Kaleo Church is examining what it means to be the church, through this, Kaleo has shifted our emphasis to people living together being the church in the neighborhoods and patterns of life they are already in. We have re-oriented our leadership development & discipleship to be done in community. Our goal is to create a systemic discipleship process for the people of Kaleo as well as bring systematic development to those who seek to grow in using their gifts in the community. We see the people of God exercising their gifts as Prophets, Priests & Kings.
From these Prophet/Priest/King posts discussions arose about the value of centralized & decentralized leadership development. For the sake of clarity, I wanted to unpack the three elements that we seek to use to addresses both.
Classes – In the document systematic development is mentioned. What was not shown visually is this systematic development will include coaching (see below) as well as more formal instruction around specific topics. For example, we plan on doing a training on leading gospel discussions and asking questions to get at heart issues in March for our Missional Community Leaders & Apprentices.
Community – Leaders are found and developed systemically through the life of community. These Missional Communities are where people live as a one-anothering community and express mercy, hospitality, love and mission to the city. The developing leaders exercise their gift in community. It is in this context individuals come across front-line situations that require them to respond, therefore the ongoing coaching & development is practical and has a target in mind rather than it just being theory. The Missional Community Leader takes an active role of observing and developing leaders gifts and creating a culture of discipleship.
Coaching – Emerging Leaders are paired with a coach. For example, deacon candidates work directly with deacons who develop these apprentices. This coaching allows the apprentice to learn but more importantly be coached with specific and measurable goals in mind. The coach tailors the development track to the unique strengths & weaknesses of the apprentice to shore up any areas that may not be covered in more systematic classes.