The High Ground at Gettysburg
Leadership Lessons for the Battles You Face Registration Info - Click HereNext Conference: April 7-11, 2025In over 25 years of Christian ministry, there has not been a conference that has leadership lessons, hands on interaction, and applicable principles that I have learned from and enjoyed as much as this one!
Over more than 40 years of ministry, I’ve had opportunity to attend many professional leadership conferences. NONE was as valuable as your “High Ground at Gettysburg” conference. You have crafted a truly great experience. Never quit.
This conference is a must for any leader of people whether that be in a for-profit, non-profit, ministry, or volunteer capacity. The High Ground at Gettysburg was even more impactful and applicable than the many executive programs facilitated by elite higher education institutions and sponsored by Fortune 100 firms that I have attended. The leadership lessons and principles are uniquely brought to life through robust storytelling, thoughtful exercises, shared experiences, and will powerfully connect you to real people in history. All of this while being in the place, walking through the trees, the fields, the hills, the very the ground, where those leadership decisions and methods impacted our own history and shaped the liberties we all enjoy today
Before my time in Gettysburg, I felt nervous about the conference. I’m not a huge fan of war history and I was also going to be the only woman attending the conference. I found from the beginning of our time there that the leaders of the conference were kind and caring. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to relate to the lessons and material, but I found that I was able to apply what I learned very clearly to my context. I felt supported and respected by the leaders of the conference, especially during times when we were discussing and processing what we were learning.
I was inspired by stories of leaders who were brave and persistent and led their people to do things they would not have done without good leaders spurring them on. I learned such helpful things about communicating vision and about the character of leaders. This training helped me see what a vast difference intentional leadership makes and what it looks like to be a good leader. This has been really helpful in my day-to-day work as I think about how I communicate and present myself as a leader.
New Leadership Team
Gary and Cristen Schmalz, Ashley Holleman, and Lori Lehman have assumed responsibility for the leadership conferences that we have led for over 25 years. We recently passed the baton to the team below. They have been preparing for over two years and they are ready.
They will bring fresh gifts and personal experiences while maintaining a commitment to the principles and practical lessons developed over 25 years. They are amazing.
We sense God’s blessing and believe that this new leadership team will guide the conference into the future.
—Shoulder to shoulder, Jay and Laurie Lorenzen
Overview
We offer an experiential leadership experience on the fields of Gettysburg. You’ll not only learn the history of the battle but also how leaders enable others to stay, fight and win in the battles they face.
- The Identity of the Leader Find Your True Identity as a Leader
- Foresight Know What to Do By Learning to See the Future
- Leadership Nerve Leading in Emotionally Networked Teams/Organizations
- The Critical Tasks of the Leader Discover the Heart and Soul of Leadership
- Flying the Flag Understand the Leader’s Use of “Colors”
- Cause and Community Answer Why People Stay and Fight
- The Language of Leadership Learn How The Best Leaders Communicate
- The Gospel Courageous and the Gospel Corrective Leader Probe the Challenge of the Leader’s Impact on Systemic Injustice and How Leaders Must Be Both Gospel Courageous (Justification) and Gospel Corrective (Justice)
- US Christian Commission (USCC) and its Role in the Civil War Learn how Chaplains and USCC Agents Cooperated During the Civil War
Gary and Cristen Schmalz
Co-Hosts
For 30 years, through Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru), we have been planning and executing small group meetings, programs, and events to see men and women grow in their spiritual leadership skills. We really do enjoy people. In addition to our public ministry, we have the privilege of raising four children: Kirby, Halle, Natalie, and Heidi. We have always considered ourselves as a “family on mission.”
Gettysburg is a special place to learn leadership through stories of the men who made good (and bad) decisions while leading thousands of men on mission. As a full-time missionary, former history teacher, and Army National Guard infantryman, I’ve (Gary) enjoyed learning about what happened here, and I am continuing to learn even more while on my own leadership journey. We believe these lessons will apply to your leadership arena, no matter what your “mission” might be at this time. Cristen and I are excited to serve you at the High Ground at Gettysburg.
Shoulder to shoulder,
Gary and Cristen Schmalz
Ashley and Heather Holleman
Co-Hosts
For nearly 25 years, we have committed our lives to helping people connect with one another, with Jesus, and with the mission of helping others do the same. To see this happen, we served with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) for 20 years until 2023 when we launched our ministry, Seated and Sent, with Global Services Associates. Through Seated and Sent, we work with churches and ministries in the area of outreach to grow their desire and ability to serve others and help them experience the presence of God in their lives. As part of these efforts, we create and host leadership development venues where men and women grow as leaders and strengthen relationships with other mission-minded leaders.
So, as you might imagine, we are excited to now team Gary and Cristen and Lori to co-host the High Ground at Gettysburg with them. We’ve been connected to this conference annually for the past 15 years; it’s the best immersive and experiential leadership development venue we’ve ever been a part of. We are thrilled to help the stories of the Battle of Gettysburg come alive for you and to share and move the battlefield leadership lessons learned and demonstrated there from the fields of Gettysburg into your lives and missions as leaders.
Lori Lehman
Co-Hosts
Rich and I have been married for over 30 years. We have adult twin children and two wonderful grandchildren. While my titles include Nana, Mom, Wife, Aunt, Sister, etc, my most important title is a child of God. I love to serve wherever God leads me. I have served hospice patients, young children in Awana, and church members as a greeter, usher, and finance committee member, among many other capacities. For over 30 years, I worked in the marketplace as a CPA and later as a Real Estate Agent.
I now get the opportunity to use my gift of administration to help leaders prepare for the battles they each engage in in their own vocations. I am really excited to be on this team and serve you during your time in Gettysburg.
Lori Lehman
Info
(Over the last few years, we have been offering special conferences for church or missional leadership teams. Contact Gary Schmalz at schgar @ gmail. com (no spaces) for info. )
Reading/Viewing Assignments (the following assignments are critical to the leadership experience, if you can’t complete them please consider a future conference.)
Prior to arrival, please read & view the following:
In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen (buy it)
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (buy it)…
and please view:”Gettysburg”, Turner Movies (all 4 hours of double sided DVD)
Location: New Hotel! Best Western Hotel Gettysburg
Please do not contact the hotel directly. We will make all the reservations for the participants. If you have some special needs, please include them in your registration comments. Laurie will contact the hotel for you. Thank you.
Transportation:
We will use private and/or rental cars or vans for transportation around the battlefield. If driving, and you rent a mini-van, would you consider driving during our battlefield tours. If so, we would probably assign at least 5 total conferees to your van and will cover your gas expenses during the conference. Email us for any questions.
* Arrival: If you fly into BWI or Dulles on Monday, plan to arrive by 12 noon. This will give you chance to get your rental car/van in time to arrive at Gettysburg by 2:30 pm or so. We’ll start our first battlefield tour at 4 pm sharp and it will set the stage for the whole conference. Please work out your schedule to arrive rested. We’ll have a full schedule for all four days.
* Departure: Feel free to depart anytime on Friday morning, but remember that it’s about a 2-hour drive to each location. Most folks plan their departure flights for not earlier than 11 am on Friday.
Items to Bring: Both assigned books; Bible (Old and New Testaments) – small, portable; Pens and Notebook (we’ll provide a Field Manual, but you might want a separate notebook); Money for souvenirs, etc; snacks during tours on your own.
Clothing: Hiking shoes (we’ll do quite a bit of walking, at times thru muddy fields); Bring layered, comfortable clothing – jeans, rain/wind jacket, shorts for a sunny day; We’ll be doing a horse ride – rain or shine – so bring a good rain coat.
Cost: $1250 based on double occupancy/$1550 for single occupancy – covers battlefield tours, maps, field manual, rooms, meals, tickets, horse-ride, materials, re-enactor musket shooting or other activity, etc–all expenses once you arrive in Gettysburg. The cost of transportation to/from Gettysburg is not included.
If you have specific questions, please contact Gary Schmalz at: schgar @ gmail. com (no spaces) or 515-451-6626. Thanks, Gary
Registration is open for April 7-11, 2025.
Click here to register: April 7-11, 2025
The cost of the conference is currently $1250.00 per person, based on double occupancy (additional expense per night, if single room requested–making the total cost $1550). This covers battlefield tours, museums, maps, rooms, meals, museum tickets, conference materials, horse rides, musket shoots, etc. . . In other words, all-conference expenses in Gettysburg.
Also, this conference requires some physical exertion–walking different engagements (about a mile), horse rides, getting in and out of vehicles and walking to nearby sites, etc.
We’ll be asking team leaders and/or others to secure mini-vans for use during battlefield tours. Most teams secure mini-vans for joint travel to/from Gettysburg.
Payment
After you have registered, we’ll hold your place. We will accept payment at the conference itself–either by check or credit card. We also assume that you will attend unless an emergency requires you to cancel. Thank you.
Required Reading and Viewing Assignments
A book worth reading every year!
Won the Pulitzer Prize–Prose Poetry
Watch this within two weeks of conference. A long movie – 4 hours – but you’ll need it.
Gettysburg CD: Songs from the Conference
LIVE&DIE: Ballads of the Blue and Gray
Ballads of the Blue and Gray
(Stories Behind the Songs)
Henri Nouwen’s Big Tent Revival
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Music
