A Resource Initiative / The Architects Cohort

Where middle leaders become master builders.

A semester long strategic cohort for the executive directors, department heads, ministry directors, and church planters who carry more weight than their title gets credit for. Next cohort begins August 2026.

Apply For August 2026Learn More
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Our Reason for Being

The Design House exists to see churches realize their God given design by flourishing in unique vision through innovative strategies and sustainable solutions.

Inside The Cohort

Built For The Layer That Builds.

Senior pastors get conferences. Volunteers get trainings. The middle gets neglected. The Architects Cohort exists for the middle.

Most leadership development happens at the top or the bottom. And yet middle leaders are the layer where every system, pipeline, and pathway either holds or breaks. Without development at this level, the entire architecture of your church becomes fragile.

The Architects Cohort exists for that layer. This is not another podcast. This is a workshop. Twelve weeks of intentional development, real time strategy, and peer connection with leaders who are carrying the same weight you are.

Next CohortAugust 2026
12 WeeksPer Semester
15 SeatsPer Cohort
ApplicationRequired
Apply for August 2026

What's Inside

  • Twelve week curriculum across systems, leadership, and execution
  • Live cohort sessions twice monthly with The Design House team
  • One on one strategic coaching access with a Design House Designer
  • A peer cohort of fifteen leaders from churches across the country
  • A capstone strategic project applied directly to your context
  • Lifetime access to the Architects Network alumni community

Who It Is For

  • Executive Pastors and Executive Directors
  • Senior Department Heads and Ministry Directors
  • Campus Pastors and Site Operators
  • Church Planters in years one through five
Take Your Next Step

Three Clear Paths Forward.

For Senior Leaders

Explore The Blueprint

Browse our four engagement tiers.

View The Tiers → For Every Leader

Access The Resources

Download The Five Keys to Healthy Church Structure.

Get The Guide → For Cohort Applicants

Apply For The Cohort

Complete the application form below. We respond within 24 hours.

Apply Now →
The Architects Cohort / Application

Apply For August 2026.

Fifteen seats. Twelve weeks. Application required. We respond to every application within 24 hours.

The Cohort Application Application Required / 15 Seats Per Cohort

Have questions about the cohort before applying? Reach Pastor Lordly directly at lordlybeard@designourchurch.com or general inquiries to info@designourchurch.com.

Pastor Lordly, Founder and Chief Design Officer of The Design House
L
The Founder

Pastor Lordly. Builder. Strategist. Pastor.

Pastor Lordly is the Founder and Chief Design Officer of The Design House, a strategy consultancy designed to equip churches with the systems, structures, and pathways required to flourish in their God given design.

His work sits at the intersection of pastoral care and executive strategy. He has spent his career inside the rooms where churches make their hardest decisions, building the architecture behind healthy growth.

He has partnered with churches and ministry leaders across South Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, and California. His approach is unmistakable. Pastoral in care. Executive in clarity. Architectural in execution.

Every church carries a God given design. The Design House exists to architect the systems that allow that design to flourish. Vision without architecture is wishful thinking. Vision with architecture compounds across generations.
Why The Work Matters

The Reality We Are Designing For.

The data behind the urgency. Why the local church needs architecture, not just inspiration.

80%

of churches in America are plateaued or in decline year over year.

1 in 5

first time guests return for a second visit without intentional follow up.

70%

of pastors report that systems and structure are their primary growth barrier.

Sources: Barna Group, Lifeway Research, Pew Research, Hartford Institute
ResourcesApply Now