The Centre for Lifelong Learning

The Centre for Lifelong Learning is a collaborative team of experienced missionary educators, whose goal is to provide an example, encouragement, stimulus, and tools to help missionaries maintain a lifestyle of intentional growth in personal and professional effectiveness.

As a group, we seek to implement best practice models of adult learning (andragogy) using blended delivery systems, focused on collaborative learning groups that are learner-driven, providing just-in-time learning opportunities, available when and where the learner needs it. A significant component of the Centre is the focus on networking with a wide variety of resources outside of the immediately active TEAM workers. Retired missionaries are a rich resource for helping appointees draw upon the years of experience and history that make TEAM who we are. We are developing connections with seminaries, universities, and subject matter experts (SMEs), in addition to mission leaders, church leaders, and national leaders who can add to our network of expertise and broaden our impact.

Division of responsibility within the team.

The Centre staff themselves work as a collaborative team (in a conscious modeling of our learning philosophy). Each member has an area for which they are primarily responsible, but we all work jointly on virtually all of the Centre projects. Our working relationship is similar to that described in a research dissertation by Junias Venugopal (of Columbia International University):

The third, a Self Managed (or Real) team (SMT) is defined as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable” (Katzenbach and Smith 1994, 45). … In a SMT all the members share equal responsibility for the team’s outcomes. They “plan, set priorities, organize, co-ordinate with others, measure, and take corrective action, . . . solve problems, schedule and assign work, handle personnel issues like absenteeism, team selection and evaluation” (Orsburn and others 1990, 8-9).”

In accordance with the enhancing effectiveness policy, our annual progress review is based on our growth plan as established through each individual’s day of Prayer and Vision. In the case of the Centre staff, rather than having a “supervisor/coach” review and sign off on each one’s growth plan, we share our growth plans among ourselves, and collaboratively ensure that they are aligned with the Centre’s vision. Because of the nature of the administrative structure within the Centre, each one’s progress review is also done collaboratively by the group.

Ongoing Focus Area responsibilities

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