Our ABNWT family is filled with incredible young leaders. I count it an absolute honour to partner with them to become the women and men, the pastors and leaders God has called them to be.
Driven by that heart to see them established for a lifetime of fruitful and faithful ministry, we have taken time to observe, research, and adapt some of the preeminent leadership development models. The concept emerged as a relationally rich development pathway focusing on the character and competencies essential to long-term, effective Christian leadership.
Bob Jones, John Chandler, Jason Ballard, and others have helped shape the pilot of ABNWT's Young Leaders Accelerator.
We launched in September of 2022 with intentional values and purpose while holding our assertions loosely, intent to learn and shape the model throughout the year. As our year is coming to a close, here are a few highlights and learnings from a few participants.
RELATIONSHIPS
In a world oversaturated with content, the catalyst for growth is found in "community." We have been exposed to world-class communicators and leaders, rich with defining and timely insights. They have shaped us. But the participants continually point to the relationships forged as their primary highlight.
This should come as no surprise – we were created to crave belonging. We need each other and grow best TOGETHER. And when we find that sense of belonging, safety and security in relationship, the pathway forward becomes clearer, more fun and less lonely.
The retreats have been especially crucial to the incubation of the community participants enjoy and grow in.
Our dream would be that today's young leaders would find themselves in their 50s still close friends with many leaders they connected with in their 20s and 30s. We anticipate The Accelerator catalyzing this kind of camaraderie.
NEW RHYTHMS
The pace of our culture has been rapidly increasing and has proven to be unsustainable and exhausting. We have glorified hustle and drivenness to the point of workaholism and worn these as badges of honour.
Our guests have reminded us of a better way to live – the way Jesus modelled and offered us. When we merge a tenacious work ethic, stewarding the gifts and talents we've been given, with the rhythms of rest and Sabbath that honour God as the source of our ability and strength – then we will find much more fulfillment and life in the work and ministry he's given us.
Our ABNWT fellowship needs healthy leaders with a long-term perspective. We are learning to value and embrace the rhythms of longevity that will lead us in that direction. We have much more to learn, and these patterns will take a lifetime to form, but the health of our spiritual leadership depends on this transformation.
SELF-AWARENESS
Our Accelerator participants are marked by their hunger to learn and the humility to acknowledge that they have much more to learn. And it starts with understanding how God has uniquely wired us and how that informs the purpose he has called us to.
We have used tools like The Six Types of Working Genius to help provide us with language to express some of our strengths and weaknesses – especially within the work context.
As we grow in understanding of ourselves, we grow in understanding of how we best fulfill God's purpose in the context he's placed us.
POWER OF AUTHENTICITY
Our small, intimate setting has provided our presenters with an open door to a depth of authenticity and moments of vulnerability that often take more time to develop.
Shaila Visser highlighted the important differentiation between authenticity and vulnerability. We are wise to always live authentically while having the emotional intelligence to know when a vulnerability is warranted.
Once again, the exhortations of our communicators have been phenomenal – but the 'peak behind the curtain' of some of the raw realities of life and ministry – that's been encouraging, inspiring and truly formational.
In our social media highlight reel society, we often get the perception that we are the only ones struggling with issues, doubts, fears or shame. We have been reminded that we are not alone – that we get to stand together, arm in arm, with many who have gone before us, with each other, and with an emerging generation that we will be faithful to champion.
ACCELERATOR 2.0
I am excitedly looking forward to our second iteration of ABNWT's Young Leader Accelerator. We get to take the best of this past year and shape the experience for an even better pathway going forward. This year's participants are dreaming with me about how we can make this one of the best development experiences for our young leaders.
If you're interested in learning more and perhaps applying for our 2023-2024 Accelerator, we would love to hear from you.
Kevin is the husband to Kristin, dad to Livia, Lincoln, and Lennon, and serves as NextGen Coach for ABNWT. Kevin has a passion to see women and men discover and grow in their unique, God-given purpose.