Over 200 people have participated in Arrow in the UK and Ireland, and over 1,500 worldwide. Read some of their stories below.
Participants' stories
Click on the links to read the stories.
James Hunt, vicar of St Peter's Bishop's Waltham
'I came onto the Arrow Leadership Programme wanting to know what it means to be more of a leader like Jesus ...' read more
Sarah Pix, curate at St George Britwell
'It has been such a gift and privilege to be on Arrow. The whole thing is clearly under girded with prayer and Jesus-centred as well as being grounded in the reality of day-to-day leadership challenges ...' read more
Kylie Hodgins, priest in charge at All Saints Cottenham
'Arrow has helped me to move from being intimidated by the demands of leadership to being excited by the possibilities of leadership; it has been invaluable, and I can't recommend it highly enough!' read more
Cris Rogers, pastor of Soul Survivor Harrow
'Arrow has been painful but a deeply rewarding process. Looking at my character and call with God's refining spirit has broken me and at times left me feeling lost ...' read more
Andy Mackie, church leader at Riverside Church Birmingham
'Arrow is a transformational programme for a Christian life in leadership. It helped unpack core aspects to my personality and gave me positive strategies to develop healthier leadership patterns ...' read more
Frances Shoesmith, pioneer minister, Liverpool
'Arrow has detoxed my spiritual life, and given me a toolbox full of resources which have already enriched my leadership and ministry ...' read more
Esther Prior, curate, Deptford
'I know people who have at first disqualified themselves from Arrow because they perceive leadership as 'not being their thing' and yet Arrow is so much more than a leadership programme ...' read more
Duncan Hill-Brown, vicar of St Phillip's Dorridge
'I began the Arrow Leadership Programme just two weeks after I had begun a new job as a vicar in a new church. As a result the programme has been very timely ...' read more
Gillian Oliver, Church of England communications
'It offers more than the best, most up to date thinking on leadership - it's intensely personal, exploring your deepest issues within a safe and generous community ...' read more
Trevor Meardon, pastor of a youth congregation
'What a Godsend! As a young leader in age as well as experience, I found myself in a leadership role with an immense feeling of insufficiency ...' read more
Sue Sheriff, vicar of St Mary's, Tadcaster and St Andrew's, Newton Kyme in North Yorkshire
'My passion for evangelism has been reignited!' read more
James Hunt
'I came onto the Arrow Leadership Programme wanting to know what it means to be more of a leader like Jesus. I haven't worked out all the answers in practice yet! But know where I need to be looking and working it out! - my character, my call and my competence.
If you have never felt properly trained as a leader (from theological college and or in life) Arrow is comprehensive and professionally delivered to fill that gap. I feel privileged to have been on the best leadership programme available and more confident, with God's strength, to face being a Christian and a leader in this generation. Thank you God and Arrow team for putting it on and the fruit it will bring.'
Sarah Pix
'It has been such a gift and privilege to be on Arrow. The whole thing is clearly under girded with prayer and Jesus-centred as well as being grounded in the reality of day-to-day leadership challenges.
'Leadership has been beautifully modelled by the team and this has re-enforced the learning. Module after module has been full of godly wisdom. I feel that I have been resourced for a life-time in Christian leadership - not that I have the answers, but that I have been given tools with which to grapple with this multi-faced calling.
'Each residential has been infused with the challenge and encouragement to keep walking with Jesus - not neglecting the secret place of prayer and seeking his face.
'Arrow has helped me to move from being intimidated by the demands of leadership to being excited by the possibilities of leadership; it has been invaluable, and I can't recommend it highly enough!'
Kylie Hodgins
'I began Arrow in the uncertainty of my curacy coming to an end, and having no job (or home!) to go to. During the following ten months of waiting and searching for the right post, Arrow fed me, sustained me and kept my focus on God and what he was calling me to.
From the first day of my new incumbency I discovered that Arrow had also equipped me beyond my expectations. I have been challenged in and grown in my relationship with God and I've been resourced for ministry now and into the future. I'm incredibly grateful.'
Cris Rogers
'Arrow has been painful but a deeply rewarding process. Looking at my character and call with God's refining spirit has broken me and at times left me feeling lost. But through the process which I continue on, I love seeing how God is putting me back together and deepening my spiritual roots in his grace.
'My experience of the culture of the Arrow residentials has been a refreshing oasis within a busy work life. The care of the Arrow programme leaders has been a blessing within Jesus' presence which made the programme unmissable. I feel so much more equipped for a long-term leadership with so much to still implement.
'Before Arrow I could not imagine how helpful the programme would turn out to be. At the end I can't imagine my ministry without the tools gained.'
Andy Mackie
'Arrow is a transformational programme for a Christian life in leadership. It helped unpack core aspects to my personality and gave me positive strategies to develop healthier leadership patterns. It strengthened and equipped me with a clearer understanding of the core tasks of leadership and their priority as well as practical tools to implement them. Arrow helped me develop key skills that I have always struggled to master, whilst having a lot of fun, friendship and support throughout the programme.'
Frances Shoesmith
'Arrow has detoxed my spiritual life, and given me a toolbox full of resources which have already enriched my leadership and ministry and will, I hope, continue to do so in the years to come.
'Looking back on the past year or so, parts of which have been quite challenging, I can now see how much God has done in my life, through the Arrow residentials, but also through my mentor, my peer cell, the community of participants and team members, and even the projects! It feels like the keel of my boat has been in dry dock, having a complete overhaul, and I have been given a set of sails, each designed ready for the different challenges ahead. Now I'm ready to set sail, in the power of the wind of the Holy Spirit!'
Esther Prior
'I know people who have at first disqualified themselves from Arrow because they perceive leadership as 'not being their thing' and yet Arrow is so much more than a leadership programme - it delivers on the promise to run a programme that impacts the whole of life.
'I had just found out that we were expecting our first child when Arrow started. Alongside the intense joyful anticipation of becoming a mum was a real anxiety about what ministry would look like after my son's birth. Arrow has provided support structures as well as a safe space to reflect on these things. As I come to the end of the programme, I find myself empowered as a mum, a wife, a disciple and a leader.'
Duncan Hill-Brown
'I began the Arrow programme just two weeks after I had begun a new job as a vicar in a new church. As a result the programme has been very timely.
'I have been equipped and challenged to develop in the gifts, talents and skills God has given me for leadership in his church. I have been encouraged to develop personal vision at the same time as seeking God's vision for me in my new church.
'To begin the process of taking up leadership in a new place while strengthening the foundations of character, call and competence has been invaluable. I feel that I have been well resourced to lead the church on in mission, evangelism and ministry in the 21st Century.'
Gillian Oliver
'It offers more than the best, most up to date thinking on leadership - it's intensely personal, exploring your deepest issues within a safe and generous community.
'Arrow came along just when I needed it - beginning a new job in a new area, when my usual support mechanisms weren't there. It's been painful, hard work, but I'm proud I've cooperated with the process - I've come along way, and I have a brighter, richer future because God's been allowed to reach the obstacles which would have eventually been my undoing.'
Trevor Meardon
'What a Godsend! As a young leader in age as well as experience I found myself in a leadership role with an immense feeling of insufficiency. I was at the point where I struggled each day to even accept the leadership God had given me and fighting against the urge to run somewhere new!
'The challenges, support and encouragement that I found on Arrow opened my eyes to so much - understanding who I am, what God wants me to do and to how this can be out worked. It was a chance to get to grips with deeper issues of character, calling and servant hood than I ever expected to grasp at this point in my ministry. It has equipped me to go out and be more who God has called me to be. It has been such a blessing and a real privilege to be part of.'
Sue Sheriff
'Arrow made me much more willing to challenge people to the point of decision over their faith and their need for a personal relationship with Jesus. My passion for evangelism has been reignited!
'When I started the Arrow Leadership Programme, I had been in ordained ministry for sixteen years and was feeling stale and detached from new ideas. I was working all hours, lacking in energy and hardly spending time with my family. I was already thinking about retirement - aged 39!
'The immediate impact of Arrow was obvious to those around me. The times of worship brought refreshment and new energy. I had a whole new commitment to my faith - and that freshness is still there.'
Ed Hobbs
Edward Hobbs, a graduate of the Arrow Leadership Programme, is on the staff team at Holy Trinity Brompton and involved in a church planting project.
'Leadership is not just a secular or a business concept, but a vital gift for serving the Church,' he said. 'God had given me the spiritual gift of leadership, but the gift needed building up. The Arrow Leadership Programme with its residential weeks, projects, peer cells and mentoring enabled me to grow, and honed my gift of leadership. I felt more confident and able to lead in a new and different way.
'The sessions on setting vision and developing strategy were real highlights, and relevant to working in both smaller and larger churches. This training will be invaluable when I plant and lead a church myself.
'The opportunity on Arrow to learn from people with direct experience of Christian leadership was a real blessing, as was being part of a group asking similar questions and working through similar issues of leadership.'
Amy Walker
Amy Walker was mentored by Ruth Hassall, CPAS leadership development adviser, during the CPAS Arrow Leadership Programme. Heading up Pulse, a new youth ministry which aims to enlarge God's kingdom by equipping youth leaders, Amy has benefitted from the work of CPAS through developing her leadership skills on Arrow. A particularly valuable part of the programme has been her mentoring relationship with Ruth.
Amy says: 'I have a real heart for evangelising young people. Ruth not only shares that vision but we also have similar roles and remits, so this mentoring has been hugely beneficial for my leadership and ministry.'
Amy is one of many leaders who are mentored by CPAS staff as part of our vision to develop men and women into more effective Christian leadership.
