In preparing to speak at ML please be aware of

1. the overall nature of the programme - central teaching coupled with local mentoring/followup
2. the style of your particular session - envisioning preaching, explanatory teaching or interactive/faciliatory workshop

The overall nature of the ML programme

The Mastering Leadership programme is designed

• as a partnership between local and central
• as a way of supporting local leadership training
• to train up-and-coming leaders, as well as providing ‘INSET’ training for existing leaders

Central training days are designed to

• envision people for leadership, especially in our mission
• equip people for leadership, with practical skills, doctrine/theology
• connect people together, across the region, both together as leaders/emerging leaders, and with Area/Fivefold Leadership

Local mentoring

• Without the right local elements, the central element will just become a course. People will complain about ‘lack of personal application’, ‘lack of small group work’ and ‘lack of discussion’.
• Remember: we are training leaders locally, with support from the central training days. This is to ensure FAME:
  • follow-through – any follow-up assignments are your call, although we will make suggestions, but you need to set, mark and follow-up and assignments.
  • application - ensuring that people personally apply what they’ve learned, and start to change, with mentoring, pastoring and prayer ministry as necessary!
  • ministry - ensuring that people get real ministry experience and feedback.
  • enculturisation – ensuring that leaders are trained in a way that works for your local styles, structures and mission focus – and, critically, builds them into the local relationally.
• We recommend
  • you meet at least monthly
  • in your home – i.e. setting a relaxed and relational tone – this is a ‘discipleship group’, not ‘a course’
  • you foster relationship and ministry together with your group – more than in the monthly meeting

Assignment ideas

• As we plan each central training day, we can discuss suitable follow-up assignments. You should consider your people, and set them assignments that will stretch them (personally, spiritually, intellectually) without ‘sinking them’ in a mound of work that they cannot cope with. Assignments could include:
  • write a short essay on one of the major themes raised today (list some possible titles).
  • read a book and write down 3 things you learned; 3 things you disagreed with; 3 things you need to change in yourself.
  • chat to a local leader about how the theme works in your church (maybe some standard questions) (and/or survey some people in the church to see how they perceive the issue - an interesting exercise!)
  • be accountable about putting into practice what you learnt in the workshop (perhaps a structured reflection).
  • prepare a short devotional word for your next local group meeting, based on the theme.

The outline of central training days

On a typical central training day we will have the following outline programme to deliver vision, skills and teaching:

1. Session 1: Plenary session, (re)envisioning people
2. Session 2: Workshops, practical teaching and equipping with skills
3. Session 3: Either further workshops or a teaching plenary
4. Concluding session: discussion/exercise in local groups – starting the process of application which will be followed through by the local mentors

Guidelines for workshop speakers
Workshops should contain:

Teaching/talk

• Maximum 30 minutes of teaching/content to set the tone for discussion/practical work
  (we don’t just want ‘a pooling of mutual ignorance’!)
• Accompanied by good notes, so that ground can be covered quickly, and parts skipped if time is short, whilst allowing for further study/reading
• Please let Lesley have copies of your notes 3-4 days in advance of the meeting so that we can format them with the ML template and make copies. (The Word and Powerpoint templates are available below)

Interaction

• Not just more talk/teaching ‘download’ – for many of us this is our default style, so we need to work hard on the interactive/practical elements.

Practical work

• If at all possible with the subject, e.g. Buzz groups? Questionnaires? Open discussion?

Have a focus on application

• Personal/practical – not just theory.
• Leave people with a clear list of things to go away with and talk through with mentor, read about, put into practice, repent from – whatever!
• Connect people with their local mentor for follow-up (see below for copy of notes to mentors)

Timing

• As the morning programme needs to run to schedule, to assist with time-keeping we will be using 10-minutes/5-minute/’time up’ countdown cards.

Resources for speakers

• Word template
• Sample handout/notes
• Powerpoint template