FOR PASTORS AND LOCAL CHURCHES
Bring the Family Shepherd Workshop to your men.
Your congregation knows fathers need this. We know most men’s ministry budgets can’t cover expert fees. Let’s close that gap together — and equip a generation of shepherds.
Most churches want to host this. Few can fund it alone.
The local-church reality
Fathers in your congregation are carrying pressure they don’t always talk about. You see the fruit of fatherlessness and distraction in your youth ministry every week. Men’s ministry budgets are tight, expert facilitators are expensive, and another Saturday event built on volunteer fumes is hard to sustain.
Our gap-funder model
Urban Light Ministries handles the curriculum, facilitator, materials, and fundraising from corporate donors. You provide the room, the men, and the lunch. Fathers invest $10 to have skin in the game. Everyone plays the part they’re best equipped to play.
WHO DOES WHAT
A clean division of labor.
No surprise invoices. No mystery workload. Here’s exactly what we cover — and exactly what we ask of your church.
What we provide — URBAN LIGHT
Everything content-related. We arrive ready to serve your men.
- Trained facilitator (Pastor Eli Williams or certified partner)
- Field Manual for every participant
- Full teaching slide deck and scripture companion
- A Family Shepherd book (at qualifying sites)
- Promotional kit: bulletin inserts, social graphics, sample sermon
- Pre-workshop briefing call with your men’s ministry lead
- Closing Commissioning Ceremony liturgy
- 30-day follow-up resources for your men
What the church provides — HOST CHURCH
Infrastructure and relationships — the things only you can do well.
- Sanctuary, fellowship hall, or classroom for 4 hours
- A/V: screen, projector, handheld mic
- Recruitment of 15–24 fathers from the congregation
- A volunteer host team (check-in, coffee, setup)
- A simple lunch for participants
- Collection of the $10 per-father registration
- A pastor to offer the opening & closing prayer
- Willingness to let us follow up with participants
The Scholarship Gap, in Plain Numbers
This is a public-private partnership. Everyone puts in something meaningful — no single party carries it.
$125
=
$10
+
$115
Market Value Per Father
Father’s Investment
Sponsor’s Scholarship
A half-day leadership intensive like this typically runs $150–$200 per seat in the open market. Our model holds the father’s cost at $10 — the price of skin in the game — and asks corporate and individual donors to fund the remaining $115.
Frequently asked questions by pastors
What size church works for this?
We’ve run workshops in congregations from 80 members to 800+. Our sweet spot is 15–24 fathers in the room. If you can recruit that many, we can run a workshop.
Do we have to be in Ohio?
Our current focus is in the Ohio Miami Valley and the surrounding region — because that’s where our corporate sponsorship base is. Churches further afield are welcome to apply, and we’ll be honest about travel costs and timing.
Is this denomination-specific?
The workshop is rooted in Scripture and fits any church that affirms the biblical model of fatherhood. We’ve served Baptist, non-denominational, Methodist, and Pentecostal congregations. The tone is pastoral, not partisan.
What if we can’t fill a whole workshop?
Talk to us. We also co-host workshops between two or three nearby churches. We’d rather see 18 fathers from three churches equipped than cancel a Saturday.
Does the church raise the money?
No. Fathers contribute $10 apiece; the rest is funded by corporate and individual sponsors we recruit through the Legacy 1000 campaign. The church provides infrastructure — not fundraising.
Who leads the workshop?
Pastor Eli Williams — author of The Family Shepherd and founder of Urban Light Ministries — leads the workshop directly or trains a certified co-facilitator. You’ll know your facilitator by name at least 30 days in advance.
HOST APPLICATION
Let's Start a conversation
Share a few details and we’ll follow up within 3 business days with available dates and next steps. Let us know how many fathers you plan to have in attendance and the target date.