KINGS · PRIESTS · WARRIORS · SHEPHERDS
Lance Williams: why I created KPWS
Lance Williams is the author of KPWS, a Christian men’s discipleship study built around King, Priest, Warrior, and Shepherd. His own journey of learning to lead shaped the workbook.
I had to learn.
I didn’t write KPWS because I always knew how to lead. I wrote it because I had to learn.
Early in my marriage to Alicia, our relationship was in serious trouble. I loved my family, but I was ill-equipped to lead in our home. I could see the conflict. I did not know how to change the patterns behind it.
I love my father. But the example of leadership I needed had not been passed down to him, and it had not been passed down to me. As I examined my own life, I began to recognize what I had carried into my marriage. I needed to take responsibility for my growth.
Learning to grow together.
In 2007, with our marriage on the brink of divorce, Alicia and I found Awaken Church. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, healthy leadership, and discipleship, we began working through deep wounds and learning to grow together. Understanding God as our Father and our identity as His children became central to that journey.
Growth involved failure, prayer, mentorship, and the grace of God. Alicia helped me get back up when I failed. Our three children continued teaching me about the Father’s love and the responsibility of caring for the people entrusted to me.
A workbook born from lived experience.
My experience in pastoral ministry and discipling men also informs KPWS. I wanted to give men a practical way to examine their lives, study Scripture, and put what they learn into action.
The workbook brings that purpose into four connected roles: King, Priest, Warrior, and Shepherd. It asks men to lead with wisdom, cultivate prayer, stand with spiritual courage, and care for others with compassion and consistency.
You do not need to be married, have children, or hold a position in church to begin. These responsibilities take shape in the relationships and commitments you already have.
Your next step can be different.
My conviction is that you are not defined by your past or by what you did not receive. Your identity begins with who God says you are. From there, you can take responsibility for your next step.
KPWS is intended for transformation, not just information. Read the Scriptures. Reflect honestly. Put the teaching into practice. Walk with men who will encourage you and challenge you.
That is why I created this workbook: to help men become Kings, Priests, Warriors, and Shepherds in everyday life.
Lance Williams
Explore the teaching.
This story is adapted from Lance’s Foreword, Preface, Introduction, and Author’s Note in Kings, Priests, Warriors, and Shepherds: A Workbook for Men (2025). His other KPWS resources include the four-week workbook and Leader’s Guide.