Reading: The Mentor/Apprentice Model of Higher Education

The Mentor/Apprentice Model of Higher Education

All over the world, pastors and leaders have been raising up Christian leaders. Paul was the spiritual father; he raised up Timothy, his spiritual son. Together, two generations of leaders worked together to advance the gospel. This pattern has repeated itself for generations. 

The internet holds new promise for the training of generations of Christian leaders. The internet is able to beam high-quality education to relationships. We ask CLI students to find local mentors to help them process their online training. This local leader can contextualize their lessons and give them opportunities to soar in ministry.

Where is Christian Leaders Institute? It is online. Yes. But it is processed in local relationships. This is how the Apostle Paul and Timothy operated. Together they made an impact. 

How does the internet help? The internet is a relatively new, explosive factor. Consider this fictitious story I will tell you:

The Internet is a "Conversion Box"

What would happen if a person, I'll call Jason, invented an energy conversion box? This invention can convert air into electricity and can be scaled. The smallest boxes replace batteries of all sizes. Larger boxes energize cars, small generators, and wells in remote areas. Big converter boxes can run industrial applications and power plants. On top of this, the design is simple, and maintenance costs are very low.  Jason's concept is simple to the point that it could be copied easily and would supply a productive resource that would enhance the lives of billions of people.

Just imagine the results! New wells could be dug, and a conversion box generator would run a little motor that pumped fresh water to those who needed it. Laptops would never have to be recharged. Cars would no longer need gas and carbon pollution would be reduced. Trains never need to burn stinky diesel fuel, and goods and services can be brought to the market for a fraction of the cost. Propeller airplanes would make a comeback, and these planes would never run out of fuel. The effects of this discovery would revolutionize our way of life quickly.

But wait! Not everyone would be excited about this new technology. The production of energy is an immense and lucrative business, and this invention would render fossil fuel companies and nuclear power obsolete! Where teams of scientists and specially trained hazard workers are required for nuclear energy, the simplistic energy box can be manufactured by a simple assembly line! Suddenly there would be thousands of people whose years of training for lucrative jobs are now wasted, and many of them still have large debts from their extensive education!

Then there are people who would resent this technology for other reasons. Forget carbon emissions and pollution; a "car" is something unique and familiar! They would never consider getting an "electric” car because a "real" car is made up of much more than metal and motor. What actually "makes” a car are things like the sound of the gas engine and the feel of the steering wheel under the hand.

Then, of course, governments would fight to control this new technology. Combat vehicles that usually consume immense amounts of fuel can now be operated solely off of unlimited clean power supply! Field electrical equipment would no longer require expensive and bulky generators with specially trained operators to implement them. Everything can be operated from this small, inexpensive energy box.

Now imagine that Jason decides he will give this technology away before anyone tries to own it and make money on it. He offers it to humanity like Wikipedia is offered and accessible to everyone.  The Converter box knowledge is only a click away. 

Over time, every industry, government, and people group somehow incorporates this invention. Some companies keep their old technology and use only small contributions of the converter box design; other companies redesign their entire product lines around this resource. Some companies go out of business, and new companies form. The world would be a different place.

The Internet is like the "Conversion Box”

The Internet has changed the world radically when it comes to the exchange of information and resources. While the invention of the computer was revolutionary, the Internet has brought a new form of connectivity that has changed how everything works, from relationships to exchange of information. Many authors and commentators have chronicled the massive changes that have taken place.

Type into the Google search box, "How the Internet has changed the world,” to get thousands of hits from news articles to academic papers. Many saw the significance of the Internet, but many did not see it as a threat to how they operated. The changes that have and will occur because of the Internet are so many and varied that almost no one argues that they can ever be overstated.

For instance, the Internet has changed our behaviors and practices in many ways. Here are a few examples:

- How someone buys almost anything, including airline tickets, travel arrangements, books and e-books, golf clubs, and poodles.

- How someone communicates with other people. First, there was e-mail. Now social networking sites such as Facebook, WeChat, and Snap Chat have connected billions. These social networking sites are replacing phone directories. Someone is more likely to connect via Facebook than to make a physical phone call.

- How someone researches information. Google, Yahoo, and Bing are just digital libraries. While there is misinformation on the Internet, a discerning researcher would rather have a library brought into his/her own home or workplace to research anything, from where to eat to what poodle to buy, using the Internet.

- How politicians are elected. Blogs and Vlogs, social media, and other ways of using the Internet are now often a factor in who gets elected.

- How like-minded people find each other. Like-minded researchers can now connect instantly from different places of the world to compare notes as they solve problems together. Those interested in eating organic foods can chat, blog, message, and build organic food culture together.

- How knowledge and teachings are transmitted to individuals. The development of Wikipedia and TEDs University has become a resource that people use as they seek knowledge and training about a whole host of topics. Some schools and universities have jumped on the bandwagon, offering distance-learning classes that allow students to do classes online and get credit at the academic institution.

The Impact On Training Revival Leaders

The Internet is a game changer. It changes the way humans learn. It turns the way information is transmitted. It provides a tool for interaction that can be used efficiently in ensuring accountability and communication. Open-source programs like Moodle.org allow schools and institutions to interact in a world-class way with students. The Internet's role in equipping called Christian leaders for ministry will continue to increase.

Christian Leaders Institute has a meaningful interactive relationship with thousands of ministry students.

Student Profiles

When students are making their way through the Getting Started class, they create a student profile which places them on our roster. This profile is the foundation of their witness as a Christian Leader. In this profile, they tell a little bit about their Christian Journey. They outline their call to ministry. This profile highlights the classes students and graduates have completed. Students are asked to upload a quality picture. If someone is living in a persecuted areas of the world or their situation requires there complete privacy, those students are not required to reveal their identity. 

Most graduates benefit significantly from this profile. If they are in ministry, this profile shows verification that they have completed studies. If they are restoring their reputation after making some mistakes, this profile helps communicate the changes that are happening. The profile also allows CLI to spread the enthusiasm for generosity supported ministry training. 

Online Lectures

The professors prepare and put lectures in the digital syllabus. The lectures can be viewed over and over again. Every time students view lectures, those viewings are recorded in student viewing logs. In other words, the professors know which students are watching the lectures.

Quizzes and Examinations

Christian Leaders Institute professors assign students quizzes and examinations from their lessons. The quiz and examination grades are automatically recorded and saved. At the end of the semester, the quiz results are automatically tallied, and a grade for each class is assigned. There are technological safeguards that make it very hard for students to cheat. While this all sounds complicated, the fact is that the quizzes and examinations and the professors' involvement with the student's work are presented to both students and professors with an easy interface.

Students Submit Papers

Students watch lectures, take quizzes and tests, but also participate in submitting papers. We ask students to submit their sermons for evaluation in their mentor relationships. There are so many features that I could tell you about, but I do not want to make this book/course into a technological manual for Internet ministry training.

The technology is so effective and inexpensive that Christian Leaders Institute can offer an online ministry training education for a fraction of what it costs traditional seminaries to provide the training. It is so efficient that Christian Leaders Institute can make a high impact with a smaller budget than traditional ministry training organizations.

The Internet allows Christian Leaders Institute to return to practices that are very ancient in the identifying and training of a Christian leader ready for bringing revival. To get a fuller understanding of why something so cutting edge as the Internet can help us return to something so ancient, in the next video we'll look at the ancient practices of ministry training.