Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.
In the first three parts of this interview with Jim Mellon and Wade Adams, we identified the following "agents" or components that create the synergy of the LK10 Apprenticeship.
1. Weekly (for 12 weeks) learning assignments
2. Private Facebook discussion group
3. Daily CO2 relationship with one other person
4. Personal coaching session every other week with cohort leader.
5. Community conference call every other week
In part four of this interview (see below), Jim and Wade comment on the final components...
6. Participants invest in the ministry of the cohort leader (see 1 Cor. 9:11)
Here's the best definition of the LK10 Apprenticeship: a small "community of practice" (a cohort of 12 people) that creates a powerful learning environment.
Our learning is focused on three foundational rhythms or practices...
1. Individually learning to pay attention to both our own hearts and God's heart.
2. Learning to pay attention in these two areas with one other person. We call this a CO2 (church of two).
3. Learning to pay attention in these areas with a small family like group. We call this a house church or simple church.
The learning environment of the Apprenticeship is the result of the synergy of several different components. In the last two posts we heard from Jim Mellon and Wade Adams about
1. The weekly learning assignments
2. The private Facebook discussion group
3. The CO2
In the video below Jim and Wade talk about two more components: coaching and group conference calls.
I'm doing these posts about the Apprenticeship for two reasons.
First, because it's a way for each of the three cohorts to learn from each other. LK10 in general and the Apprenticeship in particular are "communities of practice". Another term might be "learning communities". We believe we as practitioners can learn a great deal from others who are engaging the core practices.
Second, because it's a way for people who are not currently in the Apprenticeship to gain a clearer understanding of what happens in these "communities of practice". In January, we anticipate opening up some new cohorts. Listening to these stories will help people as they consider entering the Apprenticeship.
Below is Tim Pynes commenting on what he's seeing in his cohort after two weeks. He explains more about the difference between coaching and mentoring. Also, one amazing aspect of his community of ten people is that it has members in the Philippines, in Eastern Europe and in Australia as well as several places in the US. My sense is that in the next year we will see the Apprenticeship spreading rapidly around the world.
Part of what I’ll be doing in this blog over the Fall is reporting on the LK10 Apprenticeship. During the Fall, three cohorts of around 10 people each will function as small "communities of practice". One cohort, led by Kent Smith, will be face to face. The other two, led by Tim Pynesand myself will be virtual. Our learning will focus on the first three of the seven LK10 Practices. (see below for more on this)
My sense is that the Apprenticeship will become another powerful tool (like the 10:2b Prayer and CO2s) towards the end of seeing "a vibrant family of Jesus within easy access of every region and cultural group". Our hope is to be able to offer many more cohorts in 2011.
Today, I want to introduce you to the cohort that Kent Smith (and Chadd Schroeder) will be leading.This cohort is part of the Master’s Degree program at the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University.This group was introduced to the basic rhythms of the Apprenticeship by Kent, Chadd and myself at a retreat last weekend outside of Abilene. I was very impressed by both the hearts and minds of this group of young adults. They are passionate for Jesus and hungry to learn. (And, these guys can really sing!)
The video below will give you a bit of a feel for what this cohort looks like. (I want to encourage the members of this cohort to be "story collectors". Listen to the Lord and see when there is a story in your cohort that the rest of us on the blog need to hear about. Do a short video interview and send it to me.)
