Foundations: Growing in Leadership
Growing in Leadership is an online unit taken over 15 weeks, using Cliff College's online learning platform.
Leadership is a perennial concern for Christian mission and ministry. What makes a good leader? How should leadership be exercised? How can teams flourish and individuals in leadership avoid burnout?
Recognising that leadership is exercised and shared by a wide range of roles in the contemporary church, an equally rich range of understandings of leadership, teamwork, and self-management in ministry are required. This unit, Foundations: Growing in Leadership, introduces students to key approaches in self-management, leadership and teamwork for Christian mission and ministry. The unit provides an introduction to models and practices that will enable students to develop as reflective Christian leaders.
This unit is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. More detail of the unit structure is available under 'Dates and cost'.
This unit will be available in January 2026 and is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. The first and last sessions are live seminars which you will need to attend either online at the scheduled time. The dates for these sessions will be confirmed in autumn 2025.
The other eight sessions are designed for independent study and are made up of video content, reading, written tasks and other creative activities to help consolidate your learning. These can be done at any time in the week that suits you. We recommend that you allow two hours of learning for each session, plus time for reading and assessment preparation.
Throughout the unit you will have opportunities through scheduled online meetings to check in with Cliff College staff, discuss your learning and experience of the unit, seek guidance on assessments and ask any questions you have.
This course costs £400, including access to all teaching materials and tutorial support throughout your course.
Applications for this unit are open now - apply here! If you have any questions about the unit or would like to speak to someone before applying, please contact enquiries@cliffcollege.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
A Level 3 qualification (such as an A Level) or equivalent.
It is recognised that standard procedures for assessing applications may not always provide an accurate understanding of an applicant's suitability. In such cases where a Level 3 qualification is not held, qualification it is still possible to apply, and these applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with our non-standard entry process.
English language proficiency
Applicants whose first language is not English shall have achieved an overall IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent in an equivalent recognised test. This must have been achieved no longer than two years before the date of enrolment on the unit.
Part of learning on a Foundations unit is preparing and submitting assessments. These are normally a creative written assessment and a recorded presentation. There are also two sets of multiple-choice questions (one at the mid-point of the unit, one at the end) which form part of your overall grade.
For this unit, your assessments will be:
- Write an 800-word critical reflection on a leadership/teamwork scenario;
- Prepare and record a ten-minute presentation on a model of leadership.
You will receive further information and guidance on preparing and submitting assessments when you have enrolled on your unit, both as part of the orientation course and in the unit overview materials. There are also scheduled online meetings with Cliff College staff throughout the unit, where you can ask questions about the assessments or any other element of the unit.