September 2026 | Developing to Deploy
A building can create space. A program can create opportunity. But ultimately, people carry the mission forward.
That conviction is at the heart of Develop to Deploy, one of the three major priorities of the Be Free initiative. If we want to bring the freedom of Jesus to more people, places, and communities, we need people who are deeply rooted in Scripture, formed to look more like Jesus, and equipped to lead wherever God sends them.
This month, one of the biggest pieces of that vision became a reality.
The first-ever cohort of the Flatirons Leadership Institute has officially launched with more than 190 adult learners.
More Than a Leadership Program
When we first began talking about Develop to Deploy through Be Free, the goal was never simply to create more classes.
The vision was to create an intentional pathway for developing people.
Because leadership isn’t limited to pastors, church staff, or people with a title. Every day, followers of Jesus are influencing families, coworkers, teams, neighborhoods, churches, and communities. The question is whether we are intentionally preparing them to use that influence well.
That’s why the Flatirons Leadership Institute exists: to develop and deploy Christlike leaders.
FLI equips followers of Jesus with strong biblical knowledge, intentional spiritual formation, and practical leadership skills. The goal isn’t simply to know more about Jesus, but to become more like Jesus—and then live that out wherever God has placed us.
That means becoming people who are grounded in Scripture, formed in character, and prepared to lead and serve with purpose.
190+ Leaders Taking Their Next Step
The first FLI cohort includes more than 190 adult learners, ranging from their early twenties through age 65 and beyond.
They come from different backgrounds, careers, life stages, and levels of leadership experience, but they share a desire to grow deeper and become more intentional about how they live and lead.
FLI currently offers three certificate pathways designed to help learners move from development toward deployment:
Biblical & Theological Foundations begins with the question: What do I believe, and how does Scripture shape my life?
Students develop a stronger understanding of the Bible, theology, and the larger story of Scripture—not simply to gain information, but to build a biblical foundation that shapes how they actually live.
Christian Leadership Foundations asks: Who am I becoming, and how does that shape the way I lead?
This pathway focuses on spiritual formation, character, relationships, and practical leadership, helping people understand that healthy leadership starts with the person doing the leading.
Christian Ministry Leadership asks: How do I lead and serve others effectively in ministry?
It helps equip men and women who feel called toward greater ministry responsibility with practical tools for serving, developing people, communicating Scripture, building teams, and leading with wisdom and humility.
Together, these pathways are designed to move people toward action—putting what they are learning and who they are becoming to work wherever God has placed them.
Leaders Developing Leaders
FLI also brings together an incredible group of leaders who are investing what they’ve learned into others.
This year, 20 instructors are serving across the Institute. Seventeen are Flatirons staff members, joined by three ministry leaders from outside our staff who share Flatirons’ commitment to being a church on mission.
That matters because FLI isn’t leadership training that exists only in a textbook.
Learners are being taught by people who are actively leading teams, serving people, navigating difficult conversations, studying and teaching Scripture, building ministries, and following Jesus in the realities of everyday life.
They’re passing that experience on to the next group of leaders.
And those leaders will eventually do the same.
This Is Develop to Deploy
This is why the Flatirons Leadership Institute is such an important part of Be Free.
We believe God has more for Flatirons than what can be accomplished by the people currently on staff or already in leadership.
There are future ministry leaders sitting in our auditoriums.
There are men and women who will lead with greater purpose in their businesses and workplaces.
There are parents who will lead their families differently.
There are people who will step into new ministries, serve their communities, disciple others, plant churches, lead nonprofits, and carry the hope of Jesus into places our church organization may never be able to reach.
Develop to Deploy is about finding those people, investing in them, and helping them become ready for whatever God asks them to do next.
Our hope is that FLI learners leave with more than information. We want them more deeply grounded in Scripture, more formed in Christlike character, more equipped with practical skills, and more confident about how God has uniquely gifted and called them.
Because the goal isn’t simply development.
The goal is deployment.
Because of Your Generosity
The launch of the Flatirons Leadership Institute is another tangible example of what your generosity through Be Free is making possible.
What began as a vision is now a room filled with more than 190 people intentionally becoming better equipped to follow Jesus and lead others.
And the impact won’t stop with those 190 people.
It will multiply through the families they lead, the teams they influence, the ministries they serve, the workplaces they enter, and the people they disciple for years to come.
That’s what Develop to Deploy looks like.
We develop leaders so they can be deployed to bring the freedom of Jesus wherever God sends them.
Thank you for helping make it possible.
