Grandparent Ministry
Servant Leadership |
Definition of Servant Leadership Value
“The student models servant leadership and equips others in a God-given direction through Christ-like character, leadership capability, and love.”
Part I
Servant Leadership Goal
- I will build a conference program to equip grandparents with Biblical examples and cultural techniques to foster Christ-centered relationships. - Deferred due to COVID
- I will build a program to equip grandparents with Biblical examples and cultural techniques to foster Christ-centered relationships. - Initial course in work
- I will build a cadre of committed attenders to support the emerging grandparent program - part of the initial course offering and supporting 10 weekly sessions
Strategies
- I will attend one Grandparent Ministry Conference in 2020. - deferred
- I will prepare a recommendation for hosting a regional grandparent ministry conference in the DC area - deferred
- I will develop an Immanuel Bible Institute elective semester length course that draws from published biblical material, books articles and published literature/audio resources.
- I will develop an IBC focused profile of the grandparent demographic within the current church. Based on a brief ABF ministry survey identify interested attenders who can partner.
- I will identify and review at least 5 church-based grandparent ministry programs and their resourcing recommendations.
- I will investigate extended grandparent service options for ministry (children’s ministry, Assist Pregnancy Center) - deferred
Resources
- Courageous Grandparenting Seminars (christiangrandparenting.net)
- Grandparenting matters! Seminar (Legacycoalition.com)
- Intentional Grandparenting (grandparenting.com)
Measurement
- Note: The Grandparent Course became part of my Servant-Leader emphasis after working with the pastoral staff to adjust priorities based on COVID restrictions. For communication, I developed several courses for online training that are discussed in that section.
- IBI course that can be offered beginning in the winter of 2021.
- A draft program was initiated in September for a 10-week class held every Tuesday night with a select group of 10 sets of grandparents who can provide feedback before opening up the program to the congregation.
- Annual church recognition of the biblical role of grandparents coincident with Grandparents Day (1st Sunday after Labor Day) - deferred
- Complete a survey at least 30 active attenders of IBC on their interest and prepare recommendations for establishing a Grandparent Ministry based on that survey NLT Jun 2020. - deferred
- Complete reading of three grandparenting books in resources by 1 Mar, 1 Apr and 1 May.
Part II
Overall Reflection Statement for Servant Leadership
For my competence in Christian leadership, I am submitting the preparatory and presentation material for the ongoing Christian Grandparenting course. We are in week 7 of a 10 week program that includes the weekly review of material with 10 carefully selected Christian grandparents to help develop the curriculum. Each week, I lead the group conversation associated with the book Grandparenting with Grace, by Larry McCall. The artifacts includes active web pages with key material used of the course and the outline. Several of these interactions were also recorded and kept on a separate, password protected link for privacy. Interacting with this group has shown me the value of counsel and perspective on key grandparenting issues within a community and helped frame the content of weekly lessons to support a roll-out to the general church audience in 2021. This process has been an invaluable tool in considering the range of social grandparenting concerns even among a group of committed Christian brothers and sisters so the material can be properly organized and presented.
Artifacts with Descriptions
- Grandparent Page on the Site that captures weekly material, videos and slides related to the details discussed in the weekly Grandparenting course sessions held on Tuesday night.
- Grandparenting Course Draft Outline summarizing the content and lesson objectives associated with the course, key themes, learning objectives, action statements/ideas
| grandparenting_course_outline_11_oct_20.xlsx |
Learning Reflection
As I developed and demonstrated Christian leadership, I learned the diversity and complexity of issues associated with grandparenting the the 21st century. I learned that you need to balance personal growth objectives with grandparenting goals. I was reminded this week that we need to challenge, but not overwhelm participants by getting them to think they need to master the art of grandparenting or have control over the decisions of others. It is impacting the pace, timing and content of the course to focus on ministering the grandparents as much as teaching them to minister to their own families.
Lifelong Development Statement
As a result of the experiences documented by these artifacts, I will continue to develop in Christian leadership through evolving the Christian Grandparenting course for a broader audience. This includes building up a virtual resource library that people can access as needed to meet their own individual needs. It also includes additional emphasis on community encouragement and group prayer to ensure all participants feel encouraged and strengthened by the group.
Preparation is a key to effective class sessions that also include detailed feedback. Understanding the use of zoom sessions has been a key dynamic for interaction on the material. Additionally, engaging and assigning people for portions of the class helped with participation and encouraging diverse opinions and sharing.
Preparation is a key to effective class sessions that also include detailed feedback. Understanding the use of zoom sessions has been a key dynamic for interaction on the material. Additionally, engaging and assigning people for portions of the class helped with participation and encouraging diverse opinions and sharing.