by Evan Norfleet
Earlier this week, The Fellows Initiative welcomed church leaders from across the country at the semi-annual TFI Come & See, a comprehensive two-day training program for churches interested in starting new fellows programs. Each of the leaders came with a common purpose: to impact the millennial generation in their churches. Among the attendees were lifelong campus ministry leaders from Florida, an associate pastor from Mississippi, and lay leaders from Coastal Carolina. Each of them came to explore the possibility of starting a new fellows program in their church and city.
Led by experienced fellows program directors, the training program explained the model and structure of a fellows program, approaches to teaching and discipleship, internship and housing strategies, staffing, recruitment, financials, and many other aspects of launching and running a fellows program. The sessions also included testimonials from current and former fellows that provided further insight into the fellows experience.
Growing the Fellows Network
Starting in the fall of 2019, there will be at least twenty-seven programs in the TFI fellows network and more than 250 fellows. With more than 1,700 alumni, TFI has become a significant movement within the church for equipping and inspiring young adults for lives of servant leadership in the marketplace, church and society.
“TFI is growing because pastors and lay leaders across the country want to impact emerging leaders in the millennial generation,” said John Kyle, executive director of TFI, “The TFI Come & See training program is the best way to help pastors and church leaders work through the process of launch preparation.”
TFI is growing in all areas of the country, but is especially interested in cities and regions that do not currently have many fellows programs, including the Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific West.
An Invaluable Resource
Over the last thirteen years, TFI has helped many churches experience the benefits of launching fellows programs. During that time, TFI has found the Come & See to be an essential step toward program sustainability and long term success.
Jay McCabe and Ross Byrd, Co-Directors of the Virginia Beach Fellows attended the TFI Come & See in 2018. “We found the TFI Come & See to be very helpful for better understanding the fellows concept and how it is being applied in a variety of cities and contexts. We also loved meeting current directors as well as the leadership of prospective programs," they said. "The connections we made have been invaluable as we’ve built our program this year, and we expect they will be for years to come. The TFI leadership did an excellent job of leading the time and making it worth our while! We highly recommend it to anyone else considering a fellows program for their church or area.”
Join the Next TFI Come & See!
TFI hosts the Come & See twice each year, once in April and once in September. The next Come & See is September 19-20 in McLean, VA. You can register by clicking here.
TFI will also come to you. If you have a large group that would like to benefit from the Come & See training, TFI will deliver that training in-person, at a location convenient to your team. Contact TFI by clicking here to learn more about this option.
TFI News and Updates
We're excited to introduce the newest program in the TFI network: the St. Andrew's Leadership Institute. This new program is led by Bruce Nelson and is located at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California.
There will be more than 250 fellows in the TFI network this fall! There are still 50+ slots available in programs across the country. Know a college senior that should be in a fellows program for the 2019-20 program year? Please let them know about these amazing opportunities. CLICK HERE to apply
Want to stay connected with TFI? Follow us on LinkedIn! If you want to follow TFI's news and announcements, follow the TFI company page on LinkedIn. If you're a TFI fellows program alumni, join the growing community in the TFI Alumni Group on LinkedIn.
You can be part of growing the network of TFI fellows programs!
Our June 30th fundraising goal is $73,500. We're making good progress toward this goal, but we still need your help. Please consider making a recurring donation or a one-time gift. CLICK HERE to donate online. To give by check, please mail it to The Fellows Initiative / 20130 Lakeview Center Plaza, Suite 400 / Ashburn, Virginia 20147. Thank you! TFI is a donor supported 501c3 nonprofit.
With 27 fellows programs, more than 230 current fellows, and more than 1,700 alumni, The Fellows Initiative network is growing and impacting churches, cities, and young leaders across the United States. Please consider joining TFI in this important effort to inspire and equip the rising generation of Christian leaders for the workplace, church, and society.
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