By Matt Norman, CBF field personnel
Looking at the photo, Michelle joked that I was the “old one” in the group. She was right. I had just returned from a retreat of the first IBTS Apprentice cohort. For much of 2024, I had been working alongside my colleague Victoria (from Bulgaria) on the IBTS Learning Network team to develop an Apprentice program. The program, designed for young Christian leaders in their 20s, aims to foster personal development, local community investment and global theological engagement within the Learning Network.
We hope it offers a valuable opportunity for young leaders to not only develop personally but also to critically reflect theologically on their everyday experiences, enhancing their leadership skills and impact in their communities and the world. In fact, that is the purpose, to empower young leaders to develop as individuals and have a transformational impact in their local, regional, and global context by engaging in intercultural learning to broaden perspectives, skills and theological reflection.
We decided to start with a small group of curated young adults who could experience the program that we are developing and help us finish it by giving important feedback and input. Four apprentices were chosen and agreed to help us representing Norway, Italy, the Netherlands and Bulgaria. We started the program in September and will continue for a year.
The retreat in November was the first time we could all be together face to face. We spent a weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria exploring definitions of Mission, how to practice active listening, learning to read a community and building upon the intercultural engagement study that we had done preceding the retreat. It was a fun few days and yes, I was the “old guy” in the group that couldn’t resist the occasional dad joke.
Sometimes I wonder about the impact that one has when engaging in the slow work of one-on-one relational ministry. A few weeks later, at my PhD defence and graduation, one of the apprentices was there, supporting me. At the reception after the defence, he gifted me a plate of baclava (I had mentioned in Bulgaria how much I loved baclava), and a card from all the apprentices. I’m hopeful that this program will be helpful to each one of these amazing young leaders, but I already know that they have made an impact on me.