Next Level · A 12-week cohort for lead pastors

Lead Your Church With Clarity & Health — Without Burning Out

Next Level Pastor Cohort is a small-group coaching experience for lead pastors of growing churches (100–500) who are stretched thin, plateaued, or running on empty — and ready to lead from a full tank again.

Apply for the Founding Cohort →

8 seats · Starts Friday, October 2 · Founding price $1,495

Not sure yet? Find your #1 bottleneck with the free Healthy Pastor Scorecard →

Led by Gabe Kolstad — lead pastor since 2007 · Certified High Performance Coach · churchcoach.co

Sound familiar?

You Didn't Get Into Ministry To Feel Like This

You're carrying more than any one person should.
What worked at 100 people is breaking at 300.
You pour into everyone else while your own tank runs on fumes.
You wonder, quietly, whether the plateau is you.
Some Mondays, you daydream about walking away.

You're not weak, and you're not alone. You're a good leader carrying a load that was never meant to be carried on your own.

The turning point

The Problem Isn't Effort. It's That No One's In Your Corner

Most pastors don't need to work harder. What's missing is a room — clear thinking, honest counsel, and the handful of leadership habits that keep both a church and its pastor healthy. That's the Next Level Pastor Cohort.

The cohort

Next Level Pastor Cohort

A 12-week coaching cohort: a small group of pastors, one room, meeting every Friday. No fluff, no theory you can't use by Sunday — just clarity, health, and a plan you execute, with people who hold you to it.

Twelve weeks from now

Here's What You'll Walk Away With

A clear leadership operating system

What only you can do — and what to finally hand off.

A sustainable pace

One you can hold for a decade, not a sprint that ends in burnout.

A leadership pipeline

So the church stops running through you for everything.

Renewed vision clarity

And a clear sense of your next right step.

Pastors in your corner

Real peers who stay with you long past week 12.

Your joy back

The reason you answered the call in the first place.

The format

How The Cohort Works

Format

A small group of lead pastors. Small enough that no one hides.

Rhythm

Weekly Fridays, 12 weeks, live on video.

Guide

Gabe — a working lead pastor, not a theorist.

Framework

Clarity → health → leadership pipeline.

Between sessions

Simple assignments and a private group thread.

Starts

Friday, October 2, 2026.

The fit

Is This You?

This is for you if…

You're the lead or senior pastor of a church around 100–500.
You're growing — and feeling the strain of it.
You're stretched, plateaued, or near burnout.
You're coachable and ready to do the work.

This isn't for you if…

You're looking for a quick tactic or hack.
You're not in a lead pastor role.
You can't invest 2–3 hours a week.

About Gabe

Pastor To Pastor

I've been the lead pastor of Westside Community Church in Beaverton, Oregon since 2007 — so I'm in it with you, under the same pressures, in the same season. I've felt the plateau and the burnout, and I built the habits that let me lead with clarity and health instead of running on empty.

I'm also a Certified High Performance Coach (CHPC). The Next Level Pastor Cohort brings both together — the ministry and the leadership science — pastor to pastor.

Proof

From Pastors In The Room

"After just a few sessions, Gabe helped me take the vision God put in my heart for Alive Church and get it on paper and into action. Two years later, we're on track to purchase our first church property."

— Abraham Carlos Escobar, Pastor, Alive Church · Portland, OR

"Gabe's counsel wasn't just theory — he backed it up with real examples of what they're doing in his own church, and helped us identify clear areas of focus. I highly recommend him."

— Ron Kincaid, Lead Pastor, Portland Community Church

"Gabe is a gifted communicator with a unique ability to help churches grow — he inspires the enthusiasm and ability to tackle the challenges of leading a growing church."

— Joe Flegal, former Director of Evangelism and Church Health, Northwest Baptist Convention

"Gabe's wisdom and guidance helped our church sharpen its missional focus and experience a renewed season of fruitfulness. His ability to listen, discern, and lead with gospel-centered clarity made a lasting impact on our ministry."

— Bill Herried, Senior Pastor, CenterPoint Christian Fellowship · Tacoma, WA

The offer

The Founding Cohort

12 weeks of live small-group coaching (8 seats)
Weekly Friday sessions led by Gabe
The full Next Level Pastor framework
Assignments and a private group thread
Lasting access to your cohort

$1,495 $1,895

Founding price — or 3 monthly payments of $525

Apply for one of the 8 seats →

Applications are reviewed personally.

A fair promise

My Promise To You

Come to the first three sessions and do the work. If you don't walk away with more clarity than when you started, you get a full refund.

The promise

Where You'll Be On The Other Side

Become a healthier leader, clarify the vision, build a stronger team, and create a ministry that multiplies.

Healthy Leader

Lead yourself well.

Clear Vision

Lead with clarity.

Strong Teams

Lead others well.

Multiplying Ministry

Lead for impact.

Questions

Questions Pastors Ask

How much time does this take each week?

Plan on about 2–3 hours: one live Friday session with the group, plus a simple assignment you can actually use that week. No busywork — everything ties directly to leading your church.

How is this different from a conference or another leadership book?

Conferences and books give you information. This gives you a room. Twelve weeks with the same small group of pastors and a coach who's a working lead pastor means honest counsel, accountability, and a plan you actually execute — not another set of notes you file away.

My church is bigger or smaller than 100–500. Should I still apply?

The cohort is built for lead pastors right around that 100–500 range, where what worked early starts to break. If you're close on either side and feeling that strain, apply anyway and let's talk — I'd rather tell you honestly whether it's a fit than have you guess.

I'm already stretched thin. What if I fall behind?

The rhythm is designed for busy pastors — one session and one focused step per week. If a week gets away from you, the group and the thread keep you moving. Everything lives in one coaching hub on Kajabi — sessions, replays, resources, and conversations all in a single place — so the connections and materials are easy to find the whole way through, and you can always pick up right where you left off. This is meant to lighten the load, not add to it.

Is this pastoral, or is it business coaching?

Both, pastor to pastor. We deal with the leadership and systems that keep a growing church healthy — and with your own health and calling underneath it all. It's not a secular business program wearing a Christian label.

What happens after I apply?

Your application comes straight to me. I review each one personally, and if it looks like a fit I'll reach out to confirm your seat. No high-pressure sales call — just a real conversation about whether this is right for you.

Eight Seats. One Room. Starts Oct 2.

The founding cohort is capped at eight, and the next cohort will be at a higher price. If you're ready to lead from a full tank again, this is your moment.