You will also benefit from membership to Luther King’s theological library and learning resources, and can contact the librarian for study skills and other academic support at any time.

Individual challenges should not be a challenge to learning. We strive to support everybody in every way. Learn about how we help neurodiverse and/or disabled students, and anyone with additional learning needs.

Application forms

URC students can download the CLP application form here.

For general enquiries, get in touch with Christine at the following email: christine.hufton@lutherking.ac.uk

Please also speak to your Synod training rep as they will also be able to guide you through the process, especially in regards to funding.

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