When people hear about our A3 formula...

Christlike leaders + the A3 process + the right time + the right place

= changing the few who change the many...

one of the first questions they ask us is...

Who are the leaders A3 selects?

It means selecting the particular Christ-centered leaders who will get the most out of our leader development program.

We have discovered that, for our program to achieve optimum effectiveness, we need to select Christlike servant leaders. Leaders who have 'arrived' and are not open to learning, growing, and changing, are simply too rigid for A3.

But since selection is a required key competency, we are selecting the leaders who are most suitable for our program. A3 works hard at selecting those leaders who will benefit the most from our program. This includes finding Christ-centered leaders who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and who, we believe, will cooperate with the transforming work He wants to do in their lives. These are "A3 leaders" that we try to select.

A3 has had plenty of practice at identifying leaders—decades, in fact. Obviously, we have certainly made lots of mistakes in this endeavor along the way. But through these mistakes, we have learned what works and what doesn't work. So the longer we do this, the better we get at figuring out who should be in our program and who shouldn't—who will take it seriously, make the most of it, and experience personal transformation and who won't.

Importance of identifying servant leaders…

Shouldn't we just accept anyone who wants to be in our program? Some argue yes. No, we shouldn't; we need to be wise about who we invite. Scripture encourages us to be discerning in regard to selection, or as we would say, selecting the most appropriate leaders for A3 cohorts...

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
– 2 Timothy 2:2

Leaders with Potential, not Potential Leaders

The leaders who do best in our program are proven leaders with greater potential. They have leadership experience and have shown potential. They should have enough authority in their church or organization to bring about change, resulting from what they are learning through A3.

However, potential leaders who really have no leadership experience or little authority to make change are not quite ready for A3. They wouldn't have enough life experience to draw upon to really benefit from A3's learning community.

Characteristics of A3 leaders

We equip and unify servant leaders with potential, who are:

• optimistic;
• bold and energized;
• grace-filled;
• collaborative;
• diverse;
• humble and willing to learn.

Here is how we evaluate the characteristics of the right kind of leaders who enter and complete the A3 program...

How does A3 find these kinds of leaders?

Through insight and experience, as alluded to above. We have a grid (the “before” leader) and use that and a discernment process honed over the years. It requires getting to know people in a country who we deem to be trustworthy and discerning. It means leveraging A3 networks of a few key people who can get us to the people with the right kind of fit.

When we find A3's kind of leaders and take them through the A3 process, God does great things in and through them to His glory.

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More Information

• What does "Changing the few who change the many" really mean?
• Who are leaders A3 selects?
• What is the A3 process?
• When is the right time?
• Where is the right place?

Image credits:

• Header image by Christina Rumpf on Unsplash
• Group photo courtesy A3