Case Study: Empowering Leaders Across ECO with Healthy Growing Leaders
Client: ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
Denomination Size: 400+ Churches & Church Plants Nationwide
Key Focus: Church Planting, Leadership Development, Discipleship
Interview: Rev. Dr. Dana Allin, Synod Executive
The Challenge
ECO, a rapidly growing denomination of over 400 churches, has a bold vision: to strengthen and start churches by investing in 1,000 vocational leaders, 10,000 lay leaders, and a thousand more disciples on mission. But with this kind of scale and diversity in leadership, they faced a significant challenge—how to assess and develop a wide variety of leaders without relying on a one-size-fits-all model.
“We knew from the start that church planting in ECO would take on many expressions—from microchurches to larger church revitalizations,” Dr. Dana Allin shared. “But we didn’t know how to assess for that. We didn’t know how to say, ‘This person may not be wired for a large launch, but they could thrive in a more organic setting.’”
The Solution
Healthy Growing Leaders stepped into that gap with a flexible, research-driven approach to assessment and leader development.
“What I loved was that the process...was more intentional, and focused on the person and their spouse. It honored the fact that church planters and pastors aren’t one-size-fits-all. HGL gave us a process that honored our uniqueness—and gave us language and tools to support that.”
ECO began using Healthy Growing Leaders’ assessments in several key areas:
Church Planter Assessment: Identifying not only if someone could plant a church, but what kind of church they could thrive in.
Ordination Pathway: Using HGL assessments at the beginning and end of the two-year ordination journey to track growth and potential.
Leadership Development: Equipping leaders with insights into emotional intelligence, conflict style, and personal calling.
Tangible Results
Since implementing Healthy Growing Leaders’ tools, ECO has seen measurable and transformational results across its network:
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Real Leadership Growth: “We see it on paper—but even more, we hear it from supervisors and teammates. People are developing real skills in EQ, conflict, and leadership presence.”
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Vocational Clarity: “Some thought they’d be associate pastors for life. But the assessments revealed potential for senior leadership. I’ve watched people break down in tears of joy, realizing they were seen, understood, and called.”
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Better Fit in Church Planting: “We can now identify if someone is more suited for a traditional plant, a microchurch, or something in between—based on data, not just gut.”
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Discipleship Depth: “With the new assessment tool we developed together, individuals can now track their own discipleship journey with clarity.”
Why It Works
“This is the only organization I’ve seen that merges hard data and assessments with deep curiosity and care for the person. Most groups either go too technical or too touchy-feely. HGL does both: rigorous tools and a pastoral posture.”
“Flourishing churches are led by flourishing leaders who are flourishing disciples. That’s our belief. And HGL helps us live that out.”
A Word to Other Leaders
For ministry leaders hesitant about using assessments, he offers this encouragement:
“Some people worry assessments put people in a box. But with Healthy Growing Leaders, it’s the opposite. These tools make you more curious, not less. They help you ask better questions and see people more clearly. You’ll lead better with them than without them.”
And when asked to sum up the impact?
“I don’t think there’s any organization that has the knowledge and experience to help you develop the leaders you need like Healthy Growing Leaders.”
Let us help your denomination or ministry build flourishing leaders who create flourishing churches.
