Cohorts In The ABNWT
Cohorts
What’s your best shot at staying passionate about God’s call on your life? How can you sustain energy to fulfill God’s purposes for you and your congregation? How about a life-giving relationship with a cohort of leaders, who are in step or one step ahead of you?
In ancient times, a cohort was a military unit, one of ten divisions in a Roman legion. The Roman legion was an exceptional military strategy.
Our aim in the ABNWT is to develop a legion of leaders whose sole focus is to obey the Great Commission, lead prevailing, relentlessly, outbound churches, and raise up the next generation of adaptive pastors.
What’s the plan?
Cohorts are a new initiative to help pastors build the capacity to lead relentlessly outbound churches and ministries. Participating in a cohort is an opportunity for pastors of ABNWT churches to skill up through relationships, trainings, and share peer learning on many of the biggest internal and external challenges.
Some of the most important parts of ministry (learning adaptive leadership skills, developing a leadership pipeline, coordinating a bold and visionary mission, building sustainable systems, employing a discipleship pathway, being relentlessly outbound) are also the hardest to do in isolation.
Cohorts will create a resourced network of leaders through online and in-person sessions. Plans can be made for cohorts to meet at Minister’s Gathering.
What are the outcomes?
First and foremost, lift for participants, safe space, a sense of belonging, relational equity, and peer support for reaching Canadians far from God.
We’ve heard from many leaders who want to help their ministry prevail but are challenged in sustaining progress against resistance. Here’s where the cohort model comes in: you won’t be on your own; you’ll face these challenges with support, resources, encouragement, and peer coaching.
We want participants to experience their cohort connection as a hi-lite of their month. Our goal is to bring peers together who can stay in touch after the formal connection concludes. We’re investing in these relationships for the long haul.
And from this, you’ll hopefully have more heart and muscle to sustain and grow what God is calling you to do.
How does a cohort work?
A cohort consists of 5 or 6 leaders and a facilitator.
Cohorts meet monthly for 60-90 minutes.
Cohorts are typically together for six months.
Participants prioritize attendance
Once a cohort starts the group is closed until the next cycle.
Every cohort has a learning/growth component.
OK, how can I get in?
New cohorts will kick off in September 2021.
The ABNWT website has a listing of available cohorts. Complete a request form to sign up for a cohort of your choice.
For more info, contact Bob Jones, Advance Coach at bob@abnwt.com.
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.