On the Verge of Going Exponential through Apprenticeships

Published on

The Antioch School and BILD will have a presence at the 2012 Verge and Exponential conferences, two national events related to church planting and missional communities.

The vortex of influence related to church planting has shifted considerably. No longer are denominational departments the main place where intentional church planting strategy is being pursued. Here are two of the emerging networks that are serving all types of denominational and independent church planters:

 

Verge is a network of churches, church planting movements, and resources related to “missional communities.” They emphasize the intentional and incarnational roles of a church as a community living out the gospel. Verge is holding the Verge Missional Community Conference in Austin, TX on February 28-March 2, 2012.

 

Exponential is an “aggregator” of what God is doing related to church planting. They try to find champions who are providing leadership in various channels and then position them to aggregate others who could benefit from development in those areas. Exponential is holding the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL on April 23-26, 2012.

 

We are right in the midst of this vortex of influence and will have a presence at both of these conferences. In both events, we will have exhibits and be recruiting church planting apprentices. We even have a limited number of discounted registrations for the Exponential conference–email our office if you have interest in those registrations.   Also, take note that we will have an After Hours session on “Church Planting Apprenticeships” during the Exponential conference.

There are three ways that church planters can take advantage of apprenticeships with us:

  1. Individuals who are called to church planting but don’t have a “home” to provide guidance and support can become part of an intensive apprenticeship program with the Ames-Des Moines CityChurch and earn certificates and degrees from the Antioch School.
  2. Others who are already active in church planting but need mentoring and further training can build apprenticeship programs right where they are through the Antioch School.
  3. Still others who are part of intentional efforts to reach key U.S. cities can take part in the Antioch Initiative’s Strategic City apprenticeships that includes Antioch School certificate and degree programs.

The apprenticeship concept is at the core of the use of BILD resources and Antioch School programs. We look forward to seeing how God works at these two upcoming events. It seems that we are on the “verge” of going “exponential” through apprenticeship.

Islands of Excellence

Published on

Martha Kanter (Undersecretary for Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education) last week addressed the CHEA conference.  Our Antioch School exemplifies much of what she referred to as “islands of excellence.”

On Tuesday of last week, I had the privilege to hear Martha Kanter (Undersecretary for Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education) address the conference of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Doesn’t that sound like a fun bunch? Actually, it is a lot better than you might think.

One of the memorable phrases she used repeatedly was “islands of excellence” that highlight what we are doing right. I thought I would comment on a few pieces of her speech because of their significance to what we are doing with the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development.

Kanter said that there has not been enough differentiation in terms of quality in our institutions. This may have been a subtle reference to the lack of innovation in colleges and universities. Many institutions are looking more and more like each other while the world is getting more and more diverse. No one has ever accused our Antioch School of not bringing differentiation in terms of quality in the realm of theological education.

A common theme during the conference was uncertainty about the meaning of degrees. Kanter suggested that there may need to be more common standards in the industry so that we can be more confident about what a degree actually represents. Again, no one has ever accused the Antioch School of being unclear about what our degrees represent. The program objectives and portfolio transcript for each degree are abundantly clear.

Higher education needs to be more focused on competencies and outcomes assessment, according to Kanter. Some at the conference (not Kanter) even went as far as to say that institutions are guilty of giving degrees to people who have not learned what that degree is supposed to represent. Frankly, I was amazed to hear such a statement at a conference of accrediting agencies that are supposed to be emphasizing outcomes assessment. Our accrediting agency, the Distance Education and Training Council, requires us to prove on an ongoing basis that we are granting credit and degrees solely on the basis of outcomes assessment. The Antioch School is characterized by being competency-based and was formed because of the emphasis on outcomes assessment associated with the use of BILD resources.

Kanter also said that faculty and students need “shared reference points” so that there is better alignment in higher education. Again, the Antioch School’s portfolio transcripts and Student Competency Assessment Guide provide consistency and objectivity in assessment, an area in which “shared reference points” are often hard to find in theological education institutions.

Special reference was made by Kanter to one particular situation in which higher education needs to become more competency-based. She said that higher education needs to work more closely with industry-recognized credentials, such as how to convert competencies developed during military experience into credit. This is exactly what we do in the Antioch School through our Ministry Practicum which are a required part of every program and can be used extensively to satisfy free electives in our B.Min. program.

Well, what does all this mean? At the risk of patting ourselves on the back, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the Antioch School and its partner churches are “islands of excellence.” We may not be on Undersecretary Kanter’s radar screen, but we seem to be an institution that exemplifies many of the most important things that she is looking for in institutions that differentiate themselves based on quality. Pretty good stuff coming from an accreditation conference, isn’t it?

7 Key Questions To Be Asking During Exponential 2011

Published on

As Exponential 2011 approaches, how can you as a church leader be thinking from a church-based leadership development perspective?

We’ve compiled 7 key questions for leaders to be considering about the ideas, topics, and discussions that will be taking place before, during, and after the Exponential church planting conference.  As you listen to speakers at Exponential (or elsewhere), ask yourself these questions:

  1. What do they mean by “church?
  2. How do they treat the Pastoral Epistles?
  3. How do they picture Jesus?
  4. Where do they focus on leadership development?
  5. What do they mean by discipleship?
  6. What is the author’s intention for the passage being cited?
  7. What is the global significance of what is being said?

Leading up to Exponential 2011 on April 26-29, we will be expanding on one of these questions each day.  Even if you aren’t going to Exponential, we invite you to join in the conversation with us.

Ways to join the discussion:


Follow along here on the Antioch School blog.  Leave your comments and engage in the discussion!


Follow Steve Kemp on twitter for real-time updates during Exponential.