Kristi and I started dreaming about student leadership development in the summer of 2004. We thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could help student leaders transition so that they don't get lost like we did 15 years ago?" It seemed crazy at the time, but we met a couple emerging college leaders (Matt Morgan and Sarah Sharkey) and began to mentor them. We found them very eager to grow - they were starving for personal attention, and very concerned about what would happen to them after graduation.
Over the fall we met some of their friends and discovered that they were not unique in their desire to grow as leaders. Their genuine love for God and people was demonstrated in their unencumbered lifestyle. With the help of our pastor, Paul Berthiaume and student pastor, Kory Omen, we dreamed up the idea of a community of leaders. We recruited student leaders and in February 2005, we launched the first LEAD Team with 9 students. This first LEAD Team was only 1 semester, while subsequent Teams have been an entire school year commitment. Over the next year, Paul and Kory moved on to other things, while Kristi and I continued to invest in and develop LEAD Team.
The curriculum eventually came down to three areas - Leadership Development, Transition and Emotional Wellness. Our process involved one on one mentoring as well as group teaching while on retreats. Each year we recruited and interviewed students - accepting 8-10 for LEAD Team. We also built a ministry team to labor with us. In May, 2010, we finished our sixth LEAD Team. We now have 48 LEAD Grads.
All this was great fun. However, a couple years ago I began to have a larger burden. Wouldn't it be great if others could do the same things we are doing? No doubt there are tens of thousands of alumni that have not transitioned well. Perhaps they can learn to dream again. Furthermore, there are thousands of new emerging college leaders that are graduating out of the campus world every year. Perhaps now is the time to change the rules such that they would transition well by intention, rather than by slim chance. I endeavored to write a book and record our formula for LEAD Team. This book, emerge, was published in October, 2009. There are links above for it on Amazon.
If you are a student or recent grad, you could benefit greatly from this book. Our teaching material is in this resource.
If you are interested in leadership development and desire to help emerging college leaders transition well, the formula for LEAD Team is there too.
God bless you as you grow in leadership and influence in His Kingdom!
Ken Jibben
|