Wax on, wax off.
“Wax on. Wax off.” The famous training method of Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. This training involved the young Daniel learning from the seasoned, experienced master through seemingly senseless, menial tasks. But, unbeknownst to Daniel, he was, through relationship and menial drills, becoming a master of martial arts himself.
Eve Poole, in her book Leadersmithing,[1] argues that this is how leaders are formed. Rather than sitting through courses and lectures, one can learn leadership by seeing it like any trade, which requires hands-on training and learning from a master. [2]
This way of learning was sidelined through the industrial revolution.[3]
There are two implications I will highlight from Poole’s leadersmithing (the forming of leaders through a lifetime of apprenticing). The first is the development of pastors, and the second is discipleship to our master in the art of Kingdom living.
Training Pastors
In reading Poole’s work, my mind immediately leaped to the implications for my NPO, which is focused on the need for training the next pastors for the Northwest District of the ICFG (International Church of the Foursquare Gospel) denomination. The harsh reality is ICFG is experiencing a high number of pastors retiring, and a low number of pastors ready, or willing, to step into pastoring. This is not unique to ICFG.[4] The main ICFG university, Life Pacific University, is not, according to Dr. Tammy Dunahoo, producing the pastors at the rate it once did in the institution’s early years.[5] Again, ICFG is not the only Protestant tradition that is seeing a decline in enrollment and pastors being produced. Dr. Chloe Tse Sun points out that majority culture (white, western) is seeing a decline in church attendance and seminary enrollment as the non-majority culture seminaries are growing in enrollment.[6]
This is where Poole’s argument for leadership (and in this case, church leadership) being developed through apprenticeships has merit. Dr. Efrem Smith, Pastor of Midtown Church in Sacramento, wrote about the apprenticeship model of training pastors in the black church, “We prayed together and went through the scriptures together, and he talked to me about what it means to be a pastor. In other words, he not only taught me; he modeled the role of pastor to me. I shadowed him wherever he went as a pastor.”[7] This is what apprenticing/leadersmithing can, and, I would argue, ought to look like for training up church leaders.
Apprenticing under Jesus
The invitation to discipleship is an invitation to apprenticing under the tutelage of Jesus, the master of Kingdom living. As with other apprenticeships, this involves practices, which can have an ethos of “wax on, wax off.” Dallas Willard writes,
“We can, through faith and grace, become like Christ by practicing the types of activities he engaged in, by arranging our whole lives around the activities he himself practiced in order to remain constantly at home in the fellowship of his Father.”[8]
Growing up, I was incredibly passionate about basketball. But playing in a game was a lot more fun than practicing the seemingly pointless and uninspiring ball-handling drills. But I knew through these practices I became a better player. The game did not begin when the clock started. It began when I was alone in my backyard – just me with my basketball – doing drill after drill. As one who hates fasting, I remind myself that this is training for living a life of perpetually being “at home in the fellowship of [my] Father.”
Apprenticing involves a relationship with the master (Daniel’s relationship with Mr. Miyagi; our relationship with Jesus) and engaging in the drills the master sets (“wax on, wax off”; spiritual disciplines like fasting; Poole’s Critical Incident that create muscle memory for leadership[9]). This is a never-ending apprenticeship, for leadership is not a title or position one “arrives” at. It is a lifetime endeavor of growing into the leaders we are meant to be.[10]
[1] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership (London ; New York, NY: Bloomsbury Business, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017).
[2] Ibid. 58, 68-69.
[3] Ibid. 58.
[4] This has come from interviews I have had over the past couple of years with denominational leaders. Notes on the interviews are available upon request.
[5] Tammy Dunahoo, “Cultivating a Disciple-Centric Growth Culture in the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel,” Seminary Doctoral Programs, February 1, 2021, https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/426, 7-8.
[6] Chloe Tse Sun, Attempt Great Things for God: Theological Education in Diaspora, Theological Education between the Times (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020), (kindle loc. 644 of 2161).
[7] Efrem Smith, The Post-Black and Post-White Church: Becoming the Beloved Community in a Multi-Ethnic World (S.l.: Fortress Press, 2020), 111.
[8] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines – Reissue: Understanding How God Changes Lives (Zondervan, 1990), ix.
[9] Poole, Leadersmithing, 111.
[10] Ibid. 181.
About the Author
David Beavis
David is Australian by birth, was raised in Southern California, and is the Youth and Young Adults Pastor at B4 Church in Beaverton, Oregon. David and his wife, Laura, live in Hillsboro with their dog, Coava (named after their favorite coffee shop). M.A. Theology - Talbot School of Theology B.A. Psychology - Vanguard University of Southern California14 responses to “Wax on, wax off.”
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Hi David, I love your practical approach to Poole’s book and the way you applied it to your NPO. Great use of sources! I wonder how a discipleship model of training up pastors could be used in Foursquare. It makes me think of the pastoral training by Wayne Cordeiro and Jack Hayford. Wayne Cordeiro used to host a shadow program where pastors could come and shadow him for a week. I am not sure if he does this any longer. Jack Hayford had the School of Pastoral Nurture where pastors would come for a week with him and learn from him. Both are informative learning experiences. I have been through the School of Pastoral Nurture and learned much. However, these models miss the long term apprenticeship style training. One week is great for a learning experience, but does not help you grow muscle memory.
My son wants to be a pastor. He does not plan on going to seminary. What he is doing is engaging at his church. His church provides a model of apprenticeship where pastors are sent out after time spent under pastoral leadership, learning and training. There are pros and cons to this approach. I love the mentoring aspect of it, but I wonder about my son’s foundational knowledge. Is he getting the biblical training he needs? Maybe I am too caught up in the way I have learned things.
As a fellow Foursquare pastor, I look forward to seeing what you do with your NPO.
Hey Becca,
Ah, there’s so much we could talk about here! In regards to your son, I’ll say this: I had my final interview with for this semester’s design report. The pastor I interviewed said that the educational institutions are not producing pastors, nor (in his opinion) should they be. Rather, theological training must come alongside the training that is already happening in the local church. It sounds like your son has an opportunity to be trained within the local church setting. This is great! Unfortunately, too many local churches are missing the mark on the development of leaders.
In regards to Hayford and Cordeiro’s pastoral training programs, that’s fascinating! I will have to explore them more. But you are right, there’s a missing element of the long-term apprenticing. I will need to explore further in my project for this.
Great insights Becca! Thank you for your contribution to the discussion!
David,
Wow! You just summarized your NPO in this blog. I appreciated reading this in summary.
I am curious how you will answer Becca’s question. You are a scholarly person and value scholarly rigor. What percentage of your “pastor role” comes from your Biblical training in school and what percentage comes from apprentice style learning?
I am sure you might not like my question. I know if you put this question back in my lap. “Kristy, what percentage of what you do as a clinician stems from your education or from what you have learned over the years?” This would be difficult for me to answer. As a clinician, we do not receive apprenticeship (apart from 1/2 semesters in MFT training). I see my education as a foundation which has allowed me to build greater expertise.
No solid answers here…
Jumping into the conversation…
I hope you blog in the future: What ‘best practices’ might a good apprentice have/role model?
Hi Kristy,
In my current role, I have drawn from neither the training I received in school, nor the church apprenticeships/internships I have gone through. Rather, much of my knowledge has come from my own personal education journey, such as books I’ve read (not for school), podcasts, and interactions from friends in ministry. Oh, and from simply “doing” ministry. There’s a lot of on the job training as you go, primarily learning from mistakes.
Hi David, I loved the energy and practical application of Poole’s writing in your blog, as you looked at the value of apprenticeship in learning to be a pastor and learning to follow Jesus. I also really appreciated the following thought, which you highlighted in your conclusion: “This is a never-ending apprenticeship, for leadership is not a title or position one “arrives” at. It is a lifetime endeavor of growing into the leaders we are meant to be.” Have you had mentors who have been strong examples of that life-long endeavor to be better leaders?
Also, great job weaving your NPO into this blog. I am really interested in your topic and look forward to hearing more on this.
Hey Jenny,
The fascinating thing I have noticed is that some of the best leaders I have interacted with don’t see themselves as leaders. My mentor is an example of this. He has commented that leadership is not his gifting. But he is a great pastor. He is 73 years old, and much of our monthly conversations center around books we are reading. He asks me questions, I ask him questions, and he models to me what it looks like to be a lifelong learner. He is who I aspire to be like at that age. A lifelong endeavor to be a better leader is evidenced in a life-long learning endeavor.
Hi David, Thanks for your response. Wow, yes, isn’t it interesting that some of our best mentors don’t see themselves as strong leaders. I wonder what that says about our concept of leadership. And, could that inform our current situation in which there seems to be a lack of people wanting to take on strong leadership? I love that you highlight your mentor is extremely effective in the ways he spends time with you, asks questions, and values you.
David,
In response to Jenny Steinbrenner-
I am curious if your mentor has any books on Humility or Being Humble? If you have some resources on this topic, I would like to know of them. I know I can easily Google this (I did this) but I like to get resources from respected people.
Maybe this could be something we could learn more about.
David,
I loved how you used such a practical example (Karate Kid) and tied it to your entire NPO in one swing. What a wonderful post. Are you recommending more pastors-to-be are trained in an apprenticeship style situation rather than the traditional school setting? Or a combination of both?
I’ve hooped with you, so I know you were hitting those drills meticulously at some point in your life.
I appreciate the delineation between dominant and non dominant culture seminaries. It seems like just by being a culture or ethnically specific seminary, the curriculum would have to be particularly tailored and relevant for a group of people, perhaps making it more relevant. If you don’t mind me asking, in your experience (or from what you’ve heard), what is preventing these dominant culture seminaries from using the apprenticeship model, or maybe in more plain terms, from being relevant?
David,
It was impressive how flawlessly you weaved Mr. Miyagi throughout your paper. What a great reference to leadership and our relationship with Jesus. What a classic movie! I could hear him say it in his kind voice the minute I read it on your blog. When I think of another attribute Mr. Miyagi and Jesus have in common, I think of patience.
Being that you are in a leadership position yourself at this moment, I wonder how patience helps you and how you reach for that in your toolbox?
David,
There are so many nuggets from your post to comment on. But what stands out is the reality or expectation that Christian leaders arrange their entire lives around the activities practiced by Jesus. I agree this is needful, particularly in light of the decline in seminaries and church attendance – something is definitely missing. Starting at the top with church leaders yielding to a lifetime of apprenticeship training is a good place to begin.
Awesome post, David. You brought the hoops back into it which makes me even more excited to play with you and Caleb sometime!
I enjoyed your post and can relate to the avoidance of “meaningless practice.” It took me a lot of maturing (I still am) to realize how important fundamentals are, how practice creates that automatic reaction, and repetitiveness that refines skills and builds endurance. I love the Q&A from this post and learned a lot. I’ll hold back additional questions and just thank you for the great insight.
David – Such a great conversation! I also hated practice growing up. It is such a shame really, because I went to practice way more than playing games! I love practice now and have the view-point that I am just practicing (even when I am preparing a sermon – it is so freeing to give up being perfect and just practice).
You raise a great observation about how to train pastors and the need for young pastors. I am wondering how much of this is a generation shift from Boomers to Gen X and Z? Of course these generations attend less often so there is a smaller pool of potential Jedi knights. I also wonder about changing approaches to church. Next gen don’t want to maintain what their grandparents built.
I can’t wait to hear more about what you are learning about training pastors.