A NEXT CHURCH COHORT – Begins Fall 2026
ENNEAGRAM AT CHURCH
Leading with Awareness
You may know your Enneagram type, and those of some church leaders, but did you know that your congregation has a type, too? The Enneagram offers a lens for relationships that allows us to move beyond differences in our preferred ways of being to understanding what motivates others and being better understood ourselves.
In this cohort we will explore the nine Enneagram types, investigate how type expresses itself collectively in a congregation, and activate our curiosity about patterns present in ourselves and in the systems we serve. Identifying type is not a conclusion but an invitation to playful inquiry and deeper self-awareness as leaders.
Participants will have access to course content for each session via online platform. Cohort sessions will include teaching, group coaching, breakout conversations, and Q&A time.
Every participant will receive 5 individual coaching sessions to deepen their work with the Enneagram, to seek self-insight, and to identify actions and practices for growth as individuals and leaders. These sessions are scheduled monthly with the coach.
Group sessions that include enneagram concepts, coaching, and leadership development
Individual coaching sessions to engage concepts, seek self-insight, and identify actions and practices
Course content for each session delivered on NEXT Church’s e-learning platform – Teachable
Cohort Details
- Participants will learn alongside a cohort of peers, receive both group and individual coaching from a highly trained and certified coach.
- 90-minute group sessions will include presentations of Enneagram concepts, group coaching, breakout conversations, and Q&A time.
- Additionally, every participant will receive 5 individual coaching sessions to further deepen their work. These sessions are scheduled monthly with the coach and are completed within 5 months of the cohort start date.
- This cohort will meet on the second Tuesday of the month from 2:00-3:30pm ET (11:00am-12:30pm PT) on October 13, November 10, December 8, January 12, February 9, and March 9.
- Spaces are limited to keep the cohort experience small.
- Cost is $849 per participant.
OUR NEXT CHURCH PHILOSOPHY
Transforming Ourselves Transforms Systems
We believe in order to change the systems around you, you have to start with yourself. When we begin with our own behaviors and actions to seek personal growth, we enter into the world transformed. The gathered Church is not an escape from the world. We believe it is a place where we practice new ways of being to resist to the ways of the world that lead to oppression and division. We return to our communities, schools, and workplaces changed so that we embody the transformative work that leads to justice and liberation.
Because of this belief, we partner cohort learning with individual coaching for maximum impact and leadership growth. By registering for a cohort, you accept the invitation into this community as an active learner with a commitment towards actionable transformation.
Time
Tuesdays
2:00-3:30pm ET
(11:00am-12:30pm PT)
Dates
October 13, November 10, December 8, January 12, February 9, March 9
Coaching
Every participant will receive 5 individual coaching sessions – these should be scheduled in between cohort meetings.
Cost
$849 per person
About the Sessions
Enneagram at Church
We explore the ways each type shows up in a community of faith, what we might look for in leaders of each type, and how type expresses itself collectively in a congregation or other ministry context, seeking deeper understanding that enhances leadership.
What in the Worldview?
Each type has a worldview: a story we tell ourselves about how the world works and what we can expect from it. That worldview fundamentally influences our self-image and our internal rules. The collective worldview of a congregation connects to its sense of vulnerability and what the group mind will fixate on in seeking solutions. Identifying worldview gives leaders valuable information when working for change in the congregation and in themselves.
What You Can’t See Can Hurt You
Type structures grow out of a drive to survive in a world that may feel unsafe. Our collective and individual types have unique blind spots that trigger our defense mechanisms. Raising our awareness allows us to see how these mechanisms serve us and when they actually work against us. Whose blind spot unsettles the dynamics in a congregation? Which defense mechanism influences how work is done or left undone?
My Instinct or Yours?
When the congregation wants the church to grow and asks the pastor or leaders to make it happen but “not that way,” the difference may lie in our primary instincts. Identifying the way in which we privilege one inherent human instinct over the others provides a key to who we are and where there is room for development in systems and individuals.
Winners and Losers
In leadership roles, we are called upon to communicate with others and navigate conflicts. In this session we will look at conflict styles by type and explore our preferred response styles in times of challenge and change, consider which styles tend to “win” in our systems, and learn to diversify our approach to church conflict.
What Comes Next?
In this final session, we will share our learnings, identify areas for continued growth in our particular contexts, and consider practices for further self-development.
Martha completely reframed my understanding of Enneagram material, which was tremendously helpful. Her individual coaching was tremendous and the group was terrific!
Martha’s style is accessible and affirming, clear and comprehensive. I would highly recommend this course to others.
Martha’s enneagram presentations were excellent. I have been working with the enneagram for several years but I learned so much from her!
Martha presented the enneagram in a much more positive way than I was accustomed to. Her knowledge of the whole enneagram came through very clearly.
Enneagram Assessment Add-On
September 2026
Enneagram-curious? Don’t know your type yet, but want to join the cohort? We offer an add-on for participants who need a brush-up on or an introduction to the Enneagram or their own type. You’ll get assessed and receive a debrief session prior to the cohort beginning. This package includes:
- the iEQ9 Professional Enneagram assessment
- a 42-page report
- 60-minute debrief session with Martha Spong
Cost: $250
Leadership
Martha Spong
Coach
Martha Spong (she/her) is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and an iEQ9 Accredited Enneagram Practitioner. In her coaching practice, she offers Enneagram training for clergy and for church and judicatory leaders and staff. Martha has worked with NEXT Church since 2019, coaching the Enneagram, Antiracism as a Way of Being, and Preaching for Change. Now a full-time coach, she previously served churches in Maine and Pennsylvania. Co-author of Denial is My Spiritual Practice (and Other Failures of Faith) and editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle. Martha lives in Mechanicsburg, PA, with her wife, Kathryn Johnston, a PCUSA pastor. A devoted Mimi to four adorable grandchildren, she also loves knitting, baking, and baseball.
Questions
For questions about the coaching cohort, contact Jen James.
