Church-based leadership training has been the focus of BILD for over 40 years. In our partner churches and networks around the globe, we are seeing evidence of maturation as local church leaders and individuals are being recognized for their faith development. Recently in India, two celebrations were held to recognize the accomplishments of those who had received certificates or degrees through EQUIP, BILD’s online leadership training tool.
James Haila, a 20-year-old third-generation leader in the Ames-Des Moines CityChurch network, was invited to accompany Michael Vos and Jeff Reed in India for these celebrations, as well as visits with church leaders from our partner networks. It was James’ first trip outside of the United States, and he looked forward to the opportunity to continue to develop as a leader in a whole new context outside of the country. “I want to strengthen my mind, broaden my perspective and come back home with a renewed perspective with a global perspective,” he said.
For his entire life, James has been engaged in some capacity with international leaders during BILD’s annual Global Summits. Whether through his family hosting guests or in more recent years attending the equipping time, James said it is important for young leaders to intentionally engage with international leaders and grow in their understanding of global stewardship. “Witnessing the work being done overseas energizes us and affirms the value of what we’re doing locally. It also gives us tangible evidence of Christ’s plan unfolding in our time,” he said.
Over the past few years, James has taken great effort in his development by seeking out mentors with senior leadership, and orienting his life to being useful to Christ’s plan. “I have oriented myself that I am useful here [in the ADMCC network], but there’s a new set of responsibilities, and I push myself to take on more responsibility,” he said. “It’s a part of my development toward my purpose in life.”
Traveling with Michael and Jeff and meeting with strategic network partners in India offered James a firsthand look at the groundwork that has been laid over the last 40 years by Jeff that is now stewarded by Michael and the impact it has had on our partners. It brought about renewed commitments to a 10-year framework for building sustainable church networks. There were several meetings strategizing the next steps for developing and strengthening networks and churches across the whole civilization.
James was able to share his perspective as a third-generation leader and the struggles and challenges of the younger generation. James shared that in India there is a tension between generations and it is difficult for older generations to break free from cultural influences and patterns from western christianity. “The local third gen is operating in a whole different frame of mind,” he said. “They’re well aware of the shortcomings of the western christian paradigm. They’re hungry and radical in their approach and push through the struggles of the first and second generations.”
He also stressed the importance of investing in the faith establishment of younger generations. “They’re looking for a purpose to commit their lives to and if you can get them when they’re this age, they don’t have all the baggage of other paradigms to work through,” he said.
The trip was impactful in a way that James came home feeling encouraged by being able to contribute as a young leader, and also encouraged by the progress made in the Indian churches as believers are understanding the Scripture with a renewed perspective.
Here is a snapshot of James’ journal from his trip to India:
“Then came the celebration in Pune. Three local networks came together to organize it; there were nearly 200 people in attendance. It was a very encouraging time, and the recipients were all thrilled to be recognized. We met briefly with a team of local leaders before the celebration began. [Local leader] and Michael shared, and then the certificates were handed out. They opened the celebration with a few worship songs, with [another local leader] and others stressing the importance of song in Indian culture. …
“The next morning, we went to [local partner church]. Michael presented on the importance of realizing that there is a didache, a way of living, and that we are all called to renew our minds; he also covered the CBT tools and the importance of active listening. Everyone readily spun their chairs around, formed circles, and discussed what was presented; it was clear they had done this before, and it came naturally to them. I sat in on a group of young people. They shared their thoughts, processing a lot of new information. They reminded me a lot of my Christian peers at Ames High, having a grasp on the kerygma and a desire to evangelize their peers. That afternoon, we were invited to [local leader’s] home and spent the afternoon having lunch, playing with their children, and discussing tools like the TJTA, SIMA, and CBT. Michael had presented on CBT in the morning, and it was clearly very interesting to them; they were hungry for tools to impact the people around them and convicted in the idea of using those tools for the renewal of the mind.
“We flew to Bangalore that evening; the next day was the celebration. We had a mid-morning meeting with [several network partners], talking through lifework struggles and the importance of building complex networks. I was again struck by how similar the issues that Indian leadership was dealing with were to the same things we are thinking through on the home front. The celebration was great, with dozens of people thrilled to be recognized for their hard work. [Two local leaders] spoke about the importance of First Principles and The Story, while Michael introduced Mastering the Scriptures.”