2025 Leadership Foundations Network
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The Apostle Paul invested time and energy into the development of Timothy, which set him up for a lifetime of service. We all need the same kind of investment.
The European Leadership Forum is focused on helping you grow and develop as a leader. The vision of the ELF’s Leadership Foundations Network is to establish some baseline understanding and skills and to set these in your own personal context and the context of the wider European mission. You will meet and develop relationships with other leaders across Europe who are at a similar stage and who share the same vision and convictions. You will receive input from some of the Forum’s best speakers alongside tailored individual mentoring.
Applicants should be those who are attending the Forum for the first time and want to see the Forum as part of their long-term personal leadership development plan. It is a one-year track only: as part of the Network, we will help you make decisions about how to make the most of what the Forum offers and direct you towards appropriate ongoing mentoring and training opportunities.
The following three elements make up the strategy for every new leader who comes to ELF:
- INTRODUCTIONS TO NETWORKS FOR 2024
For those attending the Forum for the first time, there are an overwhelming number of networks you could be part of. We want to help you choose the right one that will help you develop as a leader in your next step. Over the course of the Forum we will be briefly introducing each Network so that you are able to make an informed and appropriate choice.
- NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS
It is crucial that we have times to get to know each other and pray together. This is an essential part of the track because it helps us understand the contexts in which we are ministering and establish friendships across Europe with those who are at a similar stage of leadership development. As we share and pray, we will gain a vital understanding of the breadth of Christian ministry that is being done across Europe.
- INDIVIDUAL MENTORING
The Leadership Foundations track includes a unique and important feature – a one-to-one mentoring session with one of the network leaders, which helps you tailor the Forum’s many opportunities to your own personal ministry context and development. These will take place over the course of the Forum.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "Participating in ELF has been immensely valuable for several reasons. The Forum has provided me with the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers and mentors who have offered encouragement, equipped me with new skills, and provided essential resources for my ministry. Through the various sessions and workshops, I have gained deeper insights into effective leadership and ministry strategies. I truly believe that God is using this time to refine my vision and expand my capacity to serve."
- Demean-Dumulesc Florin, Pastor, Romania - "This was my first time at the Forum and I was totally amazed. All the plenary sessions, seminars, and workshops were extremely useful to me as a young Evangelical leader. I was part of the Leadership Foundations Network and I was able to hear from gifted speakers and to connect with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. I am very thankful for the Forum."
- Peter Bardos, Leader of Operations at 4MHU, Hungary - "Coming to the Forum is a dream come true for me. Here I met people who have the same challenges I do and also leaders who inspire me. Being here also allowed me time to rest a little bit; I feel loved, understood, and cared for. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Hungary. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in my life."
- Nilmersson Pereira Da Silva, Pastor, Hungary
Applicants should be those who are attending the Forum for the first time and want to see the Forum as part of their long-term personal leadership development plan. The Network is focused on helping participants grow and develop as leaders, showing them how to make the most of what the Forum offers, and directing them towards appropriate ongoing mentoring and training opportunities.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
Ann Pritchard Blaser has led women through Bible Study Fellowship International for thirty years, teaching Scripture classes for women and training leadership groups. Her work now consists of mentoring and advising other women who are teaching and training leaders in Bible Study Fellowship. She… Read more
Lars Dahle is a theologian, educator, preacher, and apologist. Having a long previous experience in various academic leadership roles, he now works as Professor in Systematic Theology (with a speciality in Christian Apologetics) at NLA University… Read more
Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009, and Chair of the Theological Commission of the Italian Evangelical Alliance. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees… Read more
Stefan Gustavsson is a member of the European Leadership Forum Steering Committee. He is the director for Apologia – Centre for Christian Apologetics and makes his home in Stockholm. He was the founding general secretary for 16 years of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance. Stefan travels widely… Read more
Zefjan Nikolla is the General Secretary of BSKSH (IFES Albania) and pastor of Emanuel Evangelical Church in Tirana. He is involved in various national and international evangelistic initiatives ranging from youth ministries to attempts to reach government leaders. He is also the director of the… Read more
Emanuel Țundrea grew up in communist Romania, but the faith of his parents had a huge impact on him. As a student he was involved in discipleship. In 2001, he joined the staff at Emanuel University of Oradea where he is serving now. He completed his PhD in software engineering in conjunction… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 18 May
What is the European Leadership Forum and why does it exist? In this session, we will learn about the vision and strategy of the Forum. We will also see how the Leadership Foundations Network can help you establish some baseline understanding and skills that will help you flourish as a leader in your own personal context and the context of the wider European mission.
We know the Bible is the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, but the truth is we are always tempted to read it through the lens of our culture and not read the culture through the lens of Scripture. You can easily have the appearance of a commitment to Scripture but, by adding in other authorities, dilute its message and compromise its integrity. This is the case with Liberalism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, each in their own way. In a culture of competing voices, we need to be certain of the Bible, fight for its centrality, and understand the subtle temptations to compromise.
Monday, 19 May
The best way to become a good leader is to begin with loving God. We see this in the life of Jesus and His disciples. We must learn to be deeply connected to Him by abiding in Him if we hope to lead others to do the same. This session will help you to find personal delight in your intimacy with God which is the foundation of all of our leadership.
The Bible teaches that believers (and leaders!) are saved by faith alone, but that faith is not alone. All believers in Jesus are commanded to be disciples of Jesus who are teachable, honest, faithful, and persevering. We need to be able to honestly assess our own spiritual state, be realistic about weaknesses, and set godly goals. This maturity includes a willingness to serve others in pursuing the same aims.
Tuesday, 20 May
Too often, Christian leadership is tainted by personal ambition, empire-building, and lack of integrity. But what should it look like when leaders are shaped by the Gospel? This session will look at what it means to be “Gospel people” (or “evangelicals”), why it is so important, and how we can cultivate integrity to the Gospel.
What does it mean to love God and to love people as we engage and work in an increasingly hostile world? We have to be sure about what we communicate (content) and also the manner in which we present truth (attitude). In our social media world, this last issue is an important one for all leaders. We want our communication to be truthful, clear, and gracious. How do we hold these apparently opposing tensions together? This session will look at how the Apostle Paul did this in Athens and apply this to our context.
Wednesday, 21 May
Pastor Timothy in Ephesus was mentored by Paul, who encouraged him to seek out and train new generations of leaders. Jesus Himself trained His disciples. We must embrace the humility needed to be taught and coached by others and also – right from the start – be eager to serve in raising up a new generation of leaders. Mentoring is at the heart of this desire and we need to understand how to make the most of it ourselves, particularly in the context of the European Leadership Forum. This session will also outline the opportunity of our Year-Round Mentoring programmes.
In this session, we will help you formulate a personal leadership development plan and see how the Forum can serve you in future years by providing the inputs and connections you need. This will flow from the conclusions you have reached in the previous session.