Apprentice Manual Final

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APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDE
A REPRODUCING CHURCH RESOURCE WWW.NEWTHING.ORG
| Apprentice Field Guide
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Community Christian Church. All scripture passages in this guide, unless otherwise noted, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). The NIV is copyrighted 1973, 1978, and 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used with permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All Rights reserved.
GRAPHICS AND DESIGN J.J. Barrows - Sherry Gossman - Nick Plassman CONTENT Carter Moss - Eric Metcalf - Nick Plassman EDITORS Hannah Greever - Charissa Holland - Carrie Larson Carter Moss
www.newthing.org
www.communtychristian.org
1635 Emerson Lane Naperville, IL 60540
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Jon Ferguson Following the call
4 7 15 29 41 53 73 85 97 107
Chapter 1 - Reproduce Chapter 2 - Recognize

Discovering the Potential Casting the Vision
Chapter 3 - Recruit Chapter 4 - Refine

Developing the Skills
Chapter 5 - Reflect
Forming the Character
Chapter 6 - Release
Launching the Leaders
Chapter 7 - Remember
Furthering the Mission Appendix A Leadership Expectations Appendix B Sample Leadership Development Plan
FOREWARD
By Jon Ferguson
Co-Founder Community Christian Church, Director, NewThing Networks
Ive been in small groups and served on teams with the most unlikely combination of people and still God does what only God can do. Through an encouraging word, an insightful comment, an expression of kindness, a heart-felt prayer, or simple genuine hospitality, God shows up and I am blessed way beyond expectation. Im given just what I need to SMALL GROUP get me through my week. GURU I guess thats what Jesus meant when he said . . . where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. When were together, whether were serving on a vocal team or doing life together with a small group God shows up in a way thats different than He does when were alone. Ah, the power of genuine community; little bands of people gathering in cafes, homes, and church buildings or serving in classrooms, under-resourced neighborhoods, and community centers. Its people like you and me making a difference, and finding the hope, encouragement, and accountability to be what God dreamed we could be. As a leader, you have within your grasp the ability to convene the very presence of God. Youre that important. Whether its three year olds or eighty-three year olds, it takes someone to step up and say Ill do it. I will lead. And not only will I lead, I will bring someone alongside me to develop who will eventually lead as well. Its one thing
to lead, its another thing to care enough to invest yourself in someone else who can lead those you cant lead. We call these rising leaders apprentices. Jesus believed in this enough to bring alongside himself not just one, but 12 apprentices -- ordinary people with names like Peter, James, and John. He asked them to do life with him, to watch him, to learn from him. The idea is simple, but through them he continues to change the world. And through you, he wants to do the same. Within these pages are some of the most practical and insightful ideas youll find to guide you on this journey of not only leading, but leading others to lead . . . to change the world. Im not kidding. You can change the world!
REPRODUCE
Chapter One -Following the Call
is Peter, and on th re a u yo t a th u I tell yo e gates of y church, and th m ild bu ill w I , rock w 16:18) come it. (Matthe hell will not over
Wow. These are some of the most powerful words of

Jesus ever recorded. How do you think Peter felt? How would you have felt? Try hearing Jesus say those words to you: You are <insert name>, and on you I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.
How do you feel, deep in your gut?
Overwhelmed? Excited? Intimidated? Honored? Humbled? All of the above?

This is really a profound turning point in the Bible. Through out all of Jewish history, people waited for this Messiah to show up. Then He finally does as a humble man named Jesus. And now after 30 years of life and a mere three years of ministry, He reveals to His followers that He actually isnt sticking around. He will not remain on Earth to lead them. He has a different plan; a plan to entrust
the entire future of the church, of His mission on Earth, to humans, people like us. Wow. The only way our leadership can carry on is to invest into others.
So far, Gods plan is working! From Peter until today, God has continued to call and empower leaders to lead His church. Its because of their legacy that we are here today. We are followers of Jesus like Peter was and called to the Jesus mission like Peter was. Its also true that we will not be here forever. Not just in the literal sense that our life will come to an end someday, but it could mean that we may end up moving to another city and joining a new church. Or, we may get called to serve in some other capacity, which calls us to leave our current leadership position. So the only way that our leadership can carry on is if we invest it into others. And that was Jesus plan. Another leader in the Bible who received a direct call to leadership from Jesus is Paul. Paul understood this idea of leadership investment (apprenticeship) as well as anybody. One of the many people he invested in was a young, motivated apprentice named Timothy.
Reproduce |
Paul perfectly casts the vision and value of reproducing leadership. We see this in 2nd Timothy in one simple statement. Its been referred to as the
2-2-2 Principle: p
in d me say r a e h e v ha things you witnesses, entrust And the ny lied ce of ma n e s e r p lso be qua a e l il th w o h men w to reliable ers. oth to teach y 2:2) (2 Timoth
Paul speaks of reproducing leaders into the fourth generation.
He 1st Generation
instructs Timothy
2nd Genera
tion
ion
to invest in reliable
men 3rd Generat others.
who will also be qualified to develop
4th Generation
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Pause for a moment and let the hugeness of that sink in. When we examine this idea of apprenticeship, were not talking about finding people who can help us do tasks more effectively. And were not talking about preparing people to simply replace us so we can move on to something else. We are talking about reproducing our leadership so the mission wont stop with us and is carried on to future generations. Language is important when it comes to leadership. The word apprentice paints the picture of investing in someone else so we can reproduce our leadership in them. The US Navy defines an apprentice as an enlisted person receiving specialized training. One dictionary definition reads:
to bind or place with a craftsman in order to learn a trade. Our apprentices are people that become bound to us in order to get specialized training and learn the trade of leadership. Its important to differentiate this from other similar but distinct roles. Apprentices are different than assistants, coleaders, and helpers. The difference is that the apprentice is not simply helping a leader, rather, the apprentice is becoming a leader.
Reproduce | 11
The challenge is that apprenticeship does not happen automatically. You can believe all you want that apprenticeship is a great idea, but to live it out, you must be intentional about recognizing and recruiting others to join you on the mission, investing time and energy to refine their leadership, and releasing them in faith to carry on the mission and go teach others.
ween oration bet b a ll o c a s ip involve God. Apprenticesh ntice, and re pp a e h t r, the leade
Apprenticeship is as much of an art as it is a science. It involves collaboration between the leader, the apprentice, and God. It can be accomplished successfully through a combination of skill, relationship, and discernment about what works best for each person. Yet no apprenticeship carries with it the guarantee of success. Choosing to invest in someone involves a lot of risk and a lot of faithand thats just the way God likes it! While there is no simple one size fits all formula, there are several important tools, guidelines, and artistic aids to help empower you to take on the wonderful apprenticeship challenge.
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So what is your ultimate goal in life? Raise good kids to carry on the family name? Leave this world a better place than the way you found it? Dont most of us want to leave some kind of legacy behind that shows we had an impact in this world? That is exactly what God is talking about through Paulthat it really is possible for us to leave behind a legacy, even one that carries on from generation to generation. The possibility of leaving that sort of legacy is incredibly inspiring! So let the apprenticeship journey begin!
Reproduce Review
Jesus entrusted His mission to be carried on by people! We need to constantly invest in other leaders, both to be able to replace ourselves and to send out more leaders. We must be intentional about apprenticeship; we cant just expect it to happen. Apprenticeship is a collaboration between the leader, the apprentice, and God.
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Questions for Reflection

1. Did someone invest in you before you became a leader, or were you forced to learn it on your own? Either way, how did that feel?
2. Have you ever invested in someone else to develop them for a particular role? What was that experience like?
3. Why do you think Jesus chose to rely on people to carry on His mission?
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RECOGNIZE
Chapter Two -Discovering the Potential
How much do you remember about 5th grade?
I (Eric) am not sure how much I really remember, but one particular experience stands out to me. I was an aspiring young artist and my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Guinn, recognized this. He identified me as a person who had talent and invited me to oversee the development of a significant art project a chalk art drawing of about 50 Walt Disney characters. I was both floored and excited about the chance to show off my talent and passion for art, so of course I responded with a YES!
Even though I didnt go on to pursue a career in art, the confidence and empowerment I gained from having a leader like Mr. Guinn recognize specific gifts in me is something I have never forgotten. Before we discuss how to develop an apprentice or even how to recruit one, we need to begin with how to recognize one.
apprentice? And what if I ask someone to be an apprentice and they turn out to be the wrong person?
How do I know what to look for in an
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One of the biggest challenges we face as leaders is knowing what to look for in a potential apprentice, because they will one day go on to influence the lives of others. No matter how much reading and listening we do, it is just plain hard. In my experience of trying to be a good apprentice recruiter, Ive learned a lot about who I should have asked to be an apprentice and who I shouldnt have asked. Im a recruiter by nature. Im always looking for who I can do ministry with. I definitely prefer to do ministry as a team versus aloneits more fun! However, this natural (or supernatural) inclination can cause me to invite people into apprentice roles before they are really ready. I remember one time when I asked someone to apprentice who was introverted, quiet, arrogant, too serious, opinionated, boringyou get the picture. The plain truth is that I should not have asked them to be my apprentice. They werent ready or even right for the role. So why did I recognize and recruit them as an apprentice? Because I really wanted to have an apprentice
I just wasnt sure what to look for.

Mr. Guinn recognized something in me, and as leaders we are given the great privilege to recognize gifts in those around us. Mr. Guinn may have identified a creative genius (yeah right), but what are we looking for when we are trying to identify potential apprentices?
Recognize | 17
to identify d e e n e w o d ? of qualities tice leader n What kinds e r p p a p u o l small gr in a potentia pprentice?

ader a A worship le leader? apprentice ry t is in m t n der? A stude rentice lea pp a y t li a it A hosp
These are big questions to tackle, but we can start by identifying the must-haves qualities that simply must be in place before you can consider someone as a potential apprentice. Beyond these, Ive also learned that there are several bonuses -- characteristics that arent necessarily vital for every leader to possess, but are a huge bonus when they are present.
The Must-Haves
You cant drive a car without wheels, without an engine, or without gasoline. You cant bake a cake without flour or eggs (not a good one anyway). You cant eat a true Chicago hot dog without onions, mustard, and relish. Think about the must-haves youve already determined in your ministry, the things that youve drawn a line in the sand about and simply refused to cross. These often take lots of conviction from God combined with some real life experience, for us to develop. Here are a few of the must-haves that God has developed in me when it comes to entrusting people with the high privilege of leadership:
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Spiritual Velocity
The apprentice must have a Jesus-centered lifenot a life of perfection but a life centered on Jesus. Maybe youve heard people list their priorities like this: God is first, family is second, church is third and job is fourth. While there certainly is some pragmatism to looking at things this way, what if it could actually play out more like this: God is at the center of our lives, and everything else revolves around Him and His will. A person with a Jesus-centered life will be impacted in all areas of their life. Some of the ways this can be seen are:
following Jesus to nt e m it m om C Private (baptism) Public Commitment

love th Marriage how they rds nights, afrming wo in Single healthy dat about them, discer ning eir spouse, date y, etc.
g boundaries, purit
eir kids, ta Parenting loving th ew Finances tithing, st
lking positively
ardship, generosity
Dont misunderstand this list thoughit isnt about perfection or arrival. Its really about the journey. Brian McLaren describes it brilliantly in his book More Ready Than You Realize, where he calls it the journey factor.
Recognize | 19
as a iple-making c is d g in as e tor -- se ey, not just rn u jo g in Journey Fac d n ess and une ) holistic proc an McLaren ri (B t. n e v e n a conversio
Usually we see a Jesus-centered life as one where someone is either in or out. Looking at the figure below imagine the circle represents the point of conversion. As you can see Person A has crossed that point and Person B has not. Person A is in and person B is out. Therefore Person A has a Jesus-centered life and Person B doesnt.
upon apprentices based What if we chose ion? ion instead of posit ct ire d d an m tu momen
This idea of momentum plus direction towards Jesus can be called spiritual velocity. I (Eric) have seen a very real and recent example of this in a small group where the apprentice is a recent Christ-follower who certainly is not fully displaying Christ through his life.
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However, he is constantly pursuing Jesus, more than Ive seen in many Christians I know. His momentum and direction are incredible and definitely inspiring to me! Focusing on their spiritual velocity versus whether they totally get it or not is far more practical and inclusive. Do you think the disciples totally got it? Of course not! BUT, they were moving in the right direction and Jesus saw that. So keeping these thoughts in mind, heres how we might reflect spiritual momentum:
So while Person A may have had a conversion experience, he or she is not currently living a life of spiritual velocity. Since Jesus is alive and changing the world on a daily basis, we need to be seeking him daily (Luke 9:23-25). Person B, on the other hand, is moving toward Jesus and is changing the world with Jesus. Spiritual velocity is about momentum and direction. Is the person you are considering as an apprentice someone who wants to be in on the mission of helping people find their way back to God? Is he/she taking steps to live this out? If so, then they are ripe for the opportunity to become an apprentice.
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Teachability
Another must-have is teachability. A person has to be truly willing to accept feedback in order to be developed. Is he/she willing to take constructive criticism and trust that the person giving it has their best interests in mind? One of the roles we play as leaders is to identify growth opportunities in apprentices that would help strengthen them and, in turn, the local church. In fact, the entire apprenticeship concept is based upon teachability the process or role cant exist without it. If a person is teachable he/she must be willing to be affirmed, accept feedback gracefully, and be willing to change how they do things. This teachability needs to be coupled with trust, and we are responsible as leaders to develop that. If an apprentice trusts us as leaders, he/she will be much more open to being apprenticed by us.
Relational Intelligence
Relational intelligence is the idea that a potential apprentice needs to have the basic understanding that people matter; people matter to God and they need to matter to us. A person with relational intelligence has the knack for seeing the best in people. Theyre not oblivious to peoples growth areas, like some sort of blind optimism. Instead they possess a keen ability to see greatness in someone.
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reaction when What is your rst in the parking lot? r ca r ei th e se u yo
Parking Lot Test - Another attribute of relational intelligence is what our staff likes to call the parking lot test. The test is simply this: when you see the potential apprentice leaders car in the parking lot as you pull in, is your initial reaction to feel excited to see them, or to hope that youll be able to avoid them? Its basically a chemistry question. When this person walks into a room, how do people feel? Leadership is not solely about the role, it is about relationship. Too often we assume that simply by giving someone the authority of a role, people will follow them. This is not true. If someone cannot lead with relational intelligence, then they arent really leading at all, theyre micro-managing. Relational intelligence is a must-have when considering a potential apprentice.
The Bonuses
Pay-day comes for many of us either on the 15th and 30th of each month, bi-weekly, or once a month. However, sometimes there is a special pay-day when we get an extra amount of casha bonus. This bonus often allows us to do the things we cant normally afford: pay off a credit card, remodel a living room, or simply give it away to someone in need. Whatever the case may be, we are given the opportunity to make a bigger impact with this bonus. It gives us the chance to do more than we could have done without it.
Recognize | 23
When it comes to identifying an apprentice, there are some great bonuses we can receive as wellcharacteristics that dont necessarily have to be in place before selecting an apprentice, but can be huge assets to their leadership journey. There are several different bonuses we could consider when identifying an apprentice, but lets focus on four in particular:
Missional
There has been a recent resurgence within the Church in regards to the study of mission. This study has emerged because there is an argument that the Church has lost its mission: to seek and save what is lost (Luke 15). Many argue we have instead become a church filled with a consumer mindset. What does the church have for me? Does it offer the best programs for my kids? Can the teaching at this church meet my needs? Does the music fit my personal style? These are all valid questions to ask, but if they become our focus, they consume us (pun intended).
When looking for potential apprentices, it would be a huge asset to identify someone who is missional, willing to sacrifice time, money and personal interests in order to help more people find their way back to God. When they are sold out to this mission, they will be sold out to the leadership that is required to accomplish it.
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Discerning
A unique spiritual gift that some potential leaders possess is the ability to discern whats happening in any given situation. If someone can discern peoples needs, wants, passions, and dreams, they will have a much better chance of leading that particular group or team. They will know when to push people and when to let them work things out on their own.
Inclusive
Someone who is inclusive is a breath of fresh air. Many of us are wired to be very selfish with our time and even more so with our friends and communities. Once weve found a safe place to laugh and cry, we are generally very selfish about whom we allow to experience what we have. However, an inclusive person constantly includes people in their conversations, their community, and their life. If you have a potential apprentice who is inclusive, it means they love people. It means people will want to follow them. And it means theyll bring countless people along on the mission.
Biblical Knowledge
Knowing Gods Word (the Bible) is vital to our spiritual growth. Its one of the key ways for us to learn about Gods character, about His will for our lives, and about His mission for this world. But while extensive biblical knowledge is very valuable, its not necessarily a must-have for someone to begin in leadership. Someone can have all the biblical knowledge in the world, but not really love people or know how to lead them. (John 5) Additionally, it is often easier to teach someone the Bible than it is to teach them
Recognize | 25
how to be more loving. No matter where a person is when they begin in leadership, they will hopefully grow in their knowledge of the Bible throughout their leadership journey.
lieve in e b y ll a e r Do we Does God?
people?
Some people are born leaders and some are refined as leaders through patience, life-experience, coaching, and Gods provision. Think about how you became a leader. Who identified you as a potential leader? Who gave you permission? Who cast the vision? Who inspired you to take a risk and say yes? It took someone recognizing something in you to get you where you are today. The question at the heart of the issue is this: do we really believe in people? Or another way to ask it: does God really believe in people? If our answer is no, then the concept of apprenticeship will never work. But, if we can answer yes, then this whole journey is about to get a lot more interesting. The life of following Jesus is about to get more real and more inspiring as we go on this leadership journey with apprentices.
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Recognize Review
The Must-Haves
Spiritual Velocity (whats their movement/ direction, not just position?) Teachability (are they open to being developed and sharpened?) Relational Intelligence (do they get people, and do people like them?) Missional (are they willing to sacrice for Gods mission?) Discerning (can they wisely discern things in people and situations?) Inclusive (do they love to bring people alongside them?) Biblically Knowledgeable (do they have a strong grasp on Gods Word?)
The Bonuses
Recognize | 27

1. In your church, are there any other must-haves or bonuses that you would look for when recognizing potential apprentices?
2. Are you someone who tends to recognize peoples strengths/gifts right away, or do you first notice their weaknesses/challenges?
3. Who was the first person to recognize potential in you? What was it they saw in you that was most motivating and encouraging?
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RECRUIT
Chapter Three - Casting the Vision
hat. t o d 't n Oh I ca usy and b o o t s i ir life e h t f i t usier? b t i Wha g n i ak I'm just m me? o t o n y say e h t hey t f i e t s a u h a W c me be d i ut'? o o v p a l e y e 'h h o t t What if ant is for them Iw think all
questions and fears are so strong for most of us that they can keep us from ever inviting someone into an apprenticeship. And when we say no for someone in this way, we are denying them the opportunity to be affirmed, to ask God what He wants next for them, and to experience the incredible journey of leadership.
What if, what if, what ifThe truth is, these
Information
The word recon (pronounced RE-con, not rek-in, that paints a totally different picture), which is short for reconnaissance, is an interesting one. It reminds me of a popular secret agent video game called Splinter Cell Ghost Recon or of the Oceans 11 (and following) movies, where Danny Ocean and his team of professional criminals study their target to gather all the information they will need to be most effective in their task. Heres the official definition straight from Wikipedia: a military term for gathering information.
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ple before Moses Then Caleb silenced the peoand take and said, We should go up rtainly do it. can ce possession of the land, for we (Numbers 13:30)
One biblical example of recon comes from the book of Numbers, in chapter 13, where there is a story of 12 men who are sent on a recon mission. When they return, all but one of the men gives a completely negative report. Only Caleb displays the faith in God to know that He can overcome all of the obstacles they witnessed.
In our current ministry context, recon represents an opportunity to gather as much information as possible before recruiting an apprentice. This involves intentionality, some discernment, and like Caleb, a real faith in God and His ability to work through people. Simon was a guy that I (Nick) had identified as a potential apprentice. He had what I was looking for on so many levels that I was ready to recruit him. I began my recruitment process by simply taking interest in what he was doing. One particular night, he was fixing a light at the church. There was a team of guys that would gather each Wednesday to do maintenance around the church, and for Simon, it was an easy way to contribute. The depth of the role was not too demanding, he was able to contribute with friends, and the time commitment was fairly light. It was a great place to get his foot in the door of contributing.
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I knew I liked what I saw in Simon so I asked people for insight about him. I was looking for their reactions to my recruitment of him. Friends are almost always a good way to get free information and reaction about the potential recruit. When I am asking I usually look for affirmation about the person that I may use later in discussion with them, or I look for potential barriers for the recruited role. With Simon, I was encouraged to hear from his friends that they believed the role I was recruiting him for was a great fit. The other free information I learned was that Simon had gone through a rough divorce a couple years earlier, and his contributing role was very important for his own community and relationship health. He was able to really find a sense of belonging and value by contributing in his current role. So after a small bit of recon, I was ready to make my ask.
n. He his reco k r o f n w ds, as t, is kno husban Catalys d r e t ic s if u g M Y has eve eir h o IT t h N U w t M e u M o n CO anyo rat f his Bill, our wives to s, and look for ir lives. One o ups t s li n e e o d n gro th loves t o small yone ruit frie some point in t c o e r g o o t t or an tion is ent at friends instrum et ask f d with an informa k n n n o a c la d e b r e a get play ke roun ways to and ma essed a wife, favorite omens ministry yed, sung, or m t a husband, up la ha rw ill lights B s ever p will discover t or to ou a l. h o o o h h h sc he ow w order they kn . Often times and back in hig information in t n b ibly t e a contac s incred s in instrum s k r to be in r e o d h w t e s h a u g ac ru d or frien d of recon and ess. This appro n also work fo a c in o c k r p it at this ruiting s, and the rec iting musician in g e b to cru ders. Bill in re well for apprentice lea g recruitin
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Invitation
Once we have gathered information and insight about a potential leader through our recon mission, the next step is to make the ask, to actually invite them to join us on the leadership journey. This may seem like an obvious step, but dont be fooled. There are times when it can be extremely tempting to simply stop here, and never make the ask of someone. Why? Because we can think of a hundred reasons why they would say no. But we must be very careful to never say no for someone. We must allow God room to work in their lives. We cannot have an apprentice if we do not ask. Its up to us to present the opportunity, and up to God to work in them from there.
We must be very careful never to say no for someone.
When I first approached Simon, I had my strong case ready. His friends believed he would be a great fit. I personally saw many things in him that I wanted on my team, and I knew that I was about to ask him something that was going to be hard to refuse. So I made my way over to Simon, and the conversation looked something like this:
Recruit | 33
Nick: How are you doing? Simon: Fine. Nick: Simon, can I ask you a question? Simon: Sure. Nick: Simon, have you ever considered Simon: (Laughter, not a good sign. Nick: Completely. Simon: (More laughter, still not a good
sign) Why in the world would you ask me Then a pause) Are you serious? contributing in student ministry?
Nick: (Racking my brain, recalling all my

recon) Because I think you would be good
of all people?
Simon: Why me?

Now was my chance to use what I had learned, to affirm him, and to cast my vision.
at it.
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ICNU
ICNU is a linguistic play on letters and words, also known as license plate language. The letters stand for I see in you. These four simple letters may be the most important and impactful part of recruiting an apprentice. Seeing true potential in an apprentice is infinitely more important than simply filling a need with any warm body, and once we are convinced of that, we need to make sure that they know that!
The question they most want answered is why me?

Joseph Meyers explains in his book Organic Community that when you are recruiting someone, the number one question they want answered is not whats in it for me? The question they really want answered is why me? They want to know why you selected them out of everyone else. And they hope that the answer is tied to who they are as a person, and how God can uniquely use them to fulfill some special role in His mission. How disappointing would it be for them to learn that the reason was really about you just filling a need, and that they are simply the nearest warm body to you? As you meet with them to cast your vision for their apprenticeship, it is your opportunity to tell them why you believe they are the right person, why you believe in them, and why you believe God wants to use them in this way.
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I began to share with Simon what I saw in him. I pointed out the way he seemed to light up when he was around students. I shared that students seemed to be drawn to him, and that his commitment to small group and weekly contributing were important qualities I was looking for. I told him about how other people around him thought he would be a great fit as a student ministry apprentice. After a couple of silent moments, Simon told me he would have to think about it and would get back to me. I smiled and agreed, but told him I would be back to ask him the following week. And I did. Week after week went by with Simon telling me that he was still thinking about it. And I would take each opportunity to tell him what I saw in him. I am not sure if the commitment made him nervous (because of his recent divorce) or if it was hard for him to believe in himself, but I knew that I wanted him on my team. So after 8 weeks (yes, 8 weeks) of asking him and giving him more and more time, he finally agreed to check out our student ministry.
Include
Sometimes the first ask of any recruit can be to simply come and watch what you do in your role. You can ask them to observe, while giving them full permission to ask questions.
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Simon had agreed to come to a student ministry service and observe each aspect of it. I asked him to pay careful attention to the entire service and to gather any questions he had to share with me afterward. I set up a follow-up meeting (a vital step!) with Simon for a few days following his attendance. This was to ensure he would come and that he and I could reflect on his experience soon after. We had our follow-up meeting over coffee, and I asked him about his experience. He shared that he really enjoyed it and was looking forward to becoming a student ministry apprentice. After hearing his experience, I began to share my journey, how I came to know God and how I had come to COMMUNITY. Simon then revealed to me some insights about his own life. He felt comfortable sharing what his journey had looked like and how he had arrived at our church. It was the beginning of his apprenticeship, the beginning of his leadership at our church. While Simons story is one of my favorites to share, remember that it wont always play out like this. The important lesson is that when we see something in someone that we truly believe will benefit the mission, we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to give them that opportunity.
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REMEMBER
1. Information: Gather all you can about your potential apprentice. 2. Invitation: Ask your potential apprentice to begin exploring leadership with you. 3. ICNU: Share with your potential apprentice why you believe they are the best person to be your apprentice. 4. Include: Cast a clear and compelling vision of what the leadership role involves, and how this apprenticeship will get them there.
It took sharing what I saw in him, sharing what others saw in him, and having consistent follow-up for Simon to agree to pursue an apprenticeship. And after over a year of apprenticing, Simon is now one of the best leaders we have. Those things I saw in him have come to fruition, and each day I am thankful for the time I spent pursuing him. Though it could have taken even longer, He was the one I truly wanted on my team, so I was relentless about pursuing him. What if that was how we approached recruiting? What if we were unstoppable about it? What if even when we were told no, we continued to pray, and pursue the best team to lead our ministries? What if
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Recruit Review
Do some recon (learn all you can about the person) Make the ask (give them the opportunity to say yes) Share the ICNU (clearly answer the question why me? for them) Invite them to join (cast a clear vision of how they can be a part of Gods mission)
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1. When people have recruited you for certain roles (whether in the church or elsewhere), have those experiences been good? What made them that way?
2. How do you usually feel when someone tells you no? If its hard for you, is there anything that would help lessen that difficulty?
3. Is it more natural for you to work alone, or do you like to work in teams? If alone, what would help you want to start inviting others to join you?
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REFINE
Chapter Four -Developing the Skills
Two different books were recently released that both paint a similar word picture describing a non-formulaic approach to ministry. In Organic Community, Joseph Myers talks about the value of allowing community to emerge from a blank canvas, rather than approaching it as a paint-by-numbers process. In Walking the Small Group Tightrope, Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson argue a similar perspective:
help you y a m s r e b y num t it will u b , Painting b s n r e t t our color pa of art. k r o organize y w g in iv e a life-g not produc
In other words, you cant paint without a paintbrush, you cant paint without paint, and you cant paint without some type of canvas. Similarly, there are certain tools that are essential to allowing the art of leadership to take hold. These vital sciences or paint tools include: varied learning environments, freedom to explore leadership, and step-by-step experiences that allow reproduction of ones role or responsibility.
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The Practice of Development Every role is reproducible! (If its not, then why create it?)
Every role is reproducible. Let that sink inevery role is reproducible. If its not, then why create it? Think about it. Why do we create new ministries, programs, small groups, and teams in the first place? Hopefully the underlying mission is to help more people find their way back to God and ultimately give God more glory, right? If thats true, then wouldnt you expect that a healthy and vibrant ministry, program, small group or team would reproduce in order to reach exponentially more people for Christ? Of course! If we are to become all about creating teams and groups that are reproducible, that means every role must also be reproducible. So the question remainshow do we reproduce that role? If its a person who loves kids and serves diligently to help more kids love Jesushow do you reproduce that role? Or what if someone is great at running sound, playing guitar, or leading worshiphow do we reproduce that? In 1997 a book was published by a great church consultant who has influenced our church in regards to leadership development perhaps more than any other person. In his book Nine Keys to Effective Small Group Leadership, Carl George describes a simple and memorable process on how to reproduce the role of any leader through apprenticeship:
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I do, you watch, we talk. I do, you help, we talk. You do, I help, we talk. You do, I watch, we talk. You do, someone else watches.
Lets unpack each of those:
I do, you watch, we talk

If you were the leader of the set-up/tear-down ministry and you had an apprentice, you would want your apprentice to be with you at all times to learn the ins and outs of that ministry. So if you show up at 6am to set up, have your apprentice show up at 6am (but remember to buy them coffee, so you are serving them along the way). Then have your apprentice watch as you direct traffic during set up. Theyll observe where tables, chairs and people go. Once services are over, the apprentice can observe how you lead the whole tear-down process, from how things are broken down, to how they are carried out the door and packed into the trailer. You want them to watch everything you do as a leader so you can talk about the apprentice role.
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I do, you help, we talk

Lets try another scenario for this one. If you were a leader of a support and recovery small group and you had an apprentice, your goal is to reproduce everything you do as a leader with that potential leader. But at this stage of the game you are giving them opportunities to help. So maybe you have the apprentice leader do the opening prayer time and you do the facilitating, and the apprentice leader is responsible for taking mental note of how you do as a leader. They should pay attention to how you ask followup questions, how you respond to people talking during someone sharing, and how you respond to particularly difficult stories. You and the apprentice can meet outside the group and discuss how you did as a leader. You can then share how they did helping with the prayer time.
You do, I help, we talk

Lets say youre leading a lighting team and you have an apprentice who has had a few experiences with helping and they are ready to go the next level of the apprenticeship. This means its time for them to do, while you help. So for any given service, have them set up the lighting, run the lighting in cue-to-cue, and run the lights during service. After those services, you can then meet with your apprentice to discuss how things went, asking them if there is anything they would have done differently. You can also ask whether there is anything that you could have done as the leader to support them more in the process.
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You do, I watch, we talk

This is nearly the final phase of reproducing the role. This is when the apprentice feels ready and confident to take on full responsibility for the leadership role theyre apprenticing. For example, if theyre apprenticing as a childrens ministry small group leader, they are now ready to lead the childrens small group on their own, while the current leader observes. Then the two will meet to discuss how things went. It is through this last phase that it becomes apparent whether the apprentice is really ready to step into leadership. And if both people feel like the timing is right, then its time to reproduce into leadership, which leads us to our last phase.
You do, someone else watches

This last step is vital. It reminds us to repeat the process, to never forget the vision of being a reproducing church and to never settle for stopping at one generation reproduction. It reminds us to be a church that reproduces second, third and fourth generations. Remember Pauls vision for the church that he cast so well to Timothy, the 2-2-2 Principle.
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What is t he most eff way to d evelop an ective apprentic e?

The Principles of Development
One vital question to consider when it comes to developing an apprentice is this: what is the most effective way to develop them? Different people learn best through different methods, so is it possible to provide multiple ways for them to learn? The answer is yes. It is possible to develop someone in all four of the primary learning styles, while allowing most of their development to occur in their most effective style, in their sweet spot.
Experiential Learning
One way we can equip our apprentices is through the experience of leadership. Experiential learning simply allows someone to try on the role. They get the chance to step up the plate and see what God can do through them. If you have an apprentice worship leader, you can give them the opportunity to experience leading worship, perhaps having them facilitate worship during a service for one of the three songs performed. Once the experience is over, you can then meet with your apprentice to affirm them in what they did well and offer input on their growth areas. Or consider the usher leader who needs to develop an apprentice. To help develop them in the fine art of recruiting more ushers, the leader could try doing a role-play scenario with the apprentice. This could involve letting the apprentice
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practice inviting them to serve, while the leader offers a variety of yes and no answers. The apprentice could also take on the organization of the ushers during a particular weekend service. After each of the experiential learning opportunities, the leader should meet with the apprentice to give them feedback on how they did.
Self-learning
Id (Eric) like to give a shout out to all you self-learners out there! Im a self-learner, and as a self-learner I enjoy studying on my own. Give me a book, a website, or an article and I will dissect it, process it, and apply it, all on my own. As a self-learner, Im constantly seeking out new ways to see things through blogs, websites, books, magazines, and anything else I can get my hands on.
Im also a big-time reader. At any given time I can be caught reading 4-6 books at once, getting through about one book every 7-10 days. Im such a huge fan of reading. Its even a little bit of a competition among our staff; were always trying to see who can read what first. In fact, I once committed a federal offense (I opened someones package from Amazon) just so I could read what they ordered first! I read books on various topics, but they mostly center on ministry: everything about small groups, emerging church (philosophy, critiques, and strategies), leadership development, spiritual formation and many others.
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For our COMMUNITY apprentices who are self-learners, we have designed blogs like: www.cccsmallgroups.com www.multi-sitekids.org www.multi-sitearts.com
blogs
to vis it
These blogs offer video modules, articles, posts from church staff, best practices, and many other leadership development resources. We also constantly recommend various books for their own self-learning, some on general leadership and vision-casting principles, some on spiritual development, and some on ministry-specific skills.
Classroom
For our COMMUNITY apprentices who learn best through a classroom environment, we offer something called Leadership Community. Leadership Community is a concept that was introduced by Carl George in Coming Church Revolution. In this book he lays out a simple model called V.H.S or
vision
huddle
skill
The vision time is for sharing where youre headed as a church and ministry; the huddle time is for coaches, leaders, and apprentices to connect; the skill time is an opportunity to develop specific abilities for a particular area of ministry. We gather together the first Saturday of every month to celebrate whats happening in our ministries. Its also a time where we equip our leaders based upon need
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through coaching and training. If done right and leaders take advantage of it, this can be one of the most powerful experiences for an apprentice. Whether these classroom opportunities become a monthly event like this, or consist of constantly varying classes and training sessions, they can be valuable to an apprentices development.
Mentoring
My (Eric) favorite of all these learning Eric environments has to be the mentoring experience. My bias for this comes from a ministry context where I have had the privilege to meet one-on-one with some of the greatest leaders anywhere. In fact, Im in a one-on-one mentoring relationship at least once a week and most times twice a week. Apprentice leaders get the privilege to meet with a leader one-on-one. Ive seen time and time again where good apprentice leaders become great leaders because of the investment one leader made in them. In fact, nearly all of our staff have been apprentice leaders at some point. Being in a mentoring relationship with someone who loves Jesus and would give their life for the local church is key to experiencing a fulfilling apprenticeship. Well talk more about what this mentoring relationship looks like in the next chapter, as we explore more of the art of relating to an apprentice. The science of reproducing the role is about knowing the practices that work and diligently applying them. These are the block and tackle practices of leadership, the practices
I'm
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that are fundamental to spiritual and numerical growth. Through the grace of God, consistent application of these practices, and constant prayer, God can help us live out this 2-2-2 Principle to carry out His mission.
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Rene Review
The 4 styles of learning o Experiential (learning through doing, practicing, being on the job) o Self-learning (learning through personal research and reading) o Classroom (learning through the teaching of others) o Mentoring (learning through a 1-on-1 relationship) The 5 steps of apprenticeship o I do, you watch, we talk. o I do, you help, we talk. o You do, I help, we talk. o You do, I watch, we talk. o You do, someone else watches.
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1. Which of the 4 styles of learning do you thrive most in? Are you allowed to learn that way most of the time?
2. Which of the 5 steps of apprenticeship is the toughest for you to do, or the easiest for you to overlook?
3. Why do you think its so vital to include the we talk part in each of the development steps?
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REFLECT
Chapter 5 - Forming the Character
I (Nick) brought the plant with me to our first meeting. I placed it on the table and we both looked at it in silence. I had owned the plant for years and had kept it healthy the entire time. We had been through much together and now I was loaning it to Tom. He had agreed to be my apprentice, and as we both sat at the table that day, we considered the next few months with it. My first meeting with my new apprentice was christened with the plant. During those next few months, I loaned the plant to Tom as a tool for his apprenticeship. The plan was for Tom to take care of the plant and learn about its growth and challenges. (Inside I feared this would be the last time I would see my plant alive.) I wanted Tom to take careful notice of this particular plantwhat its needs were and how to help it grow to its maximum capacity. After our meeting, Tom put the plant in his car and we left to finish our work day. I got a call that night that the plant was not doing so wellprobably because Tom had left it in his hot car all day! Every leaf was withered. He was not off to a good start.
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Over the next few months, the plant made its way into our discussions about growth, care, and challenges. The day Tom graduated from apprenticeship to leadership, I received the plant back. It was still alive, but it had gone through many changes while it was under Toms care. I was happy to take it home and place it in the sunny spot where it was able to flourish again. I was also happy to see my apprentice move to a place where he was leading and flourishing in leadership. While his gardening skills could still use some work, his leadership skills had definitely taken a huge leap forward. To this day, Tom and I still talk about the plant! So maybe you are wondering, Do I really need to go buy a plant for my apprentice to be successful? No, not necessarily, but it is important to understand that certain aspects of the development process will need to be unique to each apprentice.
So why the plant?

I chose the plant specifically because Tom was actually known for killing plants, but I wanted him to understand and learn cultivation. I knew that as he cared for the plant, he would have to pay attention to what its needs were, including the amount of sunlight and water that were required. It also gave us a constant in our communication. As he grew in his understanding of how to manage the health of the plant, this was paralleling his understanding of leadership.
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Developing your apprentice is a Each of us has different journey, not a check-sheet. areas that we need to grow in, and each of us has led a different life full of different experiences. So whether you include a plant or some other visual aid, remember that developing your apprentice is a journey, not a check-sheet. Your goal is to help them along that journey, in order to holistically develop them. You get to help them both reflect your leadership and reflect the character of Jesus. And the fun part is that you can use your own creativity in doing that!
One-On-Ones
One-on-ones are the meetings that you have alone with your apprentice. There is no specific place that you have to meet (i.e. Starbucks, Panera, the church, a dark alley late at night, etc.) but you definitely want the environment to allow for one-on-one dialogue. The frequency of these meetings is up to you and may also depend on the specific ministry area of the apprenticeship. But bear in mind that determining this frequency can be a challenge. We know that real relationships take time. You cannot develop a healthy relationship with someone with no time investment. And we also know that life often messes with our schedules, and finding time to meet with your apprentice may prove difficult. The goal must be to balance this tension of keeping the time requirements of an apprenticeship to a realistic level with the importance of strong relational investment. The minimum frequency for meeting with your
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apprentice is at least once a month. A better frequency would be meeting at least twice a month. This allows for consistent time together, and also means that if something comes up and the meeting has to be cancelled, you wont have to go more than a month before you meet again. Sometimes in the apprenticeship process, the best frequency is weekly. This is especially important early on. It is also important when apprenticing in specific ministries. For instance, if you are apprenticing someone to be a small group leader, they can receive the most development if you meet weekly to plan the coming weeks study and evaluate the previous weeks group time. There is an important side note here: it is often best to avoid apprenticing someone of the opposite gender. But if you choose to do this, it is definitely wise to only meet in public settings, and even to find ways to have other people join your meetings (like another leader, coach, or apprentice).
What are RPMS?
Your lead er caught a ship will be s much a s it is taught.
As you meet with your apprentice, you need to keep in mind that what you model for them through your time, questions, and care is a huge part of what they will carry on when they recruit and develop their own apprentice. Your leadership is being caught as much as it is taught.
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One of the most important things that needs to get caught and taught is the challenge of balancing life with ministry. When his/her home-life or work-life presents with challenges, then you both need to know that serving and leading will be affected. Remember that beyond developing leadership skills, the goal is also to develop your apprentice as a disciple (a follower) of Jesus, reflecting His life in theirs. One of the ways you can gauge this well and provide holistic care for your apprentice is through the RPMS. RPMS is an acrostic for: relational, physical, mental and spiritual. Just as we check the RPMs on a car to see how well it is running, we can check the RPMS on ourselves and our apprentices to see if all is in balance. The Bible tells us that Jesus grew in each of these four areas throughout His ministry training: And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52
Relationally Spiritually
Jesus grew in favor with God Jesus grew in favor with people.
Jesus grew in wisdom.
Mentally
Jesus grew in stature.
Physically
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The bottom line is that relationships take time. The idea of tackling each of these areas of your apprentices life can feel uncomfortable or overwhelming at first. It should. Diving right into an RPMS conversation with your apprentice before a relationship has been established could achieve the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish: a close, trusting relationship. So take your time and use some relational wisdom. You were most likely chosen as a leader because of your leadership and relational gifts. You need to rely on these instincts and on Gods prompting to know when the time is right to begin the RPMS conversation. Realize also that having the RPMS conversation is countercultural to our individualistic way of doing life. Culturally, we are just not used to asking people how their physical health is let alone their relational and spiritual health. But nonetheless, God calls us to this type of Biblical community with one another. It is at the core of discipleship. Because checking your apprentices RPMS takes intentional effort, the risk we run is allowing the task to become paramount, causing authentic relational development to fall by the wayside. One of the best ways to avoid this is to be very intentional about spending time with your apprentice. As the leader, it will be important for you to lead the way for relational sharing. It may take weeks or months before a leader and apprentice are at a place where they can venture into RPMS kind of sharing.
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Relational
Our relational world consists of the people with whom we regularly interact: our immediate family, friends, neighbors, and small group members. Getting to know your apprentice means getting to know their relational world. The relational part of the RPMS may be one of the easiest to overlook. Oftentimes, simply having a meeting with someone or seeing them on a regular basis seems like enough, but it may not be. Someone once said simply ministry is relationships. So much of how ministry is done is relationship-driven. If that is the case, then we have to invest ourselves in people in order to gain permission to speak into their lives about the different areas of development. After all, we are not simply filling a quota, we are investing in a real person to become a leader in Gods Kingdom; a leader who will lead others on their journey. With one particular apprentice, I (Nick) loved to communicate with him through sarcasm. I would often meet him for coffee and discuss the RPMS with him. Along his journey he had moved and gotten a different job, so it became increasingly more difficult to meet. We would have to be creative and find alternative times to meet in order to stay connected regularly. He began to hear about others that I had met with and tossed a sarcastic cue to me, letting me
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in on how our relationship had changed since he moved. Something like I see how it is. I move, get a new job and I become less important. I knew he didnt actually think that, so I made some time with him and asked him what was really going on. He filled me in on the fact that he missed the ease of relationship we used to have and told me that he wanted that again. We worked on a more regular meeting time which also helped him adjust to his life change.
Relational development is the core of apprenticing.

Relational development is the core of apprenticingout of this, everything else will grow. As we invest relationally with apprentices, we are given an entry point into their lives and that is what we as leaders need to be most concerned about: the apprentices life. Not only are we called to help our apprentices with the task of their ministry, but we are also called to encourage them to be effective in every aspect of their lives.
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Good Questions about Relationships

How are things at home? What about your family life is going well? What would you like to change? Who do you consider your closest friend? How is God using that relationship to grow you? What are your relationships like at work? What is the most challenging relationship in your life? The most rewarding?
Physical
What comes to mind when you think of someones physical well-being? Maybe sickness and health? Maybe diet and exercise? Maybe rest and pace? All of these things are part of our physical well-being. The physical aspect of our lives and ministry is the ability to have a balanced and healthy physical life. This is often one of the most overlooked aspects of an apprentices life. However, if we are truly serious about developing the whole person, we have to help our apprentices see that their physical well-being can affect their ability to lead any given ministry with enthusiasm, passion, and energy.
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Good Questions About Physical Balance

How is your work schedule? What does a good nights rest look like for you? Where is your energy level on a scale of 1-10? What about your physical health do you want to change? What parts of that are in your control? What parts are out of your control?
Mental
Another important aspect of apprentice development is mental development. We need to keep a good pulse on the education of our leaders. As we discussed in Chapter 4, some people are naturally self-learners so they are highly motivated to constantly develop their mind. Others, however, need the accountability and encouragement of a friend or mentor to take the initiative in this area. Part of our responsibility as leaders is to make sure our apprentices are being equipped for life and for the ministry they have been called to. Regularly ask your apprentices about the things God is teaching them and encourage them to apply that learning to their lives and ministry in real and practical ways.
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Good Questions About Mental Learning

What have you been learning lately, from the Biblical teaching youve been exposed to, in your own times of Bible study, through your small group? What does God want you to learn through the particular circumstances in which you nd yourself? What books are you reading to sharpen your skills, to challenge your growth as a Christ-follower, or to stretch your understanding of your culture? How have you applied what you are learning through your small group or the ministry in which you are serving? What thoughts have been dominating your mind lately? Are these thoughts having a positive or negative effect on your life? Are they thoughts that are pleasing to God? Is there something that needs to be corrected in your thought life?
As leaders we can help our apprentices to not only absorb learning, but also help them to filter certain thoughts and information. By asking about their learning, we can help them avoid being influenced by unhealthy theological sources. By discussing the thoughts that are on their minds, we may discover areas of their understanding that are misguided and need to be replaced with Biblical truth. Checking the M of your apprentices RPMS can be a
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little intimidating. It requires that you listen with careful discernment and speak the truth with wisdom and in love. As you talk with your apprentice, maintain a constant prayer for Gods wisdom to flood your heart and saturate your words.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without nding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
Spiritual
In his book Home Cell Group Explosion, Joel Comiskey presents the results of a survey he conducted among the largest churches in the world. This survey revealed that personality and gifts were not the biggest factors in the growth of the churchthe prayer life and devotional life of the leaders were. Spiritual vitality is crucial to your apprentices life and effectiveness in ministry. When leaders hearts are intimately connected to God they will be attuned to His leading and ministry will flow from their lives. Too many times we get this turned around. We fill our lives with the tasks of ministry and find very little time left to connect with God. When this happens, not only are we in danger of wearing out (because we arent staying connected to our Source of strength and power), but we are also in danger of missing Gods plan and purposes (because we arent sensitive to the leading of His Spirit).
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As a leader, you can help your apprentice figure out what they need to do to find and maintain intimacy with God. It might be different for each person and may even differ for the same person through different seasons of life. But it is crucial that your leaders are building and protecting things in their lives that will nourish and grow their spirits. At COMMUNITY, we believe spiritual development revolves around three vital experiences we call The 3 Cs.
Celebrate: Relationship between me and God. Connect: Relationship between me and others. Contribute: Relationship between me and the world.
Good Questions About Spiritual Health

Does your relationship with God feel close and intimate right now? If not, can you think of something in your life that is standing in the way (i.e. busyness, sin, apathy, etc.)? What combinations of spiritual disciplines do you need in your daily life to keep your heart intimate with God? How could I help hold you accountable to the practice of those disciplines? How has God been speaking to you lately? What has He been saying?
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The Art of Speaking the Truth in Love

If an apprentice isnt carrying through with their responsibilities, it is often the leaders responsibility to speak the hard words of truth. When something in an apprentices life seems questionable, God may desire for you to be the voice of truth in their life. Speaking the truth in love will enable your apprentice to take another step in his or her journey towards maturity. Although difficult, failing to speak these words of truth might keep your apprentice from growing or prove problematic, even dangerous, for your team and the people entrusted to that apprentices care. Truth speaking is hard, there is no way around that. But it is something we must learn how to do for the good of the leader, the ministry, and the church. There is definitely an art to this whole idea of speaking the truth in love, and each personality type and spiritual gifts will bring their own approach to it. But there are a few principles that we can strive to include every time we are faced with this challenge:
Pray, Pray, Pray

Do not enter a truth-telling conversation without praying for God to prepare your heart and the heart of your apprentice for your meeting. Pray for wisdom and discernment to speak the right words. Pray that your apprentices heart will be receptive to correction.
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Struggle
If it is easy for you to speak hard words into another persons life then you probably shouldnt do it. If it is difficult for you to speak hard words because you dont want to hurt the other person or ruin your relationship, then you probably are speaking from a heart of love.
Decide
You must come to the decision that you love the person enough to not allow anything to stunt their growth as a Christ-follower. Gently affirm to your apprentice that the words you are speaking come from a desire to see him or her grow.
Ask
Remembering to ask questions that communicate to your apprentice that you care about them (beyond just the ministry task) is vital. One example might be: Ive noticed that you dont seem to be serving with much enthusiasm lately. Is there something going on in your life that is burdening you?
Affirm
It is vital that you affirm your apprentice consistently throughout their development. Affirm your desire to maintain a close, authentic relationship with them. Affirm the apprentices value to the team. Try to catch them doing things right. All of this affirmation earns you a lot of relational mileage for when the tougher speak truth in love times come.
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As we navigate these relational encounters, it is helpful to keep the following diagram in mind:
4 Ways to Speak
Love No Truth Love Truth
No Love No Truth
No Love Truth
1 2 3 4
Love/No Truth
Saying things that are loving, but not true. This may win friends but it wont grow Christ-followers!
No Love / No Truth
Saying things that are neither loving nor true. This is the sure way to destroy trust and relationships!
Love / Truth
Saying things that are true in love. Results in authenticity and the best chances for growth and maturity.
No Love / Truth
Saying things that are true but not seasoned with love. Hurt feelings will result!
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The Art of Development

Wouldnt it be great if it all worked just like this every time? We could go down the list of RPMS and know that we have the recipe for success. Now that you have been empowered with the secret recipe for success, you need to know the hard part. Leadership development does not come easy and every person needs to be developed differently. There is no easy recipe for success, which is why we refer to this part of the development as art. Any artist has to practice their art and skills in order to become a better artist. A painter practices many different color combinations and may spend hours on the tiniest detail. It certainly would be amazing if Michelangelo was born creating masterpieces out of Play-Doh, or Santana knew how to tear up a solo on his electric guitar when he was three. As an art, the development of an apprentice will take time and patience and the more you do it the more you will become aware of the specific needs of your apprentices. If you know that one particular area of development will be difficult for you, then push yourself to become better at it. Pray for Gods help as you lead, and work at your leadership development. And as an artist, when you are finished and your apprentice moves into a leadership role, it will be worth it to stand back and see what God was able to do through your commitment. Youll get to admire Gods art melded with yours and poured into another person on mission with Jesus.
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Reect Review
One-on-ones are key to relational investment and development Commit to caring for them in the RPMS o Relationally o Physically o Mentally o Spiritually Learn to speak the truth in love
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1. Have you ever been led by someone who had relationally invested in you? If so, how was that different than being led by someone who didnt?
2. How do you think leadership is caught along with being taught? What specific things could you do to help someone catch things about your leadership and lifestyle?
3. Have you ever had someone speak a hard truth into your life? How do you feel they did in speaking the truth in love? What did you learn from that?
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RELEASE
Chapter 6 - Launching The Leaders
I (Carter) still remember my college graduation day; thousands of us packed together in the huge arena, listening to the motivational speeches about the rest of our lives. Then there was the long wait while they read the name of every single graduate so we could make that long prideful walk across the stage to receive our diploma. (Luckily my last name starts with M and not Z!) I remember having my parents in the audience cheering me on, as their oldest son became the first in the family to graduate college. I remember the party and gifts afterwards. And I remember taking my diploma out of its holder, and replacing it with the certificate I got the night before for eating the Rama-LamaDing-Dong, the ginormous 15-scoop dessert that when eaten, earned you a small plaque on the restaurant wall. That parts not relevant, Im just proud of it. But one of the things I remember most is realizing what a huge transition this was really going to be in my life. Ever since I was five, I spent most of my life in school. Think about itmost of us basically spend the entire first 21 years of our lives (give or take a few years) in training for life. Then when were done training, were released to go and make a living. But once were released, how do we know if were really ready? Are we now on our own? Are we done learning?
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The graduation experience parallels the process of releasing our apprentices into leadership. They have invested time, energy, prayer, and passion into their training. Then the time is right to release them into full-blown leadership. There are some things we can learn from graduation day to make this transition an exciting experience for them. And there are strategies we can put in place to aid them as they face the similar questions as a new graduate.
Graduation Day is Up to You

Its probably a good thing that our school system here in the U.S. currently decides how many grades are required and when we are allowed to graduate. If it were up to us, those who dont enjoy school or find it beneficial would probably choose to graduate way too early. And those who do enjoy it and dont want to enter the next life stage might choose to delay graduation indefinitely! (Maybe youve known a few of those people.)
There is real danger is not being wise about our timing of releasing an apprentice leader.
It is important to figure out the timing piece when it comes to releasing an apprentice. There is real danger in not being wise about our timing. It can be tempting to short-cut the apprenticeship process and release someone before they are ready, especially when we are facing an urgent ministry slot that really needs to be filled. A few years ago in our music ministry, we had someone who had all of
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the technical skills required to become a vocal leader. But the apprenticeship process was rushed, and she did not get time to learn some important relational and communication skills. This ultimately caused the leader who had apprenticed her to later regret the decision to rush the timing. There are also times when we are ready to move on to the next thing, or when we feel overwhelmed by the process, so we decide to rush the apprenticeship. And there are times when our apprentice is anxious to jump into leading and is pushing for that goal. But when we graduate the apprentice too soon, it really is a loss for both parties. The apprentice can end up overwhelmed in their leadership responsibilities, leaving us spending more time trying to coach them through challenges later than if we had just been patient with the process in the first place.
In many cases, the apprentice may never feel 100% prepared, but this is to be expected. On the other hand, it can also be dangerous to prolong the apprenticeship. This is especially tempting for leaders who have trouble letting go of ministry and who are very careful and meticulous in their processes. And it can be tempting for apprentices who are afraid of risks and new experiences, and who also err on the far side of caution. In many cases, the apprentice may never feel 100% prepared, but this is to be expected. Ask any new parent whether they felt 100% prepared for having their first
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child. There may always be some amount of fear and risk involved, but hopefully along with that comes faith and a reliance on God. So heres where releasing your apprentice is not like graduation dayyou get to choose when they are ready! (And with everything we just said, theres no pressure, right?)
So how do you discern when the time is right?

There are a few things you can do.
First, hopefully the apprenticeship has included lots of
communication between the leader and the apprentice (remember the we talk step of development in Chapter 4- Recruit?). This helps both people stay on the same page, so when the time comes, it doesnt come as a big shock to either one.
Second, hopefully the entire process has been
enveloped in prayer. This is part of why God put His Holy Spirit into us as Christ-followersto lead us and help us discern in decisions like this. Remember that He desires to see people fulfill their mission for Him even more than you and I do, so He is certainly interested in helping them get there.
when you get to the point where you are confident that your apprentice has most of the necessary knowledge and skills and simply needs to take the step of faith to just do it, then it might be time. Theyll never be on their own anyway, as well discuss soon.
Third,
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Set Up for Success

Now that I (Carter) have preached about not rushing the apprenticeship process, I need to confess a time when I did not practice what I preach. I had a situation with a small group leader when I was tempted to short-cut the apprenticeship process due to needand I did. She was apprenticing in a small group and the groups leader had just stepped down. If I wanted the group to stay alive, then I needed to replace the leader ASAP. So I turned to the apprentice and told her it was time to step into leadership. Unfortunately, I was not setting her up for success in her first assignment. The group was already struggling with consistent attendance, and then the remaining members had to deal with what happened with the leader. The leader decided to quit the group to deal with some personal issues, leaving the group feeling confused (among other things). So in my desire to save the group, I basically threw this leader into the fire and asked her to save everyone from getting burnt. Fortunately by Gods grace, we have been able to work through the situation, but it was a big-time wake-up call to me about following through with the apprenticeship process. When we graduate, that very first job we take on is extremely important. Its where we learn a lot about being in the real world. Its where we gain experience that will
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forever show up on our resumes for future jobs. And we hope it becomes a job we can enjoy, so we can feel like our schooling was actually worth it and we really are figuring out how to make a living. These same reasons are why it is vital that we, as leaders, set our apprentices up for success in their first leadership assignment. We need to put them into situations that they can thrive in and lead through. When we do that, it earns them incredible respect from their followers. It fuels their passion for leadership and reminds them why they embarked on this whole journey in the first place. It makes them extremely grateful to us for apprenticing them to success. And it motivates them to want to invest in someone else in the same way. Resist the temptation to place an apprentice based purely on need, and instead factor in the need for them to have a positive leadership experience.
Lets Party (and Pray)

One of the most fun parts of graduation is often the parties, which usually include lots of great food and lots of fun celebrating the accomplishment with friends. Thats also part of the excitement of releasing an apprenticeits a great excuse for a party! And who wants to miss out on another reason to celebrate? The best part is that you can be as creative as you want with the celebration. There are some leaders who will throw an actual graduation day party for their apprentice. I know of many small groups that have thrown birthday parties to celebrate their apprentice birthing off their small group to go start a new one.
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Sometimes the celebration is centered on big, public announcements. When one of the pastors at COMMUNITY apprenticed Lauren and released her into leadership, he announced to everyone at the weekend celebration services that her apprenticeship was over and she was becoming the new (unpaid) ministry director. Immediately following service, one of the attenders walked up to Lauren, told her how excited she was that Lauren was taking this step into an unpaid staff role, and proceeded to hand her a check! While we cant guarantee that your apprentices will receive free money when they step into leadership (though that would certainly help when recruiting them!), we can guarantee that theyll feel extremely honored, affirmed, and motivated by being celebrated like this. The other important piece of releasing someone into leadership is modeled for us again by Pauls relationship with Timothy, his apprentice. Paul describes how he and others laid hands on Timothy and prayed for him as they sent him out into the mission field:
Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4:14) This is why I remind you to fan into ames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. (2 Timothy 1:6)
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The laying on of hands was a very When someone steps into leadership, important step to they are increasing their inuence Paul in the sending and impact in the most important out of leaders. mission in the world! He wanted to ensure this was an experience that Timothy would never forget. Think about itwhen someone is stepping into leadership, they are not just graduating from apprentice to leader, they are truly stepping into the mission field. They are increasing their influence and impact in the most important mission in the world! So this is a great opportunity to let your new leader experience being prayed for. Again, the creativity of this moment is up to youyou can do it alone, with others, with hands laid on them, in a circle with them, etc. But the key is to create an experience that lets them know what a huge step this is and that, ultimately, their leadership journey is entrusted to Gods hands.
I Made It! (Now Where is Everyone?)

I (Carter) remember my first day at my new job out of college. I found my desk in the vast wilderness of cubicle-land and sat there asking myself that historic questionwhat do I do now? I truly felt on my own for the first time in my life. No more asking my teachers, assistants, or lab partners for help when I got stuck. (I could bring my school books with me, but we all know those have no application to the real world anyway, right?) No more running home to Mom & Dad for a home-cooked meal and some clean
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laundry. No more college roommate or dorm floor friends to work on stuff with. When our apprentices are released into leadership, we must commit ourselves to making sure that they do not feel the same wayalone. We must help them see that once they are released into leadership, they wont ever be released from the care of the team, the community, or the church. They never have to feel fully alone! One of the most important steps we can take to accomplish this is to ensure that we have good coaching in place. Coaches are a layer of leadership in between leaders and staff who can provide more direct care for leaders than staff often have the bandwidth to do.
Coaching can accomplish several important things. First, coaching helps the new leader still feel connected to the team and to the bigger mission. Second, it gives the new leader someone to celebrate their victories with, Quality coaching is critical in order and someone to for the staff, leaders, and ministry to encourage them keep moving in the same direction. as they face the challenges. And third, it gives them someone to get insight and direction from, someone to bounce ideas off of, and someone to wrestle through stuff with. Imagine forcing them to do leadership without all of these things!
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Quality coaching is critical in order for the staff, the leaders, and the entire ministry to keep moving forward in the same direction. The other important follow-up step is to provide future opportunities for their leadership development. When we graduate, our education does not stop. There are many opportunities to learn on the job and through experience, and often there are extra trainings, classes, books, and other resources people can take advantage of to continue their education. We can provide these same types of opportunities for our leaders. Each of the four learning styles discussed in Chapter 4 can and should continue. Graduation day is one of the days that most people will never forget. While it may bring with it a variety of emotions from fear to excitement to being overwhelmed, it always brings a sense of accomplishment. As leaders, we havent really completed the apprenticeship process in a healthy way until weve released our new leaders in an environment of celebration, affirmation, and prayer. We get the privilege of helping someone we personally developed enter into the adventure of leadership! Ill take that over a Rama-LamaDing-Dong any day.
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Release Review
Timing is everything
o Avoid rushing or unnecessarily postponing the release. o Make sure you, they, and God all agree on the timing. o It always feels like a risk, and thats OK! o Put them in a positive leadership environment. o Surround them with whatever it takes to succeed. o Throw a party, afrm them publicly, make it a huge deal! o Pray, lay hands, let them know they are going with God. o Ensure they will be coached from day one. o Provide constant future development opportunities.
Setting them up for success
Celebrating is vital
Following up
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1. Have you ever had someone rush and throw you into a job/role you werent ready for, or move too slow in letting you start working on your own? How did that feel? Why do you think it happened that way?
2. Have you ever been publicly celebrated? Have you ever gotten to do that for someone else? What was that experience like?
3. What can happen to a leader if there is no coaching or consistent follow-up and investment in place?
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REMEMBER
Chapter 7 - Furthering the Mission
Dont you just hate missing the ending of things? Recently a popular reality show let their grand finale run too long, causing everyones Tivo to stop recording before the end, which meant none of those people knew who the winner was! And I (Carter) never seem to learn to record basketball games for longer than the allotted time, so there have been multiple overtime games where I had to miss the exciting ending, and end up reading about it later. With movies its a different problemI often fall asleep on the couch before its over, so I miss the whole conclusion of the story! The ending of most things is extremely important. This is true in leadership as well. Whenever we have a leadership conversation with someone, its important that we include what I like to call the last 10% of the conversationthe stuff that we really need to say. It can be tempting to stop short of saying what we feel convicted the other person really needs to hear, and we can walk away regretting it and knowing our conversation could have had more impact. I can think of many times when Ive had important things that I knew I needed to challenge someone on in our conversation, but I stopped short of sharing those things.
The Last 10%
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We dont want to stop short in this book. We want to avoid missing out on sharing the last 10% when it comes to this whole apprenticeship idea. So here is the last 10% of the apprenticeship conversation that we want you to remember!
What if it Doesnt Work Out?

Lets be realnot every person we invest in ends up taking the steps we hoped they would take. Sometimes the apprentice realizes by the end that this is not really where they are being called, or that it does not line up with their gifting. And sometimes we are the ones who realize this. But we cannot let the fear of this happening hold us back from being committed to the apprenticeship process. Stacy went through Not every apprentice will work out the the apprenticeship process with one of way we plannedbut we cannot let our strongest small that fear hold us back. group leaders. The process went well but by the end it became clear that she simply was not ready to step into leadership. So the leader had a tough conversation with Stacy (he did share the last 10%!), and they found a different next step for her. And heres the best partshe now shares how that conversation was a turning point in her leadership and her life. While tough to hear at the time, it helped her take some important steps, and guess what she does now, a few years later? She leads a small group. The apprenticeship was definitely worth it.
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I (Carter) had the opportunity to apprentice Troy to become a small group coach with me. He was good at it and definitely developed his leadership skills. While he did step into coaching at the end of the leadership, it didnt take him long to realize his true gifting and passionworking with jr. high students (definitely not my gifting!). So we talked and he left the small group ministry to go serve in student ministry. But all of the leadership skills he developed during our apprenticeship proved extremely valuable in that ministry as well. Again, the apprenticeship was well worth it even though it didnt turn out the way I had anticipated. Part of the genius of the apprenticeship process is that we really are allowing people to explore leadership. Both parties are able to figure out whether this is a good fit in a safe environment. What are the alternatives? Either you can both say no without ever exploring it, or you can make them a leader and let them find out the hard way, and then later face the challenge of possibly having to remove someone from leadership.
cess nticeship pro re p p a e h t f re genius o ple to explo o e p g in w Part of the o ll a really are is that we . leadership
Apprenticeship allows both parties to explore the idea of this person in leadership, and it provides God an opportunity to confirm that step, or re-direct them.
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The other part of the genius is that at the end of the day, we are really investing in people. And God can use these people to have tremendous impact for His Kingdom in any way that He wants. Sometimes that will mean leading in our ministry, sometimes in some other ministry, and sometimes in some other church far away. Regardless of where they end up, we can know that we played a critical role in the development of another leader who gets to carry on Gods mission.
Taking Risks (like someone did with you)

Joel lives at the end of my (Carters) street, and I saw that he was a funny and friendly guy from the first night I met him playing darts in our neighbors garage. From there, I began to invite and include Joel in a lot of other activities I did. This ultimately ended up helping him and his family feel like they truly belonged to our community. After several other small but exciting steps, Joel went on to join our small group, attend our church, become a Christ-follower, serve with his gifts, and get baptized. And yeah, I got to be the one to dunk him under the water.
belonging ving before belie
Joel is one of my favorite stories; maybe because hes the first one that God let me see the whole belonging before believing idea in action. According to this idea, people want to feel like they belong in your community before theyll consider believing what you believe. And thats what happened to Joelhe belonged to
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a community, and gradually he began to believe in (and follow!) Jesus. But it hasnt ended there. I was on the lookout for an apprentice leader for my small group and, for some reason, God kept bringing Joel to mind. I didnt know why, because Joel was definitely not ready for small group leadership. He had very little knowledge of the Bible, no real leadership training, and was still a new Christ-follower. But Joel also had the stuff that you cant train in a small group leader (the musthaves that we discussed in Chapter 2)he was an incredible servant to people, he was genuine and humble, and people just really liked to be around him. So God made it clearI needed to take a risk and invite Joel into leadership. And this risk definitely paid off! After a six-month apprenticeship with me, Joel is now leading a neighborhood small group, where he is serving and loving his people (and helping them have a lot of fun).
ly took someone denite risk on me.
One important thing God reminded me of in the midst of that decision was this: someone definitely took a risk on me. And I am forever grateful that they did! It wasnt just one risk either. It was risky to ask me to become a small group leader, and later to apprentice as a coach, and later to apprentice as a pastor. And now today, as a result of all those risks (and despite all of my continued growth areas), I get the awesome privilege of leading over
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500 people every week at an incredible church! This is all certainly due to the endless grace of God all along the way, but its also the result of multiple leaders who valued investing in apprentices and who were willing to take big-time risks on people like me. Dont we follow a God who loves to take risks on people? In fact I have a hard time finding very many leaders throughout the Bible who seemed qualified on day one. From Moses to David to all 12 apostles to Paul, Im embarrassed to say that they might have been some of the last people I would have chosen to invest in as leaders. c They had all the right reasons T Dont we follow a God who loves to take risks fo for me to believe they were f on people? the th h wrong people to carry on Gods mission. But God saw G through the surface, deep into who they were, and He knew the incredible potential they had. May we, through the eyes of Gods Spirit at work within us, begin to see the real potential in people.
Whos Next?
At one point in the life of COMMUNITY we had a revelation. It became clear to our staff that while we seem to be succeeding pretty well at developing apprentices, we have plenty of room to grow when it comes to producing 2nd and 3rd generation leadership. This means that our leaders are training apprentices who will become leadersand then STOP. Somehow our value of apprenticeship is not being passed down beyond this 1st generation of leaders. Something is getting lost in the translation.
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Dont miss this

Of all the things that we need to develop in our apprentices, one of the most vital is to make sure they really get the value of apprenticeship.
We need them to see from day one of being a leader how important and even urgent it is that they begin to develop their own apprentice. Then they can pass on this value to their apprentices, who will in turn pass it on to.well, you get the idea. And so did Paul apparently (long before us!), as he wrote those words to his apprentice, which we refer to as our 2-2-2 Principle. Some churches have decided that simply having a leader who wants to start a small group is not enough. They will not allow a small group to begin until the leader has an apprentice already in place. While that may seem hardcore to some, and require a lot of patience and faith from others, it has some huge advantages. Think of the core team that is committed to making that small group happen from day onethe leader, the apprentice, and the host (and their spouses in some cases, 6 people!). Think about the support the leader will get when they face the challenges that are coming. Think about the value of apprenticeship and
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leadership reproduction that is visibly communicated to the entire small group from the very first meeting. This doesnt necessarily need to be your same conviction, but perhaps it should at least be your consideration. What if leaders in your ministry were required to have an apprentice from day one? While that means saying no to some and not yet to others, and thus will certainly require some faith and patience, would it be worth it in the long run?
The Ultimate Apprenticeship

After a long career as one of the most successful leaders in history, Moses knew he would not be able to carry on Gods mission by leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. So he invested in a young, motivated guy named Joshua. Joshua carried on Moses legacy, and more importantly, Gods plan for His people. After a short career of spreading the gospel, Jesus knew that for His mission to carry on, He would need to invest Himself into leaders who would invest in other leaders, for generation after generation after generation. By doing this, He knew this new thing called the church could carry on until He came back one day.
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Thanks to generations of leaders investing in apprentices, the Jesus mission carries on today.
Fortunately for us, the F apostles took their a apprenticeship with Jesus a seriously. They knew the s urgency of investing in u others in the same way Jesus had invested in them. Young Timothys apprenticeship with Paul gives us a final picture in Gods Word of the next generation carrying on the mission. And thanks to these generations of leaders investing in apprentices, the Jesus mission carries on to this day. Now we are the leaders entrusted with this great mission to carry the gospel into the world. And if we want it to carry on after we are gone, we must be relentlessly dedicated to investing in others. But we cannot do it alone. We must continue to be committed to the ultimate apprenticeship-our life-long training with Jesus. We must let Him constantly invest in us, train and lead us, and transform us to be more like Him.
So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me the whole congregation saying Amen! to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2, The Message)
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Remember Review
It wont always work out the way you plannedbut investing in someone is always worth it. Apprenticeship requires taking risks on people (like you)which leaves plenty of room for God to work. Reproducing cant stop with the new leaderso infuse the value and commitment of reproducing into them. We must allow Jesus to continue developing us as His apprenticesthen He can develop more apprentices through us!
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Questions For Reflection

1. When you invest in an apprentice and it either doesnt work out or they end up moving away, what are some benefits for both you and them that you can take away regardless?
2. What was the biggest risk someone ever took on you? How did that make you feel?
3. What can we do to constantly communicate to others the value of leadership and apprenticeship to the Jesus mission?
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Appendix A - Leadership Expectations | 97
LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS
It is wise as an organization to develop a set of leadership expectations (we prefer that word over requirement), so you can clearly communicate to leaders what is expected of them. It will be up to your organization to decide whether each leader needs to meet each of the expectations 100% before stepping into leadership, or use the spiritual velocity model we discussed in Chapter 4, determining the direction a possible apprentice is moving, whether toward or away from the expectations. Here are some sample leadership expectations, the ones we developed at COMMUNITY. Keep in mind that these are leader expectations and not necessarily apprentice expectations. We give these to our apprentices so they can see what to strive for, and then we attempt to regularly assess whether our leaders are moving towards these things. We designed ours to fit in with our three primary values as a churchour 3 Cs. COMMUNITY leaders are called first and foremost to be servant leaders who model and encourage others toward a life guided by a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and His church. Leaders will serve as catalysts in COMMUNITYs mission of Helping People Find Their Way Back to God through a commitment to growing and reproducing 3C Christ followers and leaders. A leader will be a personal example of what it means to be a 3C Christ follower. The following are COMMUNITYs expectations for leaders in each of the experiences of
.T. B . W . T . H.P.F
Celebrate, Connect, and Contribute.
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Celebrate: me: God

We gather together weekly to celebrate what God is doing in our lives and in the church.
Celebration of a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ

Gods offer of salvation through Jesus Christ calls for a response of faith. That response is demonstrated throughout the New Testament by repentance, acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and baptism by immersion. Repentance involves a change of heart and mind that causes us to want to put Jesus first in our lives. When we commit our lives to Christ, we put our faith in Him to receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the public demonstration by which a believer is identified with Christ, His body the church, and a life of followership. The act is one done in faith and submission to the Lordship of Christ. (Mark 1:9 - 11, Acts 2:38, Romans 6, Colossians 2:12)
How are you growing:

1) In the belief that Jesus is Lord and Savior, 2) In the confession of sins, 3) In repentance (daily choosing to turn back to God) 4) In believers baptism? Explain.
Celebration of the Word

Key to growing in a relationship with Jesus is a better understanding of the principles found in Scripture. A leader will continually seek to increase his/her understanding of Scripture and model this value through daily time spent in
the Bible. (II Timothy 2:15) A leader will seek to apply the principles learned from Gods Word in his/her daily life, as well as encourage and exhort others to do the same.

How is God teaching or challenging you while reading His Word? Explain.
Celebration of Prayer and Other Spiritual Disciplines

In order to grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ, a leader will begin to incorporate specific disciplines into his/her life. No relationship can grow without communication. As much as we need to communicate with our heavenly Father, He desires to communicate with us. In fact, He created us to fellowship with Him. The growing spiritual life of the leader will include disciplines such as regular prayer, Bible reading, and meditation on the Word (James 5:13-16, I Thessalonians 5:16-18) and may include others such as journaling, fasting, sacrificial giving. . . .

What have you been talking to God about lately? What has He been saying in return? Explain.
Celebration Through Corporate Teaching, Praise and Worship

Growing and developing our relationship with Jesus Christ and His church includes continuing fellowship and worship
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with other Christ followers (Hebrews 10:25). This is not only beneficial to the personal spiritual life of the leader, but it is also an encouragement to other Christ followers. COMMUNITY offers Celebration Services weekly and Commitment Celebrations monthly as opportunities for corporate praise and worship. A leader will communicate the value of these events and his/her commitment to the church through consistent participation in these celebration services.

How are you and those you lead growing in relationship with God through participation in Celebration Services? Explain.
Connect: me: the church

We experience Biblical community as we connect with others through weekly small groups.
Connecting Through Small Groups

A leader will have a commitment to the type of genuine Biblical community seen in Acts 2: 41-47. At COMMUNITY, we believe this Biblical community is best experienced in the context of small groups. A leader will have a commitment to small groups modeled by personal weekly participation. They will serve as catalysts to connect others to groups.

How have you been experiencing Biblical community in small group? Explain.
Connecting for Care and Spiritual Growth

The leaders role is to spiritually grow and develop 3C Christ followers. Leaders accept the responsibility to provide care for the individuals to whom they are ministering (I Peter 5:1-4). The leader is not personally responsible to provide all care for individuals, but rather to facilitate care by connecting Christ followers to care for each other.

How are you being cared for? What needs can be met?
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Explain.
Connecting Through Apprenticeships

The apostle Paul modeled for us the importance of apprentice leadership (II Timothy 2:2). One of the most effective ways to reproduce and maximize ministry impact is to be committed to doing ministry in pairs, a leader developing an apprentice leader. In order for the body of Christ to continue to make a difference, each leader must take upon himself the responsibility of leadership development. A main priority for leaders will be to invest themselves in developing apprentices as the future generation of leaders, so ministry can be multiplied.

Where do you need further opportunities for development? Explain.
Connecting Through Leadership Training

A characteristic of a growing 3C Christ follower is to be teachable. This is also true for the leader. A leader will model a teachable spirit through consistent participation in monthly Leadership Community as well as other developmental opportunities. COMMUNITY is dedicated to providing excellent leadership training and equipping opportunities. Similar to participation in celebration services and small groups, participation in these leadership training opportunities benefits not only the leader personally, but also encourages COMMUNITYs body of leaders.

What have you been learning through Leadership

Community? Explain.
Contribute: me: the world

We impact our world as we contribute weekly to Gods work using our unique talents, passions, and resources.
Stewardship of Finances (moving toward 10%+)

The Old Testament teaches the principle of tithing giving to God the first 10% of everything you have. Giving God the first 10% of everything you have is endorsed in the New Testament by Jesus but goes even further as we see a shift toward total stewardship of ones life and resources. God expects us to live conscious of the fact that everything we have belongs to Him. We are simply stewards/ managers of the resources He gives to us while we are on earth. With this in mind, certainly contributing 10% of our income to God would be a minimum expectation for many people. For others, it would be a goal to work toward. A leader will seek to align him/her self with Biblical principles and model Godhonoring stewardship to those who follow them (Luke 12:13-21; 18:18-30; 21:1-4; Matthew 23:23, 25:14-28).

Where might God be challenging you in the area of stewardship and generosity? Explain.
Stewardship of Gifts
God gives every Christ-follower spiritual gifts and talents to be used to benefit His body, the church. A leader will model the value of weekly contribution. A leader will seek to discover how God has gifted him or her, and be accountable to the church for where/how to serve in
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ministry. The leader will encourage other Christ-followers to follow his/her example, discover their own gifts and talents, and use them in ministry for building up the body of Christ at COMMUNITY, and helping people find their way back to God (I Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4).

Which gifts do you enjoy using the most? Explain.
Stewardship of Home and Family

A priority commitment for every leader is to his/her family. While the demands of church ministry can become great, it should never be at the expense of ones relationship to his/her spouse or children. COMMUNITY is committed to building strong families. A leader will model a Godhonoring commitment to his/her family; an example that is consistent in the home, in the church, and to a watching world. (Ephesians 5 & 6).

Where are you enjoying relationships on the home front? Explain. Which relationship would you like to see change? Explain.
Stewardship of Speech
As a leader, what we say has great influence. It is expected that a leaders speech will be a positive example to those who follow him/her. The Bible speaks of our tongue having tremendous power both for good and evil (James 3). A leader is expected to guard his/her speech carefully, being
positive and encouraging, building up the body always speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). A leader is also to be known as one whose speech and actions have earned them a good reputation in their community (Titus 2: 6-8).

Where have you used speech to encourage another? Explain. Who needs to hear words of encouragement from you? Explain.
Stewardship of Personal Testimony

A leader will seize opportunities to communicate the meaning and significance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This will encourage the believer and challenge the unbeliever. It is important that a leader is able to clearly and concisely communicate a Gospel message within the context of his/her own spiritual journey. A leader will be able to support his/her story with Scriptural teaching as a valuable tool for personal evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20, 1Pet. 3:15).

How have you shared about Jesus working in your/their life? Explain.
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Appendix B - Sample Leadership Development Plan | 107
Sample Leadership Development Plan

When you first begin an apprenticeship, it can often be valuable to provide your apprentice with your leadership development plan for them. This accomplishes several things: It lays out for them some of the specifics of what theyll be doing, including the timing It shows them the kind of progress theyll be making, and how it will ultimately lead to their leadership It shows them that you really put some time and thought into tailoring a plan specifically for them. Below is a sample leadership development plan that was given to someone who was becoming an Apprentice Small Group Director. Perhaps it will give you some ideas of what types of things to include in a plan.
Apprentice Small Group Director Leadership Plan

Time Frame
The Small Group Director apprenticeship will start March 1st and run through Sept. 1st. Then if we both feel good about it, you can officially start as Campus Small Group Director!
Meetings
1:1 with Campus Pastor (twice a month) 1:1 with Small Groups Champion (periodically) Small Group Director meetings (twice a month) Campus team meetings (once or twice a month) Join some of my 1:1 with other coaches
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Primary Responsibilities
Help keep church database accurately updated with small group info. Help keep our campus Connect Guide updated. Help prepare for Leadership Community monthly. Help recruit/develop more coaches. Help with strategies and vision for connecting people. Help with new attender follow-up (Connecting Point class, Communication Cards). Share use of the Adult Ministry budget. Be included on all campus team e-mails.
Other Opportunities
Write articles for our weekly program (highlight a different group each week?). Write articles for our Small Groups Blog. Use part of the Campus Pastor moment periodically on stage to promote small groups. Read small group and leadership books along with me and the team. Start a turbo group.

Apprentice Manual Final

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1

APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDE

A REPRODUCING CHURCH RESOURCE WWW.NEWTHING.ORG

| Apprentice Field Guide

1635 Emerson Lane Naperville, IL 60540

Chapter 1 - Reproduce Chapter 2 - Recognize

Chapter 3 - Recruit Chapter 4 - Refine

| Apprentice Field Guide

| Apprentice Field Guide

Wow. These are some of the most powerful words of

How do you feel, deep in your gut?

Overwhelmed? Excited? Intimidated? Honored? Humbled? All of the above?

| Apprentice Field Guide

Paul speaks of reproducing leaders into the fourth generation.

men 3rd Generat others.

who will also be qualified to develop

| Apprentice Field Guide

12 | Apprentice Field Guide

Questions for Reflection

14 | Apprentice Field Guide

How do I know what to look for in an

| Apprentice Field Guide

I just wasnt sure what to look for.

to identify d e e n e w o d ? of qualities tice leader n What kinds e r p p a p u o l small gr in a potentia pprentice?

| Apprentice Field Guide

following Jesus to nt e m it m om C Private (baptism) Public Commitment

eir kids, ta Parenting loving th ew Finances tithing, st

20 | Apprentice Field Guide

22 | Apprentice Field Guide

reaction when What is your rst in the parking lot? r ca r ei th e se u yo

24 | Apprentice Field Guide

lieve in e b y ll a e r Do we Does God?

26 | Apprentice Field Guide

Questions for Reflection

28 | Apprentice Field Guide

What if, what if, what ifThe truth is, these

30 | Apprentice Field Guide

32 | Apprentice Field Guide

We must be very careful never to say no for someone.

Nick: (Racking my brain, recalling all my

Simon: Why me?

34 | Apprentice Field Guide

The question they most want answered is why me?

36 | Apprentice Field Guide

38 | Apprentice Field Guide

Questions for Reflection

40 | Apprentice Field Guide

42 | Apprentice Field Guide

Lets unpack each of those:

I do, you watch, we talk

44 | Apprentice Field Guide

I do, you help, we talk

You do, I help, we talk

You do, I watch, we talk

You do, someone else watches

46 | Apprentice Field Guide

What is t he most eff way to d evelop an ective apprentic e?

48 | Apprentice Field Guide

50 | Apprentice Field Guide

52 | Apprentice Field Guide

Questions for Reflection

54 | Apprentice Field Guide

So why the plant?