Our RadicalFuture Innovation Lab for Small Groups is underway, with our 8 specially selected church teams each pursuing a Battle Plan of attack in their Groups Ministry. Ada Bible Church in Ada, Michigan has new plans this fall to roll out an online leader training module to equip new leaders over a 6 month period. Phil Niekerk, Ada’s Sr. Small Groups Pastor says several things led them to this decision to pursue online training. First, they began with a focus group study revealing most leaders were undertrained, with only 25% of their existing leaders participating in their traditional training classes held at the church. The reasons varied from ‘Doesn’t fit my schedule’ to ‘I don’t see the need’. Yet from talking with participating leaders, they found their training content was effective and helpful. Second, they knew relationship-based discussions were important in leader development and wanted to move to a model where this was inherent to the process. This led them to begin to develop six 5-9 minute video segments containing essential content aimed at new leaders coupled with conversations with a partner coach. Phil notes their culture supports a ‘train as you go’ model and falls in line with their 3 tier leader structure of 1) seasoned leaders needed a light coaches touch, 2) growing leaders receptive to ongoing training, 3) new leaders in need of development. The initial training will be aimed at group 3, but all other will be invited to participate as a tune-up.
Ada Bible is also looking at their small group coaching structure and considering the concept of ‘short-term’ coaches, specifically aimed at level 3 leaders, where more intense time and development is needed. They could then be passed to level 1 or 2 staff- based coaches for lighter, ongoing relationship and development.
The online training concept has caught the eye of many in the business world. In the article, Who’s doing it best? the author notes that businesses who utilize e-learning modules are now assessing for quality, quantity and impact, with the bottom line question how can we produce a ‘skilled workforce that can perform well and make improvements, while taking advantage of cost- and time-saving technologies.’ Similarly, Ada Bible is asking how can we best use our resources to encourage the heart and skill development of our leaders?
What roadblocks will Ada Bible encounter as they make the move to online training? We’ll share more after our mid-point Innovation Lab meeting in September. For more information on Ada’s online strategy, contact Phil Niekerk, pniekerk@adabible.org.
Wondering what leader training could look like for your church? For a peek at free online training available for Small Group Leaders, check out Small Group Trader’s free resources here
Sherry Surratt
Leadership Network Director, sherry.surratt@leadnet.org
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