A major focus for CALMS is equipping leaders. We do this by sending staff, individual volunteers and short-term teams to build the capacity of Central American leaders. We focus on the leadership needs that the Central American leaders themselves identify and try to match their needs with North American volunteers who are able to provide the needed training.
Examples of equipping leaders include the following:
A CALMS staff member recently teamed up with a top expert on the topic of Islam to help equip Central American leaders understand and respond to the growing Muslim populations in their countries.
A small team of volunteers made up of CALMS board members and others recently shared several seminars for 35 key church leaders in Panama on the topics Christian stewardship and how to grow the church through missional small groups. These were topics specifically requested by the leaders.
A small team of volunteers especially recruited by CALMS helped a pastor and his members develop a mission statement and business plan for a new school he hopes to start next year. The team was made up of four experienced Christian educators with over 100 years of experience in all aspects of education including administration, early childhood education, teacher preparation, and school guidance. The Central American pastor/educator stated after the week-long consultation: "This experience has been invaluable. I believe this team has helped me identify what I need to do and avoid many mistakes. We have a lot better opportunity of being successful with our new school thanks to this special CALMS' team.'
A short-term team recently equipped a group of Sunday school teachers in a church in Guatemala to teach more creatively by using drama, puppets, video, and other effective means. They not only shared the concepts, but helped their partners practice their new skills and gave helpful feedback. They also gave their partners helpful resources related to their assignment such as puppets, a design for a puppet stage, examples of dramas in Spanish, books and videos.
As CALMS has discovered, one of the most effective ways to make a difference in Central America is to equip leaders who in turn are able to train others for effective mission and ministry.
