How to join in

We believe the first step towards seeing a disciple making movement take hold in Aotearoa is for us to tend to the “soil” or culture in our communities, churches, cities, and country.

For Aotearoa to see a far-reaching discipleship movement take root in our land, we need to have deep indigenous and home-grown roots. We’ve learnt that significant culture change happens best when multiple churches and teams join together to see their community or region transformed by the hope of the gospel.

If you’ve made it this far, you probably already know that this is something Aotearoa needs and are ready to dive in straight away! So now you’ll be waiting to know what your first steps are. We highly recommend reading some of the key texts (available here). we’d love to have a chat with you to hear about your journey and context, and get you connected with a learning community experience that’s already underway.

Here is what our process normally looks like…

You come to a region where a learning community is existing already and participate in that and a coaching huddle. Then, we discern together what the steps are to partner with you in your home patch. We have learnt it generally takes three-five years to create a sustainable ecosystem. Therefore, we prayerfully build and develop strong relationships with a network of people who have a long-term commitment and call to their region. Our heart is to see regions take ownership and cultivate their own part of the movement of missional discipleship, with support and connection to the wider network. If you would like to chat this through please get in touch.

What is a Learning Community?

A Learning Community is a interactive, immersive leadership training experience. Over four gatherings (every six months over two years) you, your leaders, and your church or faith organisation receive input, support and resources along your missional discipleship journey. Each gathering has a different theme during which you’ll hear from experienced local practitioners, discover proven methods of discipleship and mission, while having space to evaluate your current realities and make concrete plans as you move forward.

One of the things that makes a Learning Community so impacting is that it’s designed to be done in teams of ideally three to six – because missional discipleship can’t be a solo sport!

This journey is much more than simply attending handful of training events together, its the intentional process of transforming your lives, churches and communities. Time and time again we’ve seen the groups that get the most out of a Learning Community are the ones that intentionally move from being a “team at a learning community”, and instead become a “whānau on mission” together.

Trust us, we get it - life is busy and ministry is demanding, but one of the most important things you can do is invest in your relationships with each other. We suggest strongly that from day one your team make the commitment to gather together at least fortnightly in between gatherings. If you don't do this, you'll find that your team will make very little progress on becoming a missional disciplining team. You need to have this regular time to begin to pray, eat, laugh, cry and celebrate what God is up to in each others life - this is about becoming a "whānau on mission" - and this takes intentional time. Additionally, as your team leader progresses through their coaching huddle, this time you’ve already established will eventually transition into your team huddle.

Learning Community gatherings take place over three days, and cost $300 per person per gathering ($1,200 per person over the full two years). Price is payable per gathering, or on a payment plan as agreed in advance.

What are “Huddles”?

Huddles

Huddles are an intentional leadership development tool. Small groups of five to seven people meet at least fortnightly to engage in the missional discipleship process with a leadership lens, and learn how to put the tools into practice. Huddles are not a replacement for small groups, and are designed discipling leadership development so designed to be for a season of investment..

Huddles are lead by someone within a local context (church or organisation) who has been coached in huddle leadership.

Coaching Huddles

Coaching huddles are for one senior leader from each team going through a Good Soil Collective Learning Community or Community of Practice process. It’s our belief that you can’t lead anyone somewhere you’re not willing to go yourself, and coaching huddles are the way that we offer training for leaders to embed the tools in their own lives and lead out huddles in their own contexts.

A coaching huddle has four-six participants, is lead by an experienced practitioner and normally occurs for a hour or so once a fortnight over a one-two year period. They can happen in real life face-to-face gatherings if people are in the same area, or virtually via online video software for those who are more scattered.

Coaching huddles are an additional $82.50 per month and are reserved for one senior leader from each team undertaking a LC or COP process. Additional people may be placed in coaching huddles subject to availability. Please get in touch if you would like to be considered for one of these spaces. Price is payable six-monthly, or on a payment plan as agreed in advance.

What is a Community of Practice?

In our experience we have found that when teams get to the end of the Learning Community process, whilst they have learnt and grown a lot, they are not yet confident about embedding the principles and practices of missional discipleship in their own context by themselves.

In order to support these teams, there is another opportunity to continue to dig further into our missional discipleship journey together through a Community of Practice.

The Community of Practice helps each team to stay accountable and open to God’s voice as they continue on the discipleship and mission journey. Just like a Learning Community we gather together every six months over two years, however Community of Practice gatherings are shorter and move from a heavy teaching component to focusing far more on tactics and coaching for how missional discipleship is unfolding in your context.

At the end of your Learning Community process, the leadership team will contact you with details about a possible Community of Practice if they have discerned it to be appropriate for your region.

If you’d like to request more information about any of the above - including options, costing’s, and availability - please get in touch with us: info@goodsoilcollective.org.nz.