Course in Empowering Leadership (international)

Become a Leader Who Both Leads and Empowers

And Release More of the Leadership Potential God Has Placed in You

Through this course, you will take part in a process that focuses just as much on our ability to lead in a clear and fruitful way as on our ability to empower other people.

The goal of the course is to release the potential that has already been placed within each of us and within our communities. We want to see leadership multiplied by enabling leaders to bring out the best in all the coworkers around them.

The Empowering Leadership course has been offered by NCD Norway in Norwegian since 2017. This year we are delighted to introduce the course for an international audience, in English, together with NCD Canada and the UK. The response from participants so far has been overwhelming. The course has been described as both important and innovative.

The opportunity to follow the course from wherever you are in the world, to receive solid teaching, to reflect on your own leadership, and to take part in meaningful conversations with the course leaders and other participants—as well as ongoing individual sessions with a mentor—makes this a course that truly has the power to release and transform.

Time and Date

The course begins on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 7:00 pm CET (1:00 pm EST) with an introductory session. Part One of the course runs over the following six weeks until Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

The course is divided into six sessions, where the content is provided as an online course. For each session, you will watch video lectures and receive various assignments to help you reflect on the content. Each session concludes with a one-hour group conversation on Zoom (every Wednesday at 7:00 pm CET), where we share experiences related to the week’s theme.

During the course, you will also complete an Empowerment Test that helps you become more aware of your own strengths and blind spots. This is an important foundation for your journey to becoming a more empowering leader.

Part Two of the course continues after New Year with monthly coaching conversations (Spiritual Change Talk Sessions) on Zoom with one of the course leaders, based on your Empowerment Test and your everyday leadership context.

Course Leaders and Mentors

This time the course team consists of

  • Bill Bickle (National Leader of NCD UK and Canada)
  • Kjetil Sigerseth (National Leader of NCD Norway and Iceland).

 

Terms

From 2025, the course fee is set at EUR 800 per participant. Churches and Christian organizations will receive a 50% discount, which also applies if individuals take the course primarily for Christian or nonprofit work.

If you only wish to register for Part One, the course fee is EUR 350. This includes the study book, two access codes for the Empowerment Test, six relatively short teaching sessions, six group conversations, other learning resources, and a varied pedagogical approach.

If you initially sign up only for Part One, you may later continue with Part Two (the Change Talks). The price per session is EUR 100 (a total of EUR 600 for all six sessions). The 50% discount also applies here.

Registration

Sign up now or request more information about the course by contacting:

The registration deadline is Friday, March 27, 2026 (please register as soon as possible; this is the final deadline). Places are limited.

Target Group

  • Priests, pastors, and church consultants
  • People with particular leadership roles in church and organizational life
  • People who would like to offer and facilitate this course for others
  • Other coworkers in church and organizational life
  • Potential leaders in church and organizational life
  • Others (e.g., people with leadership responsibilities in business and public administration)

Group Sessions

  1. Leadership as Relationship
  2. Radically Balanced Leadership
  3. The Three Dimensions of Leadership
  4. Twelve Leadership Traits
  5. The Empowerment Test
  6. The Spiritual Change Talk

What Fruits Will the Course Bring?

  • An opportunity to reflect on and strengthen your role as a leader
  • Development of practical skills in empowering others
  • Mapping of your own leadership potential
  • Knowledge of the basic principles of empowering leadership
  • Growth in both the leading and empowering dimensions of your leadership
  • Training in using the Spiritual Change Talk as a leadership tool
  • Qualification to facilitate the course for others

Content and Pedagogical Approach

The course consists of two parts:

Part One includes some self-study, teaching, a test, and group processes. Among other things, you will work with the study book The 3 Colors of Leadership, complete the Empowerment Test, participate in teaching and group conversations, and gain access to supplementary learning material and reflection assignments.

Part Two is open to those who have completed Part One. It includes six individual Change Talks based on your Empowerment Test. This second part is seen as an important continuation and an essential component of the course—especially for ensuring that the course bears fruit in your life and that you grow as a leader.

The Empowerment Test and The 3 Colors of Leadership

One of the exciting aspects of the Empowerment Test is that you do not answer a single question yourself. Instead, the people around you—those you lead or those who know you well—are invited to give feedback on the impact you have on them, their motivation, and their development.

The detailed analysis you receive provides a clear picture of where, as a leader, you currently have the greatest impact on others and where you have potential to take new steps.

The Empowerment Test, available as an e-test, can be taken by ordering an access code, by using the code you receive when registering for the course, or when purchasing the book The 3 Colors of Leadership (Christian A. Schwarz). This course is based on the principles we find in this book.

The Spiritual Change Talk

Based on the Empowerment Test, you will as part of the course be offered individual follow-up conversations with a mentor. Here, the focus is on you as a course participant, and reflection on your leadership is based on your personal test results.

Six Change Talks will be facilitated, each one centered on one of the six principles or wing pairs highlighted by the test.
The Spiritual Change Talk aims to release more of what is already within you. At the same time, you will also gain experience in how the Change Talk can be used as a tool in your own leadership. In this way, you will later be able to use the same method when meeting with your closest coworkers in order to release more of what is within them.

Experiences from Participants

“The leadership course has changed my perspective on leadership—from what I accomplish myself to how I can bring forth the gold within those I am called to lead.” Hilde Brevik Grytten, The Salvation Army, Bergen

“To regularly talk with others about my own leadership has been a privilege. I have come out a better leader—more conscious, more accountable, and more empowered.” Runar Gjertsen, Principal, Bergen Bible School

“The Empowerment Test was an eye-opener for me. It was amazing to see where my strengths are and where I have greater potential to develop further. The Change Talks have helped me see what can be released and how.” Jorun Godø, Pastor, Pentecostal Church Ålesund

“The course has given me a different understanding of leadership and the importance of passing on knowledge and responsibility to others.” Kjetil Stautland, Director, Lyngmo Youth Center

“The leadership course has given me good insight into how I best can develop as a leader—one who creates new leaders!” Bjørn Roger Stien, Pastor, Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, Namsos

“The course in Empowering Leadership exceeded my expectations. This life-relevant course has given me crucial perspectives on ministry and equipped me with tools to continue growing—and most importantly: to empower new leaders.” Runar Liodden, Assisting National Leader, Awana Norway

“The course gave me enriching new perspectives and a fresh understanding of leadership. I especially appreciated the dialogue with the many wonderful participants, and the monthly Change Talks with deep reflections.” Kristin Stordal, Consultant, The Salvation Army

See more experiences from the course.