The following leadership development model has been used in a wide variety of cross-cultural ministry situations and has proven to be an effective means of pursuing the development of Christian leaders. Two factors make the model particularly powerful. First, the model recognizes that leadership development is a process. The Holy Spirit is responsible for directing it.  Secondly, the model is dynamic. This dynamic nature is present in all aspects of the model and allows the process to change even as it is progressing.

Leadership Development is a Process  

The process of leadership development used by EGM is described by the figure and the following explanation:

Incoming Participants. The first box characterizes people as they enter into the leadership development process. Incoming participant factors include level of ministry experience, age, denominational affiliation, and other pertinent factors.  The make-up of this group has a significant effect on the actual leadership development program.

 
Total Learning Process represents the “curriculum” in the broadest sense—that is the teachers, content of the program, resources and methodology. In short, this process includes every element that will affect the teachers as they go through the program.

 
Outgoing Participants. This box represents the teachers after they complete the program and as they function with what they have learned. It includes skills, attitudes, and ministry effectiveness. The evaluation of outgoing teachers has significant effect on the actual process.

 
Evaluation Network. The fourth box represents the resources available for obtaining information about the teachers: the teacher during the process, the functioning of all aspects of the system during the program and the measurement of the teachers after completing the program as they function in actual ministry. This is monitored through “evaluation networks” whereby the entire process is regularly evaluated and altered according to changing factors. The process of leadership development includes these four areas of focus and recognizes the dynamic nature of the leadership development process.

The Total Learning Process

The actual leadership development program is encapsulated in the Total Learning Process, which is the core of the leadership development process. The total learning process consists of four elements that can be compared to the parts that make up a railroad track.

Ministry Instruction:  This element of the process can be represented by one of the two rails of the track. It is the formal aspect of the process where the acquisition of knowledge, values and specific ministry skills is primary. This phase, like the rail, points in a specific direction, namely the development of effective ministry. Emphasis is placed on new ideas, concepts, values and skills.

Ministry Experience: Actual ministry activities are deliberately designed into the process. Represented by the second rail, the element of ministry experience is designed to lead the developing leader in a specific direction. These activities stimulate learning by doing with the emphasis placed on the application of ministry instruction in actual ministry situations.

Evaluation: Just as the railroad ties bind the individual rails together, the element of evaluation binds together the elements of ministry instruction and ministry experience, keeping them running parallel and in the desired direction. Evaluation is the interactive process that seeks to discover relationships between ministry instruction and actual ministry experience. It is through the evaluation process that ministry instruction is evaluated as either useful in actual ministry or not. It is then altered as needed. Just as the ties proceed along the length of the rails, so the process of evaluation is an ongoing process, providing continuous feedback on the effectiveness of ministry instruction. 

Spiritual Formation: The tracks and ties of a railroad would be quite useless without a solid bed or foundation beneath them as a means of support. Spiritual formation is such a foundation for the participants in the Total Learning Process. They are encouraged to continually experience more of God, to reflect on His truth and to grow in personal godliness. This aspect of the overall learning process seeks to provide participants with a solid spiritual foundation from which to minister.

Transformational Learning

Finally, within the Total Learning Process is the underlying understanding of learning as transformational.  The goal of leadership development is to produce teachers who have transformed their ministry with children.  Teachers are transformed when what they know influences what they do and what they do influences who they are.  Who they are then influences what they know and the cycle continues.

KNOW – Teachers cognitively acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for effective ministry.  

DO – Teachers take that knowledge and put it to practice, applying the learned principles to their actual ministry experience. 

 BE – Teachers repeat the above action regularly enough for their learning to become a natural expression of their transformed lives.

EGM commonly refers to this part of the Leadership Development Model as the “Know-Do-Be” concept.  When teachers have been transformed the goal of the Leadership Development has been reached.