Why and How Fellowship Bible is Training Leaders
Transformative Stories From Exponential Learning Communities
Exponential
A Q&A with Chip Jackson, director of partnerships and church planting for Fellowship Bible Church Northwest Arkansas
Over
the last several years, church leaders around the nation have journeyed
together, in an attempt to hear and understand what God is saying to
them about the next years of their lives and ministries. Specifically,
what they will focus on–building their church or building the Kingdom?
Guided by missional thought leaders Alan Hirsch and Rob Wegner, this
inaugural group, eventually called Future Travelers, met several times
to learn together and wrestle with the implications of this question.
As
a result of this journey, these churches and others have initiated
transformative changes and practices. We talked to Chip Jackson,
director of partnerships and church planting for Fellowship Bible Church
Northwest Arkansas, about the transformative impact Fellowship has seen
as a result of his involvement in Exponential Learning Communities.
Below, Jackson shares his experiences in Future Travelers—one of two
Exponential Learning Communities this fall—and why this yearlong
gathering has proved to be such a milestone for him and Fellowship Bible
NWA.
What would you identify as 3 to 5 of the most important takeaways you brought home from your Learning Communities experience?
- The discussion in Ohio around Roger Martin’s “Design Thinking” led to a strategic shift in our annual planning process here at Fellowship NWA.
- the discussion of movements and hyperbolic growth when disciple making is the driver
- the discussion of all 6 components of mDNA (missional DNA)
- the discussion on IMAGINE>SHIFT>INNOVATE, and I would add REPRODUCE
- Connecting with Dru Dodson and other like-minded leaders was huge! I sense the mDNA will provide some high-octane fuel for thinking and expression in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Louisiana.
What makes you say it was the best leadership investment you made? How have you and your church changed?
“Traveling” with these leaders and my discussion with Alan Hirsch about what has shaped his thinking as a leader and missionary (my favorite part of the experience) provided me with some real critical thinking and practical structures to keep future traveling as a leader.
For years, we’ve focused on health rather than growth here at Fellowship. Our thinking is that healthy things grow. Due in part to health, and perhaps a larger measure to the empowering presence of Christ, combined with a vision to “produce and release,” our church has grown (at times far more than we were comfortable with as a leadership team). With the sustained growth, for years we’ve had our eye on some expression of the diffusion of the innovation bell curve, guarding against mission drift and crippling institutionalism.
However, about six years ago we started sensing some “soft underbelly” to all the good things going on around here. That “underbelly” was recognizable by a consumer mindset ecclesiology, a cheap Christology and dilution of our core DNA. The answer for Fellowship was to develop a “training center.” Back to Alan’s question in Ohio. His answer to the question was that megachurch leaders must determine how to “convert the box into a gymnasium.” We couldn’t agree more! This thinking has served us well this year, inspiring us to move ahead with greater passion and wisdom for The BiLD (Biblical Institute of Leadership Development) Training Center.
How does the BiLD Training Center align with Alan’s answer to his critical question?
This Training Center is the tangible
expression of one of the three guiding metaphors that best describes the
mission and vision of our church, namely, that Fellowship is a
“greenhouse,” a “training center” and a “launching pad.” The necessary link between the greenhouse and launching pad is the BiLD Training Center
where people are inspired, equipped, trained and prepared for life and
ministry. BiLD is comprised of five divisions: Baseline; Equipping;
Global Outreach; Church Partnerships and Church Planting.
As a church, we now have greater anticipation along with strategic thinking as we dream about where we might be in two decades.
Exponential Learning Communities cohorts are forming for fall 2014/spring 2015–both Future Travelers and DiscipleShift. Register to be part of an Exponential Learning Community or find more information here.
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