Raising up new leaders for Teen Challenge ministry is one of the greatest challenges we face around the world. Most Teen Challenge centers need more staff. Where will they come from?
Several years ago Jerry Nance and the staff working with him developed the Emerging Leaders
Program as a means of raising up new leaders from those who were students in the Teen Challenge program. This has been a highly effective way of recruiting new staff and training them for ministry.
The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) has three parts.
Level 1:Emerging Student Leaders is for students in the Teen Challenge program. Selected students are eligible to begin this 6 months after they begin the TC program. This training focuses on developing basic understanding of what it means to be a godly leader. Focus is more on developing godly character as a leader than on specific job skills for working in Teen Challenge. Staff who have not gone through the TC program can also enroll in the Level 1 ELP before moving on to Level 2.
Level 2: Emerging Staff Leaders is for staff who have already been working at a Teen Challenge center for a period of time, usually at least 1-2 years. This focuses on values based character development of leaders. It does not focus simply on job skills needed for Teen Challenge work.
Level 3: Emerging Executive Leaders for those who desire to serve as senior leaders in Teen Challenge. This part of the program is still in the planning stage, but it will focus on raising up those who will serve as a director of a Teen Challenge ministry. This level will continue with character development, but will offer practical skills as well.
Level 1 Emerging Student Leaders
Level 1 Emerging Student Leaders has two parts - Core Courses and Elective Courses - the Core Courses take about 7 months to complete. There are 6 required Core Courses. Each course includes the reading of a book, attendance at a weekly ELP mentoring meeting, and completing a study guide or test. The student completes these assignments in addition to their regular classes as a Teen Challenge student.
What makes the Emerging Student Leaders program a success is the staff, called the ELP Representative, who oversees the students in this program. The ELP "Rep" meets with each emerging student leader on a weekly basis to discuss the materials they are studying, with particular focus on how they can apply these godly principles in their lives.
The second half of the Emerging Student Leaders program, the Elective Track, has 3 areas of specialization, depending on what area of the ministry that person desires to pursue-ministerial, administration, and vocational. There are 5 courses for each of these areas of specialization. Often the person by this time has already completed the TC program and is now working at the TC center as an intern (junior staff).
What are the benefits of the Emerging Student Leaders program?
One of the most powerful benefits of this program has been the impact it has on the attitude of the student. They change their whole attitude from "How soon do I finish the TC program?" to "How can I become the leader God wants me to be?" The ELP also shifts the focus from position, titles and "privileges" of leadership to a heart for effective servant leadership. The Emerging Student Leaders program opens the student up to a whole new opportunity for growth. It is more than just being a successful student, now they can dream of becoming a leader, something most had never imagined their first day in the TC program.
The Emerging Student Leaders program provides a great opportunity to plant seeds of hope in their lives for future ministry. This provides a systematic way of training new leaders for the future.
More information on the Emerging Leaders Program is available at the following website link:
Emerging Leaders Info
For those wishing to use the English version of the Emerging Leaders Program, an Emerging Student Leaders manual is available with instructions and curriculum. This can be purchased from Teen Challenge USA at TC USA Store. Here is a direct link to this manual: Manual
Using the ELP with languages other than English
For those countries where your students would need materials in another language, it will be a bigger challenge to implement the ELP program. The books used in ELP may not be available in your language. In this case, we would recommend that you search for other books that may be in your language that deal with these same basic issues. You may want to use some of the staff training courses on the website: iTeenChallenge.org
Whatever curriculum you use, there is one important key to remember. The curriculum is not the only key to the success of the ELP. The staff who serves as the ELP Rep and meets with these ELP students on a weekly basis is a most important key to the success of this program. This person serves as a mentor and has a vital part in helping each individual as they move through ELP.
Karissa McCarter is the staff that facilitates the ELP for Teen Challenge in Florida and Georgia. You are welcome to contact her at Contact Karissa
For TC centers in the USA, Allen Turley serves as the National Training Coordinator. He can be contacted at Contact Allen
For TC centers outside the USA, please contact Dave Batty or Gregg Fischer at the Global Teen Challenge office.
Dave Batty Contact Dave Batty
Brokenness is one of the characteristics that I have learned over the years to appreciate in leadership. In Genesis 32:22-31 we read the story of Jacob when he reaches Jabbock, one of the tributaries of the Jordan. This crossing provides an opportunity for a breaking of Jacob, a final altar for him in his life.
