Introducing our brand new leadership training program
Leadership Communal
At the heart of our Leadership Communal is a focus on personal and community discipleship, team leadership skills, developing spiritual practices for a missional approach to life, and vocational discovery.
We believe every Christian is called to faithful witness in the world, but there are a myriad of ways God calls you to serve your community and sphere of influence. The Leadership Communal is an accredited two year educational track to equip you for Christian ministry and beyond, and is also the means by which you can join our team as a full time YWAM staff member.
Your time in our Leadership Communal will equip you through hands-on ministry training that will translate to any vocation, whether you decide to pursue full time ministry, continue higher education, or enter the workforce after your two years with us.
Please note: Our Leadership Communal is registered as a Ministry Development School in YWAM’s University of the Nations, and here in Australia is certified as a Certificate IV in Christian Missions (we call this C4CM for short). You must have already completed the Urban Village DTS or another accredited YWAM DTS before applying for the Leadership Communal.
Why a “communal” instead of a “program” or “course”?
Language—and how we name things—is important. Because we think community (not just the classroom) offers the best type of learning environment, we want you to understand that while this is a course, it is more than that. Community is at the heart of our training. This leadership track is collaborative, supportive, missional, fun, and deeply purposeful. Leadership can’t be learned in isolation; it must be learned in the give and take of authentic relationships as we work out our faith together. Yes, you will learn skills. But more importantly, you will learn how to use those skills within the context of community and team and relationship.
What is the training format?
Our blend of formal and informal learning, volunteer service, and community living is what makes the Leadership Communal special.
While most of your time is spent alongside our other full-time staff, students, and leaders developing ministry within the community in on-the-job training, there is, of course, also further instruction and study that will equip you for ministry in real time as well as set you up for future endeavors. Essentially this means that all Leadership Communal students are also staff members for other areas of ministry—this is the core of our on-the-job training format.
Your formal learning takes place with a blend of classroom training, small group discussion and activities, research, reading, and individual and group projects, assignments, and assessments. (Please see the learning modules below.)
Your informal learning takes place on the job while you serve in various areas according to the needs of the ministry and your individual skills and gifts. As a Leadership Communal student we also consider you part of our voluntary staff team alongside other staff and leaders (as well as our short-term Gap Year interns).
Be a part of our ministry team
As a small, family-oriented, pioneering ministry, all staff that joins us through the Leadership Communal must be ready for the challenge and joy of pioneering.
This means we expect you to bring your whole heart and roll your sleeves up along with us. It means that your office space might be at our kitchen table one day and at a hipster cafe the next. You might head up our creative department while also being in charge of hospitality for our guests and making dinner on Tuesdays. You might staff a DTS, organise events, or join a local outreach to serve those sleeping rough. You might be our worship leader and our bookkeeper and the guy who picks up mail from our PO Box on Fridays. Or you might be a blogger one day, visit elderly neighbours the next, and facilitate community youth nights on the weekend.
In any role you take on as a student in the Leadership Communal, our commitment is to walk alongside you to see your spiritual life enriched, your faith deepened, your skills sharpened, your influence broadened, and your experience expanded.
Learning Modules:
1) The Jesus Way
Study the life and ministry of Jesus as demonstrated in the Gospels in order that we may better understand what it means to follow his example of praying and living into God’s kingdom come “on earth as it is in heaven.”
2) Spiritual Practices
Develop a rich spiritual life and practices that sustain you past “mountain top” experiences, through the “daily grind,” through grief and challenges, and during times of celebration. Together we explore how spiritual practices help us connect with God, ourselves, and our neighbours for all of life, not just Sunday mornings.
3) Engaging the Bible
Learn how our sacred, ancient text brings life and hope for today as we study the Bible not just for knowledge, but for transformation.
4) Cultivating Ministry Partnerships
Develop your ministry support team, including practical skills such as budgeting and fundraising, as well as explore the ethics of communications and how to develop partnerships with mutuality, integrity, and faithfulness.
5) Leading & Serving in Team
Study the practical mechanics of working in team such as group dynamics, conflict resolution, leadership styles, delegation, time management, personal gifts, the theology of work and rest, and more.
6) Communicating God’s Story
How do we share our faith and tell people about Jesus in ways that honour others, celebrate culture, and don’t centre ourselves? How do we ensure we see the goodness of God on display to a world that has at times seen missionary endeavor that has hurt as it tried to help? These are some of the things we’ll be exploring together in this module, contextualising it for life and ministry in the twenty-first century (such as also examining things like digital impact).
7) Culture & Worldview
How does faith impact culture and culture impact faith? Together we’ll spend time delving into cultural issues, learning about bias, and finding God’s heart in the public square. We explore such things as theology of place, Indigenous issues, gender roles, the intersection of faith and disability, youth culture, the arts, and more.
8) Gospel Movement
Explore the history of missions and major missions movements (including modern mission movements such as YWAM), learn from some of the mothers and fathers of our faith, unpack what it means to “decolonise” missions, and live into our calling as ministers of reconciliation in today’s world as we see God’s goodness stretch to the ends of the earth.
Prerequisites:
Please note: In order to qualify for consideration in our Leadership Communal, you must first complete our Urban Village DTS or have completed an accredited DTS at another YWAM location recognized by the University of the Nations.
Interested in applying?
Please get in touch if you’re interested in participating in our Leadership Communal or want to learn more about dates and costs. (Note: DTS graduates that have done their DTS elsewhere can still participate in our Leadership Communal. Email us to begin the conversation.)
Adriel Booker
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