I took part in a unique process this week - Kairos Discovery Lab. During the 5-day retreat, couples who are exploring the possibility of becoming church planters submit themselves to the following processes:
1. Telling their life story
2. Presenting a devotional (both for worship and to be judged)
3. Completing a battery of personality, aptitude and behavioral tests
4. Developing a strategy for a new church plant (teams, data, and target city are chosen to make the candidates the most uncomfortable possible).
5. Submitting to probing interviews and follow-up interviews
6. Completing challenge course elements as a team
No big deal, right? Now consider that during the entire five days, these couples are under a microscope. A team of 12 interviewers (I was one of them) follow them around, observing what they do, say, writing down their body language, their angst, their dreams. Also consider that these couples voluntarily submit themselves to this level of scrutiny because they want to use every tool they have available to make them successful in planting new churches, or in whatever ministry God leads them to.
With the kind of humility and openness I saw from these budding church planters, I can't wait to see what God's going to do in the next few years.
4 comments:
If you are any indication of your predecessors, I am quite sure they will be a blessing no matter where they are planted!
Patty, Was this discovery lab connected with Mission Alive? Are these prospective missionaries looking to go somewhere abroad or stateside? Just curious. It sounds like it was a good time. Btw, I'm pulling to be reader 10,000! Hehee.
This discovery lab was with Kairos which is Stan and Gena Granberg's resource for stateside church planters. Their dream is to see a church planting movement started among Churches of Christ in North America. Check them out at http://kairoschurchplanting.org
This sounds really neat -- you have the coolest experiences, Patty. Can't wait to see you in TWO WEEKS!!
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