Per Brance’s request, I will answer some of Jeremy’s questions post by post over the next few days. They will not be comprehensive answers, but hopefully offer some take-aways for your own leadership and churches. Question #1:
- How do you train your missional community leaders?
We train them four main ways:
- Leadership Seminars - these occur at least twice a year and focus on the philosophy and practice of leading gospel-centered missional communities. We focus on two areas: Pastoral and Missional leadership.
- On-the-Fly Training – because we are a church that spends time together throughout the week, we converse regularly about the challenges and rewards of leading missional communities. This happens through email, at the pub, during social events, eating together, etc. This can be especially effective because leaders are more teachable when they are facing a challenge they don’t have the answer to.
- Monthly Coaching – our Director of Missional Community meets with each MC leader to coach them through particular issues each month.
- Missional Community Leaders Meeting – MC leaders and spouses meet each month at a local pub to share how MC life and mission is going. It’s like we are MC to one another. We share a joy and a struggle in our MC with the whole group of leaders. We listen to one another, counsel one another, pray for one another, encourage one another. These are proving to be sweet times.
Feel free to contact Nate, our Director of Missional Community with questions. He blogs here.
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March 5, 2009 at 6:37 am
Stephen
Thanks for these thoughts. I think we’re going to have to put a lot of effort into this. We started our two Gospel Communities (Our MCs) last month and we’re already at the point where we could start a third but we don’t have enough MC leaders. I’m in the process of trying to get some of the more promising guys together before work one morning a week to go through so of the modules in the Porterbrook material, but I feel like I almost have to be a bit more intentional and aggressive in this area.
March 5, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Jonathan Dodson
I know the feeling. I would encourage you to not raise the bar to high for MC leadership, i.e. completion of PB modules, but allow them to be leadersintraining, watching the other guys and provided basic character and gospel understanding are in place, push them out into leadership. Make the GC more discussion driven and less Bible study. Multiplication is difficult when leaders arent making leaders.
March 8, 2009 at 12:44 am
brance
Thanks Jonathan. I appreciate your taking the time to answer these questions.
My wife and I had wanted to attend the Raleigh Boot Camp, but had to miss it due a death in the family.
We’re excited about planting early next year and trying to figure a lot of things out ahead of time.
Your site has definitely been helpful.