Chief Learning Officer Intro / Training / Discipleship

Training and Discipleship Tricia Blake, Chief Learning Officer

New Testament training in Amsterdam.

Impacting all kids — within sight and just out of reach. Learning opportunities equip our staff to impact all kids. Young Life uses learning to spark curiosity, ignite potential and train the skills needed for ministry.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul references the seed he has planted and Apollos has watered. The next phrase is the outcome of their obedience — God has been making it grow. The seed planted within each of us needs water. We benefit when we receive an outpouring of training on knowledge, skills and attitudes which God then uses to facilitate our growth. True growth begins not just when we can recognize where we are and what it will take to get from here to there, but what change needs to happen within us.

As you’ll read in the information below, the cycle of training and learning equips us to recognize God’s presence and power as stated in our goal for mission growth.

As we pray for God’s presence and His power in our mission, we will …

Build relationships with more kids so average weekly club and Campaigners doubles by 2022.

Fostering a learning culture in Young Life prepares the seed and soil for God to grow healthy teams and health ministry for the sake of His Kingdom.

Training U.S. — Spark Curiosity

Our senior director of Training, Pam Moore, and the training team recently hosted two academic courses: “Old Testament” and “Christology,” following our YL2020 Celebration. Here are a few highlights from our staff:

I most appreciated the professor’s knowledge and wisdom of the Old Testament! My view of God has expanded and that is a gift. I loved being able to learn new ways to interact with God through the OT. I tend to gravitate toward the NT. Thrilled to have new tools, insights and background. Christology honestly helped me leave with just a mindblowing love and additional curiosity. Sean was an incredible teacher and Chris, his TA, was awesome as well.

Having him have such a robust context that he’s teaching from (Capernaum, WyldLife, program, speaker, professor, etc.) was amazingly helpful at taking the heady stuff we’re talking about and bring it down into real world application. While in Christology, exploring the nature of shame/honor culture, and considering how that relates to our view of salvation, sanctification, and impacts the way teen moms experience the gospel through our ministry was very helpful.

Discipleship — Ignite Potential

Our vice president of Discipleship, Crystal Kirgiss, shares three tools to help water the seeds:

1. Biblical Engagement

As a result of hands-on trainings on creative ways to read Scripture with students, I have seen more confidence and energy in the area of biblical engagement — both in staff/ leaders’ own lives as well as in their time with students. This is also growing beyond

U.S. ministry. I have had the chance to work through this content with Europe military staff, Europe new staff and a group of Europe senior staff. 3. Going through Rooted last summer across all of our U.S. properties with assigned teams, work crew, summer staff, camp staff and the Camping department, was a very significant

“growth spurt” for our mission. This summer, we anticipate the percentage of “primary usage” will grow. Global Engagement

As we develop discipling tools that have global potential (because of built-in language capabilities, e.g.,

YouVersion, The Bible Project) we anticipate growth in usage and engagement. We have strategically focused on these two specific platforms because of their global nature.

International Training — Train the Skills

As our vice president of Training, Ken Knipp, invests in international staff, we’re witnessing growth in their leadership and vision to create development opportunities for staff.

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Benefit to Ministry

Beneficial Very Beneficial Extremely Beneficial

Minister as a Person New Testament

Systematic Theology

Young Life leaders in Würzberg, Germany.

“I am very encouraged by the energy, vision and commitment of our international staff for continued equipping and training of staff in their various geographies! This was clear to me in the conversations I had with staff at the International Pre-Conference at YL2020. We are implementing more year-round training for area directors around the globe: in Europe, under the leadership of Craig Mawhinney and Stacy Anderson; in Africa under the leadership of James Davis, Martin Wamalwa and Alexis Kwamy (it continues to be a joy to help coach them); with our gifted staff in the FSU who have been so positive about what our biblical and theological classes have provided for them. Scott Miedema and the Latin America and Caribbean team have also done a wonderful job with multiple staff taking courses from Biblical Seminary in Colombia.”

F o s t e r i n g a l e a r n i n g c u lt u r e i n Y o u n g L i f e p r e p a r e s t h e s e e d a n d s o i l f o r G o d t o g r o w h e a lt h y t e a m s a n d h e a lt h y m i n i s t r y f o r t h e s a k e o f H i s K i n g d o m .

Financial Services

The exciting thing for me is how these charts paint a picture through numbers of the growth we have been consistently experiencing across Young Life. — Scott Brill