In October, I had the privilege of leading an intensive training for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), a global ministry that shaped my own student journey and continues to inspire young leaders worldwide. Seventeen senior IFES leaders, representing 180+ national movements in 180 countries, gathered in Thailand for a two-day training designed and led by our Nazareth Center for Peace Studies.
We dug into questions such as how we react to conflict and what’s behind those patterns, where God meets us in hardship, how faith speaks into real life, and how movements and organizations change for the long haul. We wrestled with Moses’ story, which teaches us that true leadership means showing up, even with doubts, and trusting God to change us along the way.
Leading a global movement today is not about charismatic personalities. It’s about building wise systems, healthy teams, and a culture of trust. When leaders grow together – sharing their struggles, learning new skills, and supporting one another – transformation happens slowly, deeply, and in ways that last.
We challenged each other to go deeper than just problem-solving: What kind of organizational DNA helps us thrive under pressure, serve faithfully in uncertainty, and witness to the world not just with what we say, but how we live? Like Moses, we found courage not by avoiding tough situations, but by trusting that God meets us in every vulnerability and every new partnership.
The feedback we received from the training warmed our hearts. Leaders left with new insight, practical tools, and a renewed commitment to serve faithfully in uncertainty. As IFES General Secretary Tim Adams shared, “Our global leadership team deeply valued this training. Not only were we equipped with a strong theoretical and theological framework, but the workshops also gave us the opportunity to apply this to situations in our organisational context. We experienced a number of ‘aha moments’ where as individuals and as a team we gained fresh insight into how we navigate conflict in our ministry”
May our movements and organizations always be places where leaders keep learning, structures lift others up, and our story points to God’s faithfulness.
