Before the Scandal. Stop the next church scandal before it happens.
Before the Scandal · Leadership Intensive

Tell the truth.
Build the safeguards.

One day of leadership training with Will Cain, preaching on a separate day of the church visit, and a concrete plan for the work that follows. Dates are agreed with the host.

One-day intensive: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM · Workbook and audit for up to 50 participants

Who this is for

Bring the people who can change the culture.

For pastors, elders, board members, ministry staff, and leadership teams willing to examine both personal integrity and the structures around it. The work addresses secrecy, boundaries, money, power, and accountability before they become a public crisis.

01 · RECOGNIZE

Name the drift.

Identify early warnings, hidden permissions, and the distance between public ministry and private life.

02 · EXAMINE

Face the audit.

Complete the 20-question Leadership Integrity Audit privately. High-risk answers require action regardless of the total score.

03 · BUILD

Leave with a plan.

Name a boundary, an accountable person, a deadline, and evidence that the change is actually in place.

One-day Leadership Intensive

Five hours. Work that continues afterward.

Teaching, private reflection, practical exercises, and a 90-Day Integrity Plan. Arrival begins at 8:30 AM; the intensive runs from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

9:00–10:20

Two Versions of Me · The Drift · The Appetite

Recognize your earliest warnings and the needs that can become secret permissions.

10:20–10:30

Break

10:30–11:30

The Architecture of a Scandal

Examine access, secrecy, power, rationalization, and isolation. Identify structural changes that make interruption possible.

11:30–12:00

Private Leadership Integrity Audit

Answer honestly, review warning areas, and identify the concern that needs a person, boundary, or decision.

12:00–12:25

Lunch & private reflection

12:25–1:25

When Gifting Outruns Character · The Six Fences

Build relational, digital, financial, power, body/appetite, and accountability safeguards.

1:25–2:00

90-Day Integrity Plan · Closing Commitment

Assign names, dates, boundaries, and review points. Close with a personal commitment and prayer.

Preaching on a separate day

Carry the conversation into the congregation.

The church visit includes preaching by Will Cain on a separate day from the intensive and a post-service Wolves in Wool book signing. Service timing and arrangements are coordinated with the host church before the engagement.

What participants take with them

Conviction needs names and dates.

  • A participant workbook and access to the private Leadership Integrity Audit.
  • An early-warning inventory and a map of structural vulnerabilities.
  • One strengthened safeguard: a boundary, a responsible person, and a deadline.
  • A 90-Day Integrity Plan with action and review points at 7, 30, 60, and 90 days.
  • A process for defining who receives concerns, who can act independently, and what happens when correction is refused.

The more powerful a pastor becomes, the less his accountability can depend on his permission. The intensive helps teams turn that principle into decisions they can implement and review.

After the visit

Follow through on the commitments.

The follow-up sequence at 7, 14, and 30 days focuses on the first action, implementation barriers, and progress on safeguards. Participants also use their 90-Day Integrity Plan for a 60-day accountability review and a private repeat audit at 90 days.

Private audit answers and journal writing are not requested for these check-ins. The focus is whether the agreed action happened and who can verify the change.

Host arrangements

A clear commitment before the date is confirmed.

$3,000 + agreed travel and lodging
The standard ministry fee includes preparation, one day of leadership training, workbook and audit access for up to 50 participants, preaching on a separate day of the visit, a post-service book signing, and follow-up at 7, 14, and 30 days.

Founding-host rate: $2,000 + agreed travel and lodging. Available to the first three churches accepted as founding hosts, subject to fit, availability, and written confirmation. We request candid evaluation of the experience; any public use of feedback requires the church’s permission.

A $500 reservation payment is credited toward the confirmed ministry fee. The balance is due 14 days before the intensive: $2,500 at the standard rate or $1,500 at the founding-host rate. A request alone does not reserve a date.

Actual travel costs and lodging are agreed with the host before booking; lodging is capped at $150 per night. Book purchases are optional and separate. Training and worship-service dates, the final scope, and any exception are confirmed in writing.

The host provides a room with space for private writing, tables where possible, water and lunch, and a designated leadership contact. A screen is optional; participants can use the digital workbook or write on paper. Tell us your location, estimated attendance, and preferred dates in the request form.

Privacy & responsibility

Honest examination. No forced public disclosure.

Participants are not asked to announce scores or disclose private sexual, financial, or relational details to the room. Workshop access is provided after an engagement is confirmed; private workbook writing stays on the participant’s device.

The intensive supports prevention and accountability. It does not replace safeguarding policies, independent investigation, professional care, or reporting obligations. Protecting people takes priority over protecting a leader’s reputation.

Churches · Leadership Teams · Ministry Organizations

Start before the headline.

Submit a request, discuss fit and dates, and confirm the host arrangements. A request begins the conversation; it does not automatically reserve a date or open the private workbook.

Begin the host conversation →

Confirmed participant? Open the workshop →