About Us
Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the California-Pacific Annual Conference are coordinated by the Center for Leadership: Emerging Leaders. In coordination with each District and local leaders we strive to improve and provide ministries, training, and service opportunities for young people, while providing a network of resources and support for adult workers with young people.
Mission Statement
“The Center for Leadership: Emerging Leaders, forges world-changing leaders and disciples for prophetic ministry by engaging in crucible experiences, identity formation, and a life of worship through Christ-like models of Justice, Integrity and Excellence.”
Motto
“Empowering leaders for the transformation of the world.”
Values
These four values are the foundation and standards for every area of the Center for Leadership.
CHRIST Our belief in Christ is center to everything that we do. It is our faith and our commitment to Christ that compels us to be disciples who seek justice, live with integrity, and strive for excellence. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Colossians 1:15-18 (NIV)
JUSTICE We believe that God hurts for the broken and defenseless of the world and that his church has the imperative to act upon its needs and bring justice with compassion, promptness and efficiency. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 (NASB)
INTEGRITY We believe that the true value of a person’s worth lies in their character, and that their performance is an expression of such character. The Spirit of God transforms the individual from the inside out shaping us into Christ’s image. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
EXCELLENCE We believe that God deserves, as Oswald Chambers put it so eloquently, “My Utmost For His Highest.” Every ministry, every resource, and every deed demand a responsibility for excellence beyond the ordinary that will truly honor and represent God’s greatness. “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will gave sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 (NIV)
Concepts
The Center for Leadership: Emerging Leaders has five concepts of vision, purpose and method that influence and determine its mission of service and training.
PROPHETIC “[T]he most common term for a prophet in the Old Testament is nabi, which means “one called” or “one commissioned.” Nabi corresponds to the Greek prophetes (spokesperson), from which we get the English word “prophet.” What all this indicates is that the primary task of the biblical prophet was not foretelling in the name of God, but forth-telling in God’s name. As forth-tellers, prophets functioned as spokespersons for God who were commissioned to oppose the oppression and collective unrighteousness – that is, injustice – of those in positions of power and authority” (pp. 27-28) “Thus the primary purpose of biblical prophecy is to effect social and political change in society. Prophets never uncritically support the status quo. Rather, their role is to challenge it” (pg. 28). Taken from The Politics of Jesus (2006), by Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.
ENGAGING “To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest. Full engagement begins with feeling eager to get to work in the morning, equally happy to return home in the evening and capable of setting clear boundaries between the two. It means being able to immerse yourself in the mission you are on, whether that is grappling with a creative challenge at work, managing a group of people on a project, spending time with loved ones or simply having fun. Full engagement implies a fundamental shift in the way we live our lives” (pg 5). Taken from The Power of Full Engagement (2005), by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
CRUCIBLES “In medieval times, [a Crucible] was the vessel in which alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold. In a leadership context, then, we can think of a crucible as a transformative experience from which a person extracts his or her “gold”: a new or an altered sense of identity” (pg. 5). “Crucibles are transformative events through which people learn powerful lessons about what it takes to be a leader: how to adapt, how to engage others, how to live (not just to display) their integrity. And they learn a great deal about how they learn and how they can keep on learning” (pg. 209). Taken from Crucibles of Leadership (2008), by Robert J. Thomas
IDENTITY “There are two levels which comprise leadership. The upper level deals with equipping leaders for visible activity and performance. The lower level deals with empowerment for unseen identity. It’s like an iceberg on the ocean. When you look at an iceberg, you’re only seeing one-tenth of its mass. Nine-tenths of the iceberg is actually beneath the water level, out of public view. It’s hidden, unseen” (pg.31). “Leadership formation recognizes this dynamic interrelationship between identity (bottom of the iceberg) and activity (top of the iceberg)” (pg. 32). “The secular leadership paradigm emphasizes function, results and performance. It says to would-be leaders, “learn the system” in an attempt to replicate results. Spiritual leadership must emphasize character, essence and nature while saying, “become”. At this point, spiritual leadership asserts itself as counter-culture and stands in stark contrast, and often opposition, to the basic elements of secular leadership. Becoming this kind of leader, then, is a process. Rooted in Scripture and largely dealing with the unseen dimension of identity, it is a journey in leadership formation” (pg 43). Taken from The Integrity Factor (1996), by Kevin W. Mannoia.
WORSHIP “True worship ̶ bringing God pleasure ̶ happens when you give yourself completely to God… Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about. This act of personal surrender is called many things: consecration, making Jesus your Lord, taking up your cross, dying to self, yielding to the Spirit. What matters is that you do it, not what you call it. God wants your life ̶ all of it. Ninety-five percent is not enough. There are three barriers that block out total surrender to God: fear, pride, and confusion. We don’t realize how much God loves us, we want to control our own lives, and we misunderstand the meaning of surrender” (pg. 78). Taken from The Purpose Driven Life (2002), by Rick Warren.
