WHY 100 DAYS?

I sent an email to Mon Samson and Nerry Gool regarding our concept of training new AGLs for the “First 100 Days”.  Here’s what I said:

Hi Mon and Nerry,

If you’ve been to the project blogsite, www.projects.lumens-solutions.com, you will see that we want to premise the AGL Training on the following:

1. The trainee is a first-time AGL; who has served as a Discussion Group leader already.
2. His/her task is to handle a newly formed AG coming from those who just finished the Christian Growth Series.
3. He/she needs training so that the first 100 days of forming the AG is solid and provides a strong foundation for discipleship and commitment to Lingkod.

We thought of focusing on the first 100 days because we believe that the specific skills, knowledge and attitudes that are need to handle an AG for this first formative period could be different from those required during the subsequent periods.  But even if they’re generic skills/knowledge/attitude, at least we can motivate the trainee by telling him/her that the first 100 days are crucial, and therefore he/she needs to develop competence in specific skills right away, and so on.  Also, I do believe that there are different and more challenging skills needed for handling an AG that has been around more than 6 months or a year with issues and concerns that are not present in the early stages.  In the early stage, the focus can be on developing a prayer habit, and on finding time for Lingkod activities.  In latter stages, we’re talking about these, plus more profound “pastoring” challenges such as:  christifying the workplace, evangelizing, dealing with character changes, dealing with relationships in the branch, etc.

You see, if we had a one-size fits all training for AG Leaders, then we will overwhelm the first-time trainee with so much inputs which are not needed for the moment, and which will therefore be a waste-of-time to learn.  This will then result in lower motivation to finish the course, or to focus on the learnings that are needed right away.  End result will be a member who has gone through the course but did not really learn much.  We don’t want that, do we?

I do realize that this may be a revolutionary paradigm for you, and so can you please study this concept a little more closely.  If you could, I suggest you try to visualize and answer the following:

• what should be the desired condition or situation of the newly-formed AG after 100 days?
• what are the things to be accomplished well by the AG at the end of the 100 day period?

If you agree to develop the training materials with these in mind, and if you have articulated answers to the two bullet points above, then we’ll proceed.

Thank you and God bless you.

EDDIE