Very excited about this post because I think it's huge. Huger than huge. Two months ago I spoke at the Awaken conference at Mosaic. While there I spent some time with Steve Saccone who oversees their Protege Program. I also spent some time with their proteges. I fell in love with the concept. It's a two-year internship that provides an incredible win/win scenario. The proteges get an amazing experience working on staff at Mosaic. And Mosaic gets a couple dozen staff members with lots of energy.
Long story short, we've been in conversations with Mosaic. They have given us their "blessing" to launch an east coast version. Definitely want to give credit where credit is due. We are borrowing lots of ideas from Mosaic, but we'll come up with a very unique program here. And initially, our protege program will be a one-year experience. We'll also do a few exchange experiences with Mosaic.
We'll go live with applications in a few days.
I'm so excited about this on lots of levels.
First of all, we've always felt tremendous affinity with Mosaic. Love their approach to church. And on a personal level, Erwin McManus is one of those leaders I admire on lots of levels.
Second, we feel called to be a teaching church. Think hospitals and teaching hospitals. Teaching hospitals care for patients just like hospitals. But they are also intentional about training doctors. We really think this will help us raise us a generation of leaders. Give it a few years and we'll have hundreds of proteges planting churches; serving on church staffs; and leading entrepreneurial organizations.
Finally, we view the Protege Program as our farm system. Think baseball. Every major league team has a minor league team. It's their farm system where they cultivate players. As we continue to launch new locations throughout the DC area and around the world, we need people to step into those positions. I'm guessing most of our future hires will be proteges. And the ones we don't hire will get an amazing experience. And hopefully it won't hurt their resume either.
We'll certainly share more details and let you know when the application and FAQ go live. But we're looking to bring on 4-6 proteges in the fall.
Long story short, we've been in conversations with Mosaic. They have given us their "blessing" to launch an east coast version. Definitely want to give credit where credit is due. We are borrowing lots of ideas from Mosaic, but we'll come up with a very unique program here. And initially, our protege program will be a one-year experience. We'll also do a few exchange experiences with Mosaic.
We'll go live with applications in a few days.
I'm so excited about this on lots of levels.
First of all, we've always felt tremendous affinity with Mosaic. Love their approach to church. And on a personal level, Erwin McManus is one of those leaders I admire on lots of levels.
Second, we feel called to be a teaching church. Think hospitals and teaching hospitals. Teaching hospitals care for patients just like hospitals. But they are also intentional about training doctors. We really think this will help us raise us a generation of leaders. Give it a few years and we'll have hundreds of proteges planting churches; serving on church staffs; and leading entrepreneurial organizations.
Finally, we view the Protege Program as our farm system. Think baseball. Every major league team has a minor league team. It's their farm system where they cultivate players. As we continue to launch new locations throughout the DC area and around the world, we need people to step into those positions. I'm guessing most of our future hires will be proteges. And the ones we don't hire will get an amazing experience. And hopefully it won't hurt their resume either.
We'll certainly share more details and let you know when the application and FAQ go live. But we're looking to bring on 4-6 proteges in the fall.
12 Comments:
This sounds great. I'd love to know some more of the details about a protege program (i.e. do they get payed, are the bi-vocational, age range, are they housed, etc.)
PRAISE GOD! This is beginning to sound like discipleship, and raising up leaders. Believe it or not, I think we need more leaders (to lead small groups, accountability groups, to start church plants ...) so this program is HUGE!
Love what you're doing. I hope all large churches will adopt this model!
That sounds AWESOME! We started an Internship/Apprenticeship program here at Crosspoint, but I'm really curious as to how the Protege Program works! We're always looking to give our interns a better experience...
Chris,
We're working on the FAQ as I blog :) Should have it in a couple days!
Mark
AH HA! What a great idea! esepcailly when you mentioned using the farm system. Since now I am working on a real farm, my dad's farm, Dad could teach farming and the farmhouse could be run like a bed and breakfast. Considering that Dad is 84 and Mom is with Jesus, there is an opportunity in all of this. Maybe you can see it more clearly
Love the analogies and the vision.
The value is reproduction rather than replication. You guys aren't just copying, you're reproducing your leadership and hearts into proteges. Would love to reproduce this in our context, albeit, who knows if anyone wants to be a protege of some crazy church planter 3 yrs running...
Love it! As a doctor, I can tell you the value of the one on one mentoring process, particularly over an extended time. Since I can't come up there, any chance of distance proteging (if such a word exists?) from DC to Raleigh?
Kurt,
Maybe there is a Protege 2.0 in the works :)
Mark
Great Post - that's exciting! although I question the word "huger"
:)
Mark!! What an incredible idea by the HOLY GHOST (lovin' "Ghost in the Machine" by the way)! I love NCC and MOSAIC! Listen...this is a long shot...you are busy...I want to plant and church and preach...my current denomination will not ordain me because my seminary is too "conservative." I would love to know if you are ordained or not...any tips about church planting you can give me...also, how did NCC become "interdenominational"?
Mark,
Great concept. We were at the conference in April at Mosiac. IT was an awesome time. This what unity is all about. Keep...keeping on. Love what you are doing and being creative.
David
Mark...any chance to hear the details @ UNPLUGGED? Would love to dive into that a bit. Heading to DC in a few hours.
Charles
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