Imagine what will happen when together we strengthen National Alliances through effective leadership development programs in every one of our countries!
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WEA Leadership Institute Launched at General Assembly 2008
WEA International Director Geoff Tunnicliffe introduced the vision and mission of the new WEA Leadership Institute at the 2008 General Assembly (GA) in Pattaya, Thailand, Oct. 25-30, 2008. That week, Dr. Jonathan P. Lewis, director of the WEA-LI, told GA delegates that the mission of the institute “is to strengthen National Alliances through effective leadership development programs in every member country.” Lewis also announced the six-year bold vision, “By 2014, we see viable and sustainable leadership development programs in every one of our member countries.”
A new WEA-LI website, www.weali.org, has been created by Dr. Rob Brynjolfson, dean of the institute, and includes resources from the GA. New materials will be added regularly.
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WEA-LI Training Workshop Resources Available Online
The WEA Leadership Institute hosted four training workshops for National Alliance general secretaries and leaders at the 2008 General Assembly in Pattaya, Thailand, held Oct. 25-30. The six-hour workshops (and the presenters) included: Developing Dynamic Alliances (John Pearson), Achieving Sustainable Funding (Rob Martin), Creating Strong Partnerships (Phill Butler and Bill Sunderland) and
Evangelicals in the Public Square (Ron Sider and Moss Nthla).
Resources from the workshops, including handouts, syllabus and PowerPoints, can be downloaded at the WEA-LI website. To download the materials, visit www.weali.org and click on Resources and Archives and GA Training Track.
Here are selected comments from the training track participants:
- “Makes me want to really engage with the WEA at every level.”
- “It revolutionized my leadership skills.”
- “I will take steps to seek local funding…(the Lord showed me that) fundraising is not begging! Thanks so much!”
- “It gave me hope and resources to infuse the partnership in which I’m involved.”
- “The wealth of material inspired many nuggets that will help me better engage the congregation for effective interaction in the public square. Thank you!”
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Breakthrough Research Project on 60 National Alliances Available Online!
To ensure that the WEA-LI focuses on the real needs of National Alliance leaders, the first-ever WEA Leadership Institute Research Project recently surveyed over 60 National Alliances. It is no small task to collect survey data from 60 countries and multiple languages—but the results are fascinating and are beginning to give the general secretaries of WEA National Alliances helpful benchmarking data on budgets, staff and volunteer counts, board roles, programs, products and services, and other important decision-making information.
This project is on going, but results from this initial sampling are available for download on the WEA-LI website. To download the two PDF files, go to www.weali.org and click on Resources and Archives and WEA-LI Research Results. Leaders can download the General Results and the Low and High Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comparison results. This analysis uses a GDP filter to compare the results based on High and Low Gross Domestic Product for each country.
If your National Alliance has not yet responded to the survey, you will also find the survey in four languages on the website with instructions on how to complete the form and send it back. To download the two PDF files, go to www.weali.org and click on Resources and Archives and go to Research Project Files.
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News on the Progress of Curriculum Development
By Jonathan P. Lewis, PhD.
The WEA Leadership Institute’s goal is to strengthen National Evangelical Alliances around the globe. It is our perception that perhaps only 20 to 25 percent of current alliances have the organizational capability of moving forward an agenda that impacts not only the Evangelical community but also their nations.
Our initial research in April 2008 demonstrated that for an alliance to function effectively, there are six areas in which it has to operate well. Alliances need to unite their constituencies, manage and lead their association, provide member services, engage in the public square, be financial stable, and create dynamic partnerships.
Based on these six functional areas and individual competencies identified by the stakeholder group last April, the curriculum development team began developing course outlines that include specific learning objectives. It was deemed that the six initial areas could be covered in ten modules. These include:
- Evangelical Unity for Kingdom Advance
- The Art of Convening Constituencies and Consensus Building
- Organizing for Effectiveness
- Evangelicals in the Public Square
- Effective Public Communication
- Service: the Heart of an Association
- Research and Needs Assessment: Keys to Ongoing Vitality
- Dynamic Association Leadership
- Generously Resourcing Alliance Work
- Creating Strong Partnerships
These modules will now be reviewed by the general secretaries of the WEA Regional Alliances, April 17-20, 2009, in Spain, to further validate the curriculum and assure we are on track. These modules are not “off the shelf” packages. They will need to be developed course by course with real sensitivity to the variety of contexts and specific needs of our National Alliances around the globe. They will eventually be offered in several languages so each module needs to be developed as a translatable package. This will be our next challenge as we begin to offer these packages at key regional events, perhaps as soon as November 2009.
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Watch for Future Issues of WEA-LI Imagine Monthly—and Give Us Your Feedback!
Thanks for investing time as a leader of a WEA National Alliance or region. As the WEA-LI points out in the “We Unite” strategic outcome, “A National Alliance provides a platform that gathers Evangelicals, from the broadest Christian spectrum, around God’s Great Commission and Great Commandment.
In the end, it’s not about WEA or the new WEA-LI—it’s about honoring God and His call upon our lives to be His people across the nations of the world. As we pray for each other—and support each other in our National Alliances—we trust that the WEA-LI will be responsive to your needs and His calling. Blessings!
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