“I really want to start an Antioch School program for our church, but we just don’t have enough leaders to support it.”
Do you see the irony in this statement?
Most churches find themselves in this dilemma. They recognize that they have a desperate need to develop leaders, but their current leaders don’t think they have the capacity to do so. Current leaders just don’t have the time or skills necessary to launch an Antioch School program.
What are your options?
1) Hire more leaders. This is also loaded with issues. For instance, most churches also don’t have enough money. And even if they did have plenty of money, they often don’t like the candidates and process associated with hiring outside ministry professionals.
2) Use a “plug & play” training program. There are plenty of quick and easy solutions, such as a book that claims to provide a “portable seminary,” but most of these approaches have serious inadequacies. Many are not much more than content “dumps” of what someone thinks leaders need to know. Others use a rather fluffy fill-in-the-blank approach that doesn’t have much depth. These training programs usually lack meaningful assessment and are rarely connected to academic credentials from legitimately accredited higher education institutions. However, if you find a training program that meets your criteria and serves your needs, then certainly use it.
3) Use untrained leaders. The price is right, but you can’t afford to make this mistake. The costs of the damage done by untrained leaders may be the greatest expense of all.
4) Start an Antioch School program. The Antioch School allows you to do things that most churches can’t do on their own. Whether you think you have enough time or skills to focus on developing leaders, it is a biblical mandate and therefore must be a priority (2 Timothy 2:2). We don’t pretend that it is easy to start and sustain an Antioch School program for your church, but it is do-able. Unlike any option, it fits into and relies on ministry structures and mentoring relationships that God has already put in place in your church. We find that many churches that use other training programs come to us later because they want something that is deeper, more extensive, bears academic credit and degrees, and/or has the unique features of BILD C-BTE resources (Biblical Theology orientation, Socratic discussion emphasis, in-service learning approach, etc.).
We don’t think you have a better option.
So, how do you do it? The BILD Leadership Series courses, as well as the Personal Development Assessment forms, are tremendously efficient tools. Rather than start from scratch, you are able to use our tools to implement a comprehensive training program. We make it possible for you to do what God has called you to do and what only you can do.
It probably will take some realignment of priorities for you as a church leader. However, you don’t need to take the entire burden on yourself. Even students may be able to help in a variety of ways. For instance, you may have someone with administrative gifts who can help with the operation of the program. You can implement a “buddy-system” so that students can hold each other accountable for doing their work. Some students with teaching gifts can even share the load of leading the class sessions.
The Antioch School program put in place to train future leaders may actually mobilize leaders along the way, not just as the end product of the degree programs. Now that is a wonderful irony! Reserve your spot in an upcoming eLuncheon to learn more about the Antioch School!
When is the eLunchon?
When: eLuncheons are held weekly, typically on Monday and Tuesday.
Time: 12pm CDT
How do I signup?
To reserve your spot in an upcoming eLuncheon, click on the button below:
Or click this link: http://antiochschool.webex.com