APPLICATIONS FOR 2027 NOW OPEN.
Following the success of the 2025 and commencement of the 2026 course, the Diocese of Northampton is offering the opportunity to take part in a year-long leadership training course beginning in January 2027, called the Bethsaida Leadership Course.
Are you a leader in your parish, either in a formal role or you find people look to you for leadership even if you don’t have a formal role? Do you feel called to lead? Do you find yourself wishing you had the confidence to take a lead with a project in your Parish or Pastoral Area? Do you want to grow in your leadership skills? If the answer is yes, please apply for the Bethsaida Leadership Course.
Why a Leadership Course?
Pope Francis reminds us in these words why Parishes exist:
“The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelisers. It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach. We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented.”
(Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, 2014, paragraph 28)
This course seeks to help parishes further embrace that call to mission:
- By forming and equipping those already in leadership to be leaders who can work effectively with others to review and renew their parishes, helping to make them more missionary.
- By forming and equipping new leaders to be able to lead projects/initiatives that help our Parishes to become more missionary.
Why Bethsaida?
The word Bethsaida literally means “House of Fishermen”. It was a fishing village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was the hometown of Peter, Andrew & Philip, the place where Jesus called them to be his disciples. During the Bethsaida Course we will be exploring our own calling to discipleship and leadership, so that we can respond more effectively to Jesus’ call to mission.
Bethsaida is also a place Jesus chooses to withdraw to, spending time teaching his disciples: “Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida…” (Luke 9:11). This course will provide time where we ‘come away’ with Jesus to learn from him. Jesus spent a lot of time with his disciples teaching them about character – character is often defined as what I do with who I am. If we are to be good leaders, developing our character is an essential aspect.
We learn from Luke chapter nine, that as the disciples are spending time with Jesus, crowds find them which leads to the famous feeding of the 5000 on the outskirts of Bethsaida. The disciples are ready to send the people away, but Jesus invites them to feed the crowd themselves. Though they think it’s impossible, they work with Jesus and discover that nothing is impossible for God. In helping Jesus and following his instructions they discover their own gifts (charisms) and begin to develop the competency they need for the leaders they will become.
Finally, Bethsaida is the place where Jesus invites Peter to walk on water. This moment for Peter is a crucial step in his development as a leader. He discovers that when he keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus he can do what Jesus calls him to do. This is the confidence we all need to develop in our leadership. When Peter begins to sink, he also knows that he can call out to Jesus to save him. This is not a weakness, but a cry of confidence, knowing that even if he fails, he knows Jesus will catch him.
This course visits these 5 key principles of leadership that the disciples learnt while in Bethsaida:
- Calling
- Character
- Charism
- Competence
- Confidence
The Bethsaida Course will equip you for leadership, whether you are leading a project related to Caritas, Mission Northampton, or in a leadership role locally (formal or informal) in your Parish or Pastoral Area and seeking to become more missionary. The Bethsaida Course will help you to become a leader who is able to make effective missionary disciples wherever you are.
Practical Details about the Course
The Bethsaida Leadership Course will be run by a team of experienced people led by Maria Heath, Director of Mission Northampton. The course will include prayer, input, discussion, mentoring, reflective practice, reading as well as live and recorded talks from inspirational leaders.
The commitment
A key element of the course are two Residential weekends. In 2027 the residentials will take place in January and November (exact dates and venues to be confirmed).
These weekends us to meet in person, spend time in prayer with each other and help each one of us enter deeply into this process of formation.
Two meetings a month on Zoom – 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month, 7.15-9.15pm and will include time for sharing, reflection, input etc. The course will be tailored to those on it so will be responsive and able to address issues that arise.
Monthly mentoring – On a day and at time that suits you and the mentor that you will be assigned.
The Application Process
Cost
Bethsaida Leadership Course: Pricing Structure
The Bethsaida Leadership Course costs £850 per person per year for those outside the Diocese.
For those within the Diocese of Northampton, the Diocese makes a significant contribution, reducing the cost to £600.
However, we do not want cost to be a barrier. We ask participants to prayerfully consider what they are able to contribute:
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Some may be able to pay the full £600.
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Others may cover specific costs, such as residentials (around £450).
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Some may only be able to contribute a smaller amount, or nothing at all.
You may also wish to:
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Ask your parish or school to support you with a contribution.
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Explore grant-making charities if appropriate.
Flexible Payment Options
We want payment to be as manageable as possible. You can:
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Pay in full, or in one, two, or three instalments.
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Contribute as and when you can via this link: Make a Contribution
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Set up a weekly or monthly direct debit (e.g., £50/month for 12 months).
If you’d like help setting up a direct debit, please contact us and we’ll connect you with our finance team.
Support and Questions
Please don’t let finances put you off taking part. The residentials are a vital part of the course, and we want to ensure everyone who feels called can participate.
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For help with contributions or technical issues, contact Nyta on 01604 434362 or email admin.mission@northamptondiocese.org.
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For confidential conversations about financial concerns, contact Maria on 07952 040830.
Who Can Apply?
- Anyone 18 or over in the Diocese of Northampton.
- Those who are in a leadership role (formal or informal) in their Parish.
- Those who feel called to begin something in their Parish and need some leadership training.
- Those who are already involved in Mission Northampton or Caritas and want to develop their leadership skills.
Why Is It Application Only?
This course is specialised. It may be that you apply, and we ask you to undertake something different that is on offer initially, with a view to moving on to this in the future. There are many steps that help us to become effective leaders, and this is just one.
Please click here: Application form for the Bethsaida Leadership Course
More Information
If you would like to speak to somebody about the course or have any questions, please email Nyta Hirons:
We may request a meeting on zoom to help us get to know you better if we feel this would be beneficial.
