APPRENTICESHIP
What does it mean?
In the context of ministry training, an apprenticeship is a model for training that combines classroom education as well as hands-on experience. Unfortunately, most missionaries and church planters that come to Europe have been trained in a context that has not allowed them to gain practical experience.
Another much-needed advantage of this approach is that the local church is involved the entire time.
At the end of the training, the local church can affirm competency and send a fully-equipped church planting team that has demonstrated their calling.
COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION
How does it work?
Like other competency-based programs, the ATI curriculum is designed with the end result in mind.
With the aid of fellow pastors and practitioners the development of the ATI curriculum began with the end goal in mind. Next, the Aquila team worked backwards to identify the full range of competencies necessary to achieve these goals. In this way the result of the curriculum can be more assured than through traditional approaches. The competencies themselves represent a unified body of knowledge, skills, and character traits that, when achieved, ensure the graduate is fully competent for church planting and marketplace missions.
Apprentices and their needs are at the heart of curriculum development, and the program supports and encourages personalisation in response to experience, personality, context, and pacing. The curricular design ensures that the level and complexity of the competencies are congruent with the achievements required.
The chart below explains the stages of development of the Aquila curriculum and how the various components fit together.
PROGRAM PURPOSE
The purpose of the ATI curriculum is to help churches train leaders and church planters who are competent to fulfil their calling through marketplace ministry.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
Church planters in Europe must be Kingdom-minded, must have Godly character, and must contextualise their ministry. These make up the Aquila Program Objectives.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Often known as classes or modules, these are the areas of study that embody the Program Objectives. They summarise the knowledge, character traits, and skills that the apprentices will master.
Competency in each Learning Outcome is developed through the following process:
INPUTS
The sources used to build knowledge in the apprentice.
OUTPUTS
The activities that give evidentiary support for the assessment of competency.
INDICATORS
The measurable criteria for evaluating competency.
COMPETENCY
The standards used to evaluate mastery of key areas within a Learning Outcome.
Apprenticeship Conference 2026
Do., 12. März
|Dubrovnik
Training up the next generation of leaders
Time & Location
12. März 2026, 19:00 – 23:00 MEZ
Dubrovnik, Ul. kardinala Stepinca 31, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia
About the event
Imagine churches across Europe:
Identifying future leaders early
Discipling them intentionally
Training them biblically
Sending them joyfully
Seeing communities transformed through new church plants and revitalized congregations.