4.19.

12

By Michael Wiltshire

Grace Spring Bible CHurch Leader Notes The Purpose of this

session is to (1) cast a vision for the entire retreat and (2) to introduce idea of an Incarnational approach to ministry.

Leadership in Context
[Session 1 | Christian Context]

Creating the Vision

Activity: To begin, split participants into groups. Next, distribute the Dessert Island handout to each person. Instruct them by setting the scene of the desert island. Read from the handout: Say: This whole retreat is about is creating a unique vision for us as we work together to love students. We are going to spend this morning and afternoon exploring a question: What does it look like for us to lead in context? How we have develop healthy and effective leadership: In the context of who we are as Christians, who we are as a ministry, and who we are as individuals? In the scenario you just played-out in your groups, you had to work together to think through the context of where you were and how you got there before you could determine your next practical moves. You had to determine And just like in your scenarios, there is not always one right or wrong answer. You will need to make wise decisions based on what the team deems best for their context! So this is our vision for today, how can we become a healthier team by working together to begin discovering our unique context as Christians, youth workers, and individuals. Our first area of context discovery will be exploring out unique call as Christians to lead and serve others in the name of Christ. We will explore this by disusing what it means to become : Incarnational Ministers.

At the end of this

session, give out copies of Andrew Roots book, Relationships Unfiltered

You have been a passenger on a plane that has crashed in the desert. These are the items that you have retrieved from the plane before it burned up. The pilot and copilot have been killed and the only survivors are the people in your group. On a scale of 1-11, number these in the order of importance to survival.
After each group has completed their numbering, have a representative share the top three items listed and how the group came to their consensus.

If the situation allows

it, use the PowerPoint Side provided for this session.

your context in order to make wise choices as a team.

Incarnational Ministry:
Say: The term "Incarnational Ministry" finds its meaning in the picture of Christ. We are made in the image of a God who become incarnate for us. He saw his equality with God not something to be exploited but used his divinity to reach down and love others. This is one of the great beauties of Christianity. But what does it really mean for us in youth ministry? Author Andrew Root has a few ideas for us to process the connection between the incarnation and our relationships with students. Root notices in his book, Relationships Unfiltered, that it is easy for us youth workers to desire to influence students toward better life choices, healthier morals, which ultimately will help us become more Christ-like. However, when our influence-centered relational youth ministry becomes more about our agenda for students rather than authentically caring for them. When we care more about getting students saved, baptized, and involved in activities, than truly being with them in their deepest joys and sufferings, we build an unhealthy and unChrist-like method to ministry. Root offers up a role that helps us to simply share in the lives of their mentees regularly and wholly. This happens in three ways: (1) Place-Sharers believe that for any true guidance, discipleship, or agendas for their relationship can find root only in the soil of simply being with one another. (2) Place-Sharing means to suffer with the other. The problem for many mentors is that they feel it is their role to hear the suffering of their mentees, and then provide answers and strategies to relive the pain. In order to be a Place-Sharer, you must learn to enter the suffering of the other, and be present in it with them. (3) Finally, A Place-Sharer can find comfort in the reality that they are living in a fuller picture of the Trinity. Just as all three persons in the Trinity point away from themselves by representing the others (The Incarnation, ect), so does a Place-Sharer live to share love for others. Q & A: Take the rest of your time to debrief this information. Have participants discuss how we can become more incarnational in our current relationships. Finally, take time to lead a Q & A or open forum to list the benefits or possible dangers of these ideas. Is this approach something we will

implement throughout the year? How?

4.19.12

By Michael Wiltshire

Cornerstone University

Leadership in Context
[Session 2 | Ministry Context ]

Leader Notes
The purpose of this session is to develop leaders who are aware of their ministry and desire to be innovative to reach healthy growth. The Barnacles and Anchors handout will be used here. If the situation allows it, use a white board to list the events, programs, and identities of the ministry and how the participants categorized each one.

Barnacles and Anchors

Say: In order to explore how we can do healthy leadership in the context of our unique ministry, we are going to take an inventory of what currently doing and decided as a group which steps to take next. But in order to do this, we need to talk about pirates. Possibly the most important thing about being a pirate is being able to keep your ship ready and able at all times. The problem with this is that its not always easy to keep your ship to nimble while at sea. For example, if you leave your anchor up, you can speed after the passing booty right away and make off with your gold. However, when a pirate ship is not consistently anchored, it doesnt take long before control of the ship is lost and all the pirates are smashed into the rocks! On the other hand, if a pirate ship is anchored for too long, nasty barnacles begin to build underneath the entirety of the vessel. These little creatures take away from the smooth surface of the ship and drastically slow it downmaking it unable to catch any passersby. In order to make the ship safe as well as speedy, the pirates must learn to remove the barnacles, and use their anchors to guide them to safety and stability. In our ministry, we too have barnacles and anchors. We have programs, events, and identities that work as anchors to keep us stable and not easily swayed by the waves of culture. We also can have programs, events, and identities that work as barnacles which keep us from healthy movement and growth. It is now our task, to work together to chip away at the barnacles, and learn to use our anchors well.

[Spend the rest of the hour listing and discussing which programs, events, and identities the group has come to see as barnacles or anchors. (The Barnacles and Anchors handout will help here) Next, discuss how the group can improve, replace, or delete the listed items.]

Barnacles and Anchors of Ministry

Use this space to list all events, programs, and identities of your unique ministry: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 11. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Place a B or A next to each item to note your own categorization before opening them up to your leadership team. Remember, you have the right as the pastor to give the final word on the future of the items.

10. 12.

4.19.12

By Michael Wiltshire

Cornerstone University Leader Notes

Leadership in Context
[Session 3 | Individual Context]

The purpose of this session is to give participants tools and knowledge to become more away of how they might naturally engage leadership. The Leadership Styles handout will be used here.

Leadership Context
Say: Now that weve explored how we can become better leaders as Christians and as youth worker, we can narrow our focus to leaning about how we can become healthier leaders by embracing the context of whom we are as individuals. In order to do this we are going to look at both the practical and the spiritual components of personal leadership. [Distribute Leadership Styles Handout] Take this time to walk participants through the different leadership styles. Explain your experience with working with people that use each of these styles. Instruct them to keep an eye out for which styles they may consider their own. Next, ask participants to determine which Leadership Style might be their own. Have them put a 1 next to their most dominate style, and a 2 next to a secondary style.] [Finally, divide participates into groups depending on their Leadership Style (i.e. all Strategic leaders into a group, all Bridge building leaders into another, and so on.). Using the list of scenarios below, have each group decide amongst themselves how they would go about the situation provided. After giving them time to discuss, have a representative from each group summarize their conversation.]

If possible, the PowerPoint slide developed for this session may also be used. Be sure to explain your own leadership style. This will not only serve as an example but also help your leaders to know and understand you better!

Leadership Scenarios
1. You are leading a small group of high school students. Your group has decided to plan and run service projects throughout the year that the whole youth group may attend. However, when meeting to discuss which projects the group will facilitate, there is a spilt vision in the group, making it impossible to come to a consensus on their own. What will you do? 2. The student you are mentoring has come to you asking for accountability with a struggle in their personal life. How will you go about supporting them? 3. A certain youth pastor has asked you to take the lead on planning this summers mission trip for a middle school ministryand you have agreed!. You have the freedom to plan any type of trip to virtually any location (within reason). Whey steps will you take next?

4.19.12

By Michael Wiltshire

Cornerstone University

Leadership in Context
[Session 4 | Individual Context ]

Leader Notes
The purpose of this session is to help participants develop Spiritual energy and awareness. The Spiritual Audit handout will be used here. If possible, the PowerPoint slide developed for this session may also be used.

Spiritual Audit
Say: In order to mature toward healthy leadership, and gain awareness of ourselves, we are going to conduct a Spiritual Audit. I will read a list of questions, are you may journal, ponder, or pray though your answers. I can explain more by saying what a Spiritual Audit is and is not. What a Spiritual Audit is not: -A Spiritual Audit is not, fuel for pride. - A Spiritual Audit is not, meant to bring about guilt. - A Spiritual Audit is not, a set of behavioral changes that must be made. - A Spiritual Audit is not, a measurement of your effectiveness or value. What a Spiritual Audit is: - A Spiritual Audit is, for progress and maturity of your spiritual self. - A Spiritual Audit is, a way to envision potential for growth. - A Spiritual Audit is, a way of gathering energy. - A Spiritual Audit is, a continuing process fueled by the Spirit.

Spiritual Audit Questions

1. Am I content with who I am becoming? 2. Am I becoming less religious and more spiritual? 3. Does my family recognize the authenticity of my spirituality? 4. Do I have a quiet center to my life? 5. Have I defined my unique ministry 6. Is my prayer life improving? 7. How I maintained a genuine awe of God? 8. Is my humility genuine? 9. Is my spiritual feeding the right diet for me? 10. Is obedience in the small things built into my reflexes? 11. Do I have joy?

4.19.12

By Michael Wiltshire

Cornerstone University

Leadership in Context
[ Conclusion]

Leader Notes
The purpose of this session is to help participants review all 4 sessions. Furthermore, it is to help them better remember one specific moment that they wish to hold on to for future leadership opportunities. You will need a can of PlayDough for each participant.

PlayDough Exercise
Today we have explored how to become better leaders in the context we find ourselves working within. As Christians, we are called to build authentic and even Incarnational relationships with students. As youth workers, we have discovered how to better balance our unique ministry in order to be able to engage culture in strategic ways. And as individuals, we have explored many leadership styles that may assist us and found spiritual energy that may guide us toward love. What is the one thought, idea, moment, lesson, image, or practice that you want to remember as you leave this place and move toward heather leadership? Shape that one thing with your PlayDough. Once everyone has completed their one thing, have each member in your circle share the meaning behind the object. After each member is finished, close the day in prayer.

Leadership in Context
[schedule of events]
When 9:00-9:30 What Breakfast

Cornerstone University

Supplies Coffee, Juice, Fruit, ect.

9:30-10:30

Session 1 Leading as Christians

Copies of Relationships Unfiltered, PowerPoint, Desert Survivor Handout, Pens

10:45-11:45
Bac k Page Stor y Head li ne

Session 2 Leading as a Ministry Lunch Leadership Activity Session 3 Leading as an Individual [part 1] Session 2 Leading as an Individual [part 2] Conclusion

Barnacles and Anchors Handout, Pens, Whiteboard Food, Tables, Chairs, ect.

11:45-12:30 12:30-1:00 1:00-2:00

Leadership Styles handout, PowerPoint, pens.

2:00-2:45 2:45-3:00

Spiritual Audit handout, pens. Playdough