The OC Global Alliance is richly served by faithful leaders whose contribution is deeply valued. At the same time, several realities underscore the need for focused leadership development initiatives.
- Ministry takes place in a post-modern, adaptive context, requiring leaders who can lead with discernment, flexibility, and integrity.
- There is a need for a clear and sustainable leadership pipeline, both Alliance-wide and within Mobilization Centers (MCs).
- Healthy leadership requires intentional intergenerational partnership. Younger leaders bring creativity, global awareness, and adaptability; senior leaders bring wisdom, context, and experience.
- Leadership succession must move from being largely informal to purposeful and prepared.
Let me share three examples of how the OCGA is approaching leadership development in our context. We are looking seriously at the need for sustainable pipelines of adaptive, intergenerational, and prepared leaders for the future.
Stepping Out in Africa
OC Africa, under the leadership of Christopher Harrison, is beginning a 15-month leadership journey to form spiritually grounded, mission-focused leaders across Southern Africa, build their core leadership team, and help identify their next Executive Director. The Journey begins with fifteen participants on July 25, 2026!
The program is called Step Out, and the purpose is to develop leaders who pursue God, practice spiritual disciplines, lead with integrity, think missionally, disciple others, empower communities, and drive social transformation.
The program follows a hybrid structure designed to combine spiritual formation, practical leadership development, and missional engagement over the 15-month journey.
Stepping Up in The OC Global Alliance
Stepping Up is an intergenerational leadership development initiative to intentionally cultivate and reproduce servant leaders across the OC Global Alliance (OCGA) by fostering intergenerational relationships, equipping leaders to understand the times, and preparing a diverse stream of leaders for current and future ministry roles.
Rooted in Scripture and aligned with the mission of the Global Alliance, this initiative seeks to strengthen leadership capacity at every level – local, regional, and global – so the OCGA may continue to serve faithfully in an increasingly complex and adaptive ministry context.
Stepping Up represents a faithful and timely response to the OCGA’s need for prepared, discerning, and reproducing servant leaders for future ministry. We recognize that leadership development is not optional – it is essential for sustaining and advancing God’s mission in a rapidly changing world.
Stepping Up begins with its first cohort in August and will continue through May of 2027, remaining an ongoing annual leadership development resource within the OCGA for years to come.
Flipping the Switch through The First Switch Internship
The First Switch Internship is a six-month experience designed to help young people grow in their relationships with the Lord and develop tools and gain experience in making disciples. The First Switch is an online course, with a two-week intensive in Bali. Interns are taught and coached by OCGA workers with years of experience in both Spiritual Formation and Disciple Making Movements.
Participants commit a season of life to allow God to “flip a switch” in their heart while also using them to “flip a switch” in others.
This is our second year of running the First Switch Internship. Our current class of 38 interns, representing 9 countries, started their six-month commitment in June and will continue into December. We are already planning for next year’s internship with a possible two-week intensive in Uganda.
These are just three examples of how we are working toward our vision to see the OC Global Alliance strengthened by an intergenerational community of servant leaders who understand the times, serve with humility, and are prepared to lead faithfully into the future.
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