Jan Carothers

For More Information Call: 877-234-6086

Jan has served over fifty churches and church conferences in the US and Canada. She brings a down-to-earth, energizing and inspiring perspective, supporting ministers and church leaders to connect and serve more effectively, leading and developing their people and to strengthen their churches.

This year she is celebrating her twentieth anniversary as an independent professional speaker, trainer, facilitator and leadership consultant.

From so many years in leadership in churches and non-profits as well as business, she can relate quickly to the intensity of the challenges that church leaders face. Her compassion, energy and humor make for spirited presentations, engaging retreat leadership, positive facilitation and productive consulting assessments. Her goal and experience is working with leaders to renew and bring out the best in themselves and others. She loves working with church and non-profit leaders, inspiring people to compassionate and effective action, because when churches become genuine communities they help people in every other area of life as well.

In additional to programs for ministers, staff and volunteer teams, she also has a number of enlivening and entertaining Sunday service presentations which inspire and delight listeners. These topics also attract attendance at workshops, increase volunteer participation and financial support for the church.

She has served multiple terms on six church and non-profit boards and has been Chair of three. With extensive volunteer leadership experience she has co-founded two successful community non-profit organizations working with high risk youth and their families, two arts organizations, and one professional association. Her church leadership work has been extensive in three church associations as well as in her own local church.

She lead her own church’s recovery to flourishing health and growth after the triple challenges that nearly devastated them. Their congregation dwindled, they lost their building, and their minister was killed. She headed the process to identify and hire an excellent new minister. Together, as leadership partners the new minister, they created the conditions for the congregation to grow to seven times its size over three years.

Areas Of Expertise:

Board Leadership and Volunteer Service Ministry
Power to Lead – Leadership is a Spiritual Laboratory
Growing the People, Growing the Church
Challenging Conversations: The Communications Dilemma

Plus Executive coaching for ministers and key staff

Target Audiences: 

Ministers, active volunteers, board leaders, church associations, congregant retreats, women’s groups in liberal and mainstream Christian and New Thought churches and other committed religious traditions.

Top 3 reasons to have Jan Carothers as your next speaker:

Jan experience includes serving over 50 church clients in the US and Canada speaking, teaching, coaching, consulting and leading programs and retreats that educate, inspire and produce their intended results of Spiritual growth for the individual and participation growth for the church.
 

Ministers and staff leaders feel supported and inspired by her knowledge and the compassion messages she brings. Their people enjoy and connect with her humorous respectful perspective.
 

She has real world leadership experience and stories from serving on six church and non-profit boards and as president of three. Either as a member or as a consultant, Jan has been through many of the most daunting experiences church leaders ever face. She has assisted congregations and leaders through fights and splits, releasing a minister, revenue challenges, embezzlement, conducting ministerial searches and reviews.

Fees:

Keynote:  $1500
Half Day: $1800
Full Day:  $2200

Jan's Most Requested Programs:

If You Want It, Bid On It. (Keynote)

It takes knowing what you want and the willingness to “go for it” to have your dreams come true. A lively and memorable keynote that compares our lives to a charity auction with God as the benevolent auctioneer. People leave this humorous and challenging message inspired with new ideas for living their life at its highest Spiritual expression. In the days after the talk, we hear people often use the keynote ideas aloud with each other in church gatherings and in their lives. 

Cultivating Knowledge One Spirit At a Time: (Keynote and ½ day Seminar)

Modern times demand that each of us be able to learn, unlearn and relearn rapidly to respond to life’s many changes. This is an entertaining and enlightening program on how we learn can be delivered as both a keynote speech and half day seminar. How can we nourish and grow the garden of knowledge we need in order to flourish in our work, community and church? This program teaches the skills, tools and disciplines to make learning more effective for adults and to overcome the patterns and habits that obstruct acquiring and absorbing new knowledge. 

Success Strategies for the Ambivalent: Making Choices and Taking Action

(Keynote and Seminar Topic)

This topic recognizes that no matter how decisive we want to be, or see ourselves to be, there may still be important areas of life where, for various reasons, we cannot or do not make up our minds. There are many things we know to do, but still don’t do. So by taking no effective action, we never fully enjoy what we could much more fully express in our lives. 

This light-hearted yet deeply affecting program helps participants look at finding their sense of deepest purpose and destiny, and then taking steps to fully live it.

Every class is designed for people from teens to seniors to expand their spiritual life while they look at pursuing and fulfilling their dreams. People leave the seminar with greater clarity and having developed action plan and support structure for reaching their goals.

Who is the Leader in Your Life? (Keynote)

Taking a clear deep look to recognize where your spirit of leadership spirit comes from. And how can you best respond to that internal Senior Partner in order to most effectively answer your own unique purpose? Using modern culture as well as scriptural references, this energizing message helps people refresh their perspective on their strength and resources, helping them get on, or stay on, their path of purpose.    

Carry the Torch: Bringing Out the Best in Your People

Also named: Coaching Great Performance (Keynote and Seminar)

Helping others recognize and build on their strengths, helping them use their Spiritual wisdom and skills to full express their Divine nature.  

Seminars Only – Variable delivery formats: 

How to Keep Your Own Torch Burning:

(Various customizable formats from two day retreat, one half day and breakout)

For ministers, church leaders and volunteer staff, this seminar helps them reconnect with their deepest relationship, refreshing their Divine Sense of “who they really are!”

Building their church, handling the multitude of detail in large and small ministry organizations, growing and supporting the skill and purpose of staff -  while serving the diverse needs and expectations of congregants can all be thrilling yet exhausting. 

Every leader – whether paid or unpaid – professional or volunteer – needs to take time to refresh, refuel and re-ignite their torch – so they can continue to carry it aloft for others to follow. 

In this lively interactive, multi-dimensional program, attendees feel heard, acknowledged and encouraged in following that still small voice they don’talways hear or respond to. Most people walk out of the seminar renewed and spacious, as if they have blown free some of the ash that threatens to smother their Divine leadership spark. 

Challenging Conversations: The Communications Dilemma

 (1/2 day or whole day seminar, or two-day team building retreat) 

How to skillfully have those conversations that so many people avoid. The skills people need to communicate effectively and caringly around those important issues of disagreement, high investment, uncertainty, discomfort and fear of possible loss. 

Too often church people have difficulty dealing with the frequent conflicts that are a natural part of all community building. They handle their disagreements in less than constructive ways – either total avoidance or withdrawal, politicking, indirect speech like walking on eggshells or  totally aggressive behavior. Whatever style, less than skillful communication can cause real problems in church organizations. We’ve all heard of the nasty church fights that erupt and can split congregations or the simmering unease and gossip that can erode the trust, commitment and care in a church community. 

This program includes the Spiritual dimension of prayer to the excellent body of knowledge on skillful communication and emotional intelligence for handling those sticky conversations. With it, church leaders and ministers can support their congregation to bring honesty and compassion to their communication and  a greater sense of freedom and joy to their leadership activities.   

Power to Lead – A Spiritual Leadership Laboratory

 (Seminar or multi part course – Fee to be determined depending upon location and structure. Three to ten sessions over three to ten months.) 

A specially designed multi-part program that supports people to become excellent leaders in any area of their lives, studying the skills, philosophy and actions of leaders. Students work inside the spiritual laboratory of leadership by conducting a leadership project inside their own church. In the class, we follow through all the steps of project management to support their own project’s success. This program is done in partnership with one organization or church, and is highly customized to that group’s needs. In this laboratory program there is not only class, there are also small groups and individual coaching built-in to help participants step up to leadership responsibilities. The program supports real world issues of change, multiple interests, enrolling others, planning, etc. 

The sponsoring church organization receives the benefit of a number of projects being conducted, in exchange for their willingness to be a learning laboratory. 

(All programs are tailored to the specific needs and focused on the desired outcomes of the sponsoring organization.)

Testimonials:

“Your three hours with us at the Western Regional Conference was worth the entire trip for me. Your time with us was the best presentation of this type of material I have EVER experienced. You are crystal clear, succinct and relevant in all aspects of the principles you are teaching.”- Sandra D. Weisner, Senior Minister, Unity of Columbus, OH, Past Regional Vice-President, Assoc. of Unity Churches

“Words cannot express how inspired and motivated I am after our leadership seminar with you. You are a fabulous presenter, coach, mentor and friend. We are completely renewed and rededicated to the expansion of our center in all ways. We look forward to having you back soon. I love the way you stoke my fire, call me on my "stuff" and empower me to risk excellence. Your knowledge, values, integrity and commitment to spreading the Truth are awesome. Thank you, thank you, thank you. "   Colleen MacGilchrist, Founder & Past Sr. Minister  Woodland Church, Bellingham, WA

"The Board and I will be forever grateful for the Vision Retreat we spent with you. It resulted in focus for us and our plans. Your follow-up training, POWER TO LEAD was not only been a life changing experience for the class members but a church changing experience for Unity Church of Portland. . . . .The best recommendation I can give is to tell you we want to do it all again next year. Your effervescence and expertise are a dynamite combination for leading others to leadership." Rev. Patricia L. Bosh, Ret. Unity Church of Portland, OR

“As a result of your workshop on Sunday, I got crystal clear that I want my energies to be going toward my seminary education. Thank you SO much for helping me get clear, because now I don't have any doubts about what to do. I'm sure I'll be able to manifest the money.” Marie Oliver, Treasurer  Unity of Corvallis, OR

"The churches she has been associated with make giant leaps in their growth. “ Rev. Chuck Sances, District Vice President  United Church of Religious Science, Reno, NV