New Director Training

Ideal Participants

There are a diverse number of people for which this training has proven beneficial.  The most common fall into the following four categories: emerging new director, pioneering new director, second career new director, and church-sponsored new directors (volunteers).

Emerging New Directors

The emerging new director track is designed for a veteran Chi Alpha associate staff who has completed RUI, CMIT, is an AG licensed minister, and who desires to become a director. These leaders know Chi Alpha’s values, vision, and missionary/discipleship culture, desire to sharpen the skills for leading a staff team, and strategically growing ministry on campus to its next levels. The emerging new directors track equips great staff to become great directors of existing ministries.

Pioneering New Directors

The pioneering new director track is designed for a veteran Chi Alpha associate staff who has completed RUI, CMIT, is an AG licensed minister, and desires to pioneer or re-pioneer a campus. These leaders know Chi Alpha’s values, vision, and missionary/discipleship culture, and will spend the next year learning how to establish a ministry from scratch. The cohort of pioneers will become friends that learn and support one another through the pioneering process.

Second Career New Directors

The second career new director track is designed for a marketplace leader and/or veteran minister who has served the Lord through the local church or mission assignments. They desire to make Chi Alpha their career path, and are unable to relocate for a residential CMIT program. This leader must be solid theologically. Through the training leaders will gain the vision, values, and culture of Chi Alpha’s trans-generational discipleship strategy. This track also serves those who have already made the transition to Chi Alpha staff, didn’t complete a CMIT, and desires further training as a Chi Alpha director. The second career new director’s track equips leaders for group/team leadership and facilitates their acclimation into our missionary organization.

Note: A residential CMIT program is the ideal way for any leader to transition into Chi Alpha and be prepared for staff service. The residential CMIT program will equip a leader, and their family if applicable, to the culture, demands, and mission of Chi Alpha in a way that a long distance learning program cannot. It must be emphasized that all options for participating in a residential CMIT program should be exhausted before applying for New Director Training.

Church-Sponsored New (Volunteer) Directors

This track is uniquely designed for a church staff person who is being released by the local church to plant a healthy Chi Alpha group on a small college or community college in their area. The minimum age is 23, and directors must have some college (degree preferred) or professional certificate and have previous ministry experience. Theological training and biblical literacy is also assumed. The emphasis is on the basics of building a trans-generational discipleship ministry on campus and the personal spiritual disciplines that become the foundation for their discipleship plan. Relational connection with full time campus ministers will help to understand our values and practices. Campus visits to other ministries and participation in Chi Alpha events are required. We seek to empower the leader to shape an effective ministry in their context.

If you are not sure where you fit into one of these categories, contact Paul Austin.

Schedule

April 1, 2023	Applications deadline (Cost: $100. Apply here.)
May 1, 2023	Approval process
July 7-9, 2023	NDT orientation
July 9-14, 2023	Reach the University Institute (if applicable)
July 10-11, 2023	Pioneering Boot Camp (if applicable)
November 13-17, 2023	NDT Intensive (NDTI)
June 2023 to April 2023	Monthly coaching calls
June 2023 to May 2024	Monthly Zoom call
March 25, 2024	Final payment due

For further information or questions contact Paul Austin, Matt Herman, Mike Olejarz, or Jerry Gibson.

How It Works

Distance education provides so many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Similar to a non-residential graduate program, New Director Training (NDT) utilizes both eight person cohort based learning groups, structured training experiences, self-guided learning, and relational support through monthly video conference classes and independent studies. Each of the four new director tracks will have specific curricula and a similar delivery.

Orientation and Reach the University Institute (RUI)

The whole process starts with a NDT cohort orientation prior to RUI in Springfield, Missouri. This lays the relational building blocks of vision and trust needed to move through each element of the NDT experience. For those who haven’t completed RUI previously will finish the cohort orientation and remain to complete RUI. Those who haven’t completing Pioneer Boot Camp the cohort orientation and stick around a couple more days for the pioneering track.

Monthly Cohort Calls

Each new director cohort has a maximum of eight participants. Each person prepares and submits homework to a Google classroom from books read, videos watched, and/or other assignments, posts their work, and then joins in on monthly three-hour video conversations. Their cohort experience includes opportunities for members to teach their peers and engage in conversation and application around given materials. The eleven sessions cover core leadership skills and expose each leader to a variety of veteran Chi Alpha leaders. These guided conversations and posted homework assignments allow for the instructor to gauge the comprehension and creativity that each participant is developing around core director competencies.

Mentor/Coaching

Each trainee is partnered with a veteran Chi Alpha coach. These conversations model a discipleship relationship and are designed to give each the experience needed to disciple students and staff under their leadership. Two learning plans are developed and implemented through the mentor/coach relationship that address identified growth areas of each candidate.

Campus Visits

Working with district leadership, a coach, and NDT staff, each participant will spend time on campus with existing Chi Alpha groups. These visits are evaluated through post-visit projects and papers that reflect the experience and insights gained that could contribute to recreating similar dynamics on their campus.

NDT Intensive

All participants converge on the National Chi Alpha Ministry Center (Springfield, Missouri) for intentional relationship time, training, and exposure and connection with the entire residential national Chi Alpha team. This time also includes presentations and projects by each trainee demonstrating their skills as a director, small group leader, and one-on-one facilitator.

Cost

The non-refundable, non-transferable application fee is $100. Once accepted into the program, the cost is $1,400 for the year. This includes all on-site costs for the cohort orientation and NDTI, materials, and coaching. This does not include travel costs to and from the cohort orientation/RUI and the NDTI events in Springfield, MO or the campus visits. There is a spousal discount of $500 for full participation. Payment options are:

1. Pay the amount in full when accepted or
2. Pay a deposit of $400 by May 1st, and ten monthly payments of $100 afterwards.

Completion

Not all get ribbons for participation. The New Directors Program is not an event to experience, but an evaluated training with strong recommendation upon completion. The extensive application and assessment process at the beginning builds expectation and focus for growth for each leader who enters. At the end of the program, each participant will receive a letter of recommendation and affirmation based on the objectives of the training, which reflect the skills identified through a Chi Alpha director job description. Candidates receive one of the following recommendations:

1. Full recommendation to direct a Chi Alpha group and host a CMIT program when able.
2. Endorsed to direct a local Chi Alpha group but recommend further development prior to applying to host a CMIT.
3. Not recommended to be a director and encouraged to complete a full CMIT or further experience under a veteran Chi Alpha director in a healthy group prior to directing.

Meet the Faculty