During a visit to the Catacombs, the Next Generation team took time out to pose for a picture.
The latest round of the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, which met last month in Rome, challenged young leaders to think about how to reach a changing society, yet remain true to the “DNA” of Agape Europe.
Society is changing at a dizzying pace. New means of communication pop up seemingly overnight, and a “post-modern” generation has new ways of looking at life. Ministry tools and strategies that worked well a decade or two ago become less effective. If we in Agape Europe hope to make an impact for Christ in the future, we need staff members who can “understand the times,” as did the sons of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 – leaders who can adapt to a new reality yet remain true to our calling.
The current cycle of leadership training, called the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, hopes to accomplish just that.
Small groups gave plenty of opportunity to learn from each other and discuss how to apply the material.
“None of us knows what the future will hold,” points out Felix Ortiz, a member of the Design Team, “but we know it will be different. The ministry skills we will need will be different from what we have known. So our goal is to prepare people as well as possible for effective ministry in the future.
“Business as usual will not get us where we want to be,” agrees Paul Duncan, also on the Design Team. “We need a generation of leaders who think profoundly about life, who have good habits of reflection about what is going on.”
In order to build such leaders, Felix, Paul and others on the design team incorporated several elements into the Leadership Initiative. The first session, held last year in Ethiopia, emphasized community. The latest session, held last month in Rome, focused on ‘healthy movements.’
Healthy Movements
Alan Hirsch of Australia encouraged participants to think in new ways about what it means to do evangelism in a post-modern environment.
During the first part of the week, Alan Hirsch, a leader in the emerging church movement, raised thought-provoking questions on the nature of movements and evangelism. The second part of the week emphasized learning teams, and the importance of feedback and adapting to change.
“The week in Rome was mentally tough and intellectually challenging,” says Kevin Wood (AIA in Germany). “They presented new ideas and challenged the way we do things.” Some of the new ideas helped Daniel Stähli (student ministry in Switzerland), consider where the current structure supports the growth of a movement, and where it hinders. “They gave me a broader view of how the challenges of the future can be approached,” he says.
“Failure is not an option,” says Paul Duncan (centre), who helped design the Next Generation program. “We are leaving no stone unturned in our effort to be fruitful.”
The design team wanted a multi-sensory experience where participants did not just listen to messages. They also discussed case studies from Greece and Italy and experienced movements as diverse as the Catholic community of San Egiddio and the fledgling Agape campus ministry in Rome. The interaction broadened everyone’s thinking.
“Now I feel that my ministry is truly in touch with people in all of Europe,” says Nacho Marques (campus ministry in Spain). “This gives us a new feeling of strength. For example, when I heard about a problem that the campus ministry in Rome was having, I saw that we could potentially have a similar problem in Valencia. Now I have tools to help avoid it happening.”
The Design Team is convinced that no leader, no matter how gifted or experienced, has all the wisdom needed to lead in complex times. They want leaders to learn to work in teams, and to be willing to try new things. “We want to challenge people with questions to which nobody knows the answers,” says Paul. “We need a generation of leaders willing to take risks, to fail, and to keep trying until they find the solutions.”
The DNA of Agape Europe
Those solutions must in some way incorporate the “DNA” of Agape Europe. “We have a powerful DNA,” says Felix, “which still has the strength and power to build movements. And this is win, build, and send, based on 2 Timothy 2:2.”
One day the team went out to experience the Rome university ministry and meet students. Brian Evans, a participant who also serves on the Rome team, met a group of guys at La Sapienza University and talked about the gospel.
A chief goal of this round of the Next Generation Leadership Initiative was to help participants wrestle with how to apply the core principles of Agape in a changing world. It’s not about the method used, whether that be Knowing God Personally, the JESUS film, or something else. Agape Europe’s DNA must be embedded in the thinking of each staff member. As this happens, it will be natural to develop new strategies that both reach a changing generation and are true to who God has called us to be.
“The Bible is 100 percent valid,” says Nacho. “Christ is our message. But we have to explore new ways of offering the message of the gospel to the world. And since fellow workers all over Europe are thinking in the same way, I believe God is preparing us for a new season.”