Cultivating Pathways for Discipleship to Jesus Christ

LIFT Ministries is calling the world to Christian discipleship, challenging disciples to greater passion, focus, discipline, and exhorting Christ’s Church to excellence in ministry.

About LIFT

LIFT Ministries is a servant organization dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and strengthening his disciples. LIFT is not restricted by geography or denominational affiliations and is therefore available to serve wherever God calls. Prayer and searching the scriptures create the foundation for LIFT Ministries. Cultivating passion, focus, and discipline for Christ provide the energy for our work.

Meet the Team

  • Dr. Robert Denhem

    Executive Director

  • Rev. Bill Johnson

    Founding Director

  • Executive Director
    Dr. Robert Denham is a gifted lay leader, a valuable leader in his local church, and past California-Pacific Conference “Lay Person of the Year”. He served as Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Redlands, is very involved in Kairos Prison Ministries, and is a devoted man of prayer. Bob has served on the LIFT Board of Directors for several years and been part of all the mission teams to Ghana, and made a recent trip to Bolivia for mission work.

    Dr. Bob is married to Stephanie, who is a gifted teacher and ministry partner providing quiet but powerful prayer support. They have 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Bob and Stephanie are active members of University United Methodist Church in Redlands.

  • Founding Director

    Rev. Bill Johnson is a passionate preacher of the Gospel whose gifts for ministry include leadership, teaching, and prophetic insight. He served 4 local congregations in California, including 2 start-up churches, until God called him to ministry as a full-time evangelist. Through LIFT Renewal Ministries, a non-profit ministry established for the purpose of helping pastors and congregations deepen their experience of Jesus Christ, he serves local churches as an evangelist, advocate, and spiritual friend. Rev. Johnson traveled 4 times to Ghana to teach spiritual leadership and discipleship for local pastors and laity, and had the opportunity to preach numerous times in local churches there. In 2014, Rev. Johnson was appointed to First UMC of Orange to serve as their Senior Pastor.

    Pastor Bill is married to Dr. Judy Johnson, a licensed educational psychologist; they have three adult children and two grandchildren. He earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Redlands and holds an M.Div. from the Claremont School of Theology. Bill is an avid cyclist and is an amateur bagpiper.

LIFT serves Individuals and Congregations through:

• 3 Day Renewal Experiences

• Lectionary Reading Weeks for Preachers

• Leadership Retreats and Training

• Coaching for Clergy

3 Day Renewal Experiences

Imagine Your Church Renewed!
Imagine tired, worn-out church leaders feeling refreshed again.
Imagine discouraged pastors renewing their call.
Imagine the people of Christ saying their “Yes” to God all over again.
Imagine strangers to God coming home.
Imagine 3 days of vibrant worship, biblically sound preaching, heartfelt prayer, repentance, teaching, fellowship, and healing.
Imagine your congregation bathing itself in the abundant grace of God!

A 3-Day Renewal experience is within your congregations’ reach. LIFT Ministries is serving the body of Christ by bringing 3-day renewal experiences to local churches. Dynamic preaching highlights each evenings’ worship. But the star of the show is Jesus Christ and the sole purpose is glorifying God and blessing and edifying God’s people. Contact LIFT today to schedule your renewal experience.

What Can We Expect from our Renewal Experience?
A 3-month partnership that is covered in prayer
Thorough, disciplined preparation
Church leaders who are equipped and trained for servant ministry
Passionate preaching
An expectation that God will move in powerful ways
Fresh opportunities to respond to God’s call
Church-wide sense of fresh momentum
Tools for effective follow-through

What Does LIFT Expect of Our Church?
A lead time of at least 90 days
The willingness to set down your work during the 3 days of the Renewal Experience
A commitment to have the whole congregation participate for the full 3 days
The local congregation is asked to cover the travel and hospitality expenses for LIFT (gasoline / lodging, if travelling a distance)
A Love Offering will be taken up for LIFT on Sunday morning.
If outside musicians are needed, the host church will be asked to provide for their travel and hospitality expenses.

The LIFT Team looks forward to meeting with your Pastor and church leadership to discuss the possibility of bringing a LIFT Renewal Experience to your church. Let us know how we may assist you.

Lectionary Reading Weeks for Preachers

Why Attend the Lectionary Reading Week?

The Reading Week for Lectionary Preachers is time set aside to sow seeds of excellence in next year’s preaching ministry. The Reading Week is an investment in ministry which every effective preacher owes his or her congregation; it is the “seed corn” for time-starved pastors. Before your parishioner’s needs have taken all your ministry time, lay this week aside to listen attentively to scripture and the Holy Spirit, to roll up your sleeves, and plant the seeds for next year’s preaching ministry.

What Will You Do During the Lectionary Reading Week?
Hear the Gospel lessons for the entire lectionary year read aloud as you take notes and jot down your ideas
Spend valuable quiet time developing themes, objectives, and images for each individual Sunday.
Identify potential preaching series, topical sequences, and an underlying “theme” for the entire lectionary year
Engage in interactive discussion, season-by-season, of themes, observations, and insights for the coming lectionary year
Create strategies for “passenger Sundays”, where external themes are imposed upon your worship and preaching (Scout Sunday, Music Appreciation Sunday, community or world crises, secular holidays, etc.)
Coordinate your preaching schedule with family vacation plans and other personal calendar issues
Participate in interactive dialogue with colleagues as we exegete our culture and our congregations
Share with colleagues about blind spots, hurdles, and impediments to weekly sermon preparation

What Will You Take Home?
Confidence in knowing that God is shaping your heart for preaching in the coming year
Individual note sheets for every Sunday in the coming Lectionary year
Coordinated preaching calendar with themes and texts that can be given to worship leaders and staff
Reading and resource lists compiled by retreat participants
A model for Worship Design that can be easily implemented in the local church
21 Contact Hours

Schedule, Registration, and more…
The Reading Week is typically held in September and begins on Monday with check-in from 10am to Noon, commencing with lunch, then right to work. Work continues through Friday morning, concluding with worship at 11:45am. Participants should plan on being present for the Full Reading Week.

Your registration fee for the Lectionary Reading Week covers the cost of all program materials, lodging for 3 nights, and all meals. The Reading Week is considered a “work week,” rather than retreat or “time off,” therefore you are encouraged to use your Continuing Education budget or seek financial support from your church in order to attend.

Leadership Retreats and Training

Big Church, Little Church
Makes no difference the size of your church - LIFT loves to work with local congregations and groups within the Church to help them grow in their discipleship to Jesus Christ. LIFT has retreat leaders available to serve you in a wide variety of areas.

Retreats, Workshops, and Training
Size is not the issue here, either – what counts is your church’s desire to get stronger in ministry and discipleship together. Here’s a brief listing of the areas of ministry focus with which LIFT’s retreat leaders and trainers can assist:

Church Council leadership training
Worship Design
Prayer Ministries
Small Group Ministries
Ministry Staff Team Building
Human Resource Management
Men’s and Women’s groups
…and more!

Coaching for Clergy

Is One-on-One Coaching for You?

“Abiding” is a key component of LIFT Ministries. Rev. William Johnson is available for regularly scheduled one-on-one coaching sessions with individual clergy persons, to abide with them until they begin to hear for themselves what God is speaking into their vocation. Coaching is not intended as therapy, but “saw-sharpening” for colleagues who could benefit from serious conversation and accountability surrounding their ministry. These confidential sessions are encouraging, challenging, honest, and centered in Christ. Coaching clients will set goals and create workable action plans.

What’s the Next Step?

Contact the LIFT Ministries office by phone or email to explore a coaching relationship with Rev. William Johnson. One must consider the costs: primary is a commitment to the process and a willingness to put forth the effort to grow professionally. A coaching covenant will be prepared for you which outlines all expectations for both you and Rev. Johnson. Coaching is provided in-person or via telephone or Skype on a weekly basis for an agreed-upon number of sessions, with evaluations at key points along the way. There is a fee for each 45 minute session to be negotiated with the LIFT Ministries Coordinator.