Carrying the Burden with Next-Generation Leaders
“This is the answer to my life and ministry.”
Our Cote d’Ivoire team is made up of our Country Team Leader, Jean Benson, and the three associates he is training. We first met Jean when he was struggling to pastor a church and was seeking methods to build leaders. He was very excited when he came to a training of ours in 2018 and discovered our models. Without us even knowing about it, he started teaching the models on his own with the resources and opportunities he had. We invited him to be our Cote d’Ivoire Country Team Leader in February 2020.
“In the past, I thought that only intellectuals or those who had studied the Bible could understand the model. I was totally wrong! The ConneXions Model works everywhere, even far from the capital town and with people who have not had much formal schooling! The pastors I have taught have formed a deep relational web of compassion and accountability with each other. They are more proactive now, and even though they are spread apart they retain what they have learned.”
One of the trainings Jean led was for a group of church leaders. One of these leaders in particular was a young, emerging pastor. The founder of his church had died a few years ago and this young man who had succeeded him had been almost crushed under the weight of his new responsibilities. When Jean taught on how to choose the right leaders to build, the young man felt a weight lift from his shoulders and said, “This is the answer to my life and my ministry.” He can now successfully build leaders to help carry the load of the church leadership. Jean is focusing on building his associates as well as translating many of our books and resources into French.
