Tools & Training
Equipping Christian leaders for effective collaboration
VisionSynergy is committed to equipping the leaders of the networks we serve – as well as the broader Christian community – through practical resources, focused training, and strategic consultations emphasizing the best practices of ministry collaboration. We want to help leaders get a firm grasp on the key principles and specific skill-sets for building collaborative initiatives that can have a significant impact on the world.
After nearly 30 years of developing strategic mission partnerships and networks, we know that simply getting people around the table together is not enough to power real collaboration.
Effective collaboration
depends on
effective leadership.
The world is changing rapidly. Ministries that have no value or skills for partnering are destined to failure at worst, or isolated impact at best. It is essential that the ministry leadership paradigm for the next generation is firmly grounded in collaboration.
Practical resources
We provide a range of useful tools to help leaders develop the vision and skills they need to build effective collaborative initiatives. Our resources are free and include books, courses, articles, guides, and other publications.
Synergy Commons
The Synergy Commons publicly launched in 2015 and replaced the PowerOfConnecting resource site which we’d hosted for seven years. Members can interact with other practitioners, utilize free resources, and receive training on partnership and collaboration. The Commons is a global learning community for Christian leaders who want to build effective missional networks in their ministry fields. We launched it but work with collaborative leaders from across the world to power it with their insights!
Learn more about the Commons >
Handbook
We provide free online access in multiple languages and multiple formats to the definitive partnership handbook – Well Connected (written by VisionSynergy founder and mission partnership pioneer, Phill Butler). Thousands of ministry leaders around the world have purchased print copies or downloaded the free e-book.
Courses
We have developed a unique, university-level course on the topic of partnerships in mission. The course is available for free use in Christian seminaries, colleges, and Bible schools, and has already been used at the master’s and doctoral levels in more than a dozen programs in six different countries. The course is currently available in English, Spanish, and Russian, with more translations on the way.
Social Media Sites & Blog
As thought leaders in the area of partnerships in mission, we actively publish through SlideShare, Twitter, our blog, YouTube channel, and other social media sites.
Focused training
We offer a variety of face-to-face and online training events through interactive workshops, keynote presentations, webinars, and other facilitated discussions. Most of our face-to-face training events are highly customized and offered primarily to the networks and partnerships we serve as advisors. We do also provide periodic online learning opportunities open to everyone.
Face-to-Face: Workshops, Keynotes, and Presentations
We offer intensive, introductory workshops covering the entire process of partnership development. We also offer keynotes, lectures, and other presentations to inspire and inform Christian leaders on the power and potential of ministry collaboration.
Online: Webinars, Tele- conferences, and Forum Discussions
We offer periodic webinars and teleconferences addressing specific issues that commonly arise in the operation of ministry partnerships and networks. In addition, we facilitate interactive discussions in our online forums including book clubs, Q&A sessions, topical dialogues, and more.
Strategic consultations
Since 2013, we’ve hosted a biennial, international, and invitation-only consultation designed to give in-depth insight into the state of collaboration in global Christian mission.
Synergy Summit
This consultation will provide a connecting point for leaders from the networks and partnerships we serve, along with major Kingdom investors and others who provide resources and mobilization in missions. The consultation will be an opportunity for peer leaders to learn what works – and what doesn’t work – in the broader context of mission collaboration. Attendance at the Summit is by invitation only.
Want to leverage the power of partnership?
We believe that God is always at work around the world, moving His people toward community and collaboration. That’s why we so often find that the dreams stirring in one person’s heart are the same dreams stirring in another person’s heart. If you want to learn more about how to leverage the power of partnership in your own ministry context, or how to get involved in the work of bringing others together to advance the Gospel, contact us!