This is where the world of learning and development crosses paths with the teachings of Jesus.
I have been spending some time looking at how the learning and development aligns with the teachings of the Bible. Specifically, I have been looking at the purpose of being a Christian, and how God enables us to live out that purpose by obeying his commands.
One of the questions that took me a long time to answer is "How can you ensure that your learning and development program is successful?". That is a tough question to answer, however, over time I learned about the Kirkpatrick model. In the Kirkpatrick model, you can assess a learning and development program within four areas:
Level 1: Reaction - To what degree participants react favorably to the learning event.
Level 2: Learning - To what degree participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes based on their participation in the learning event.
Level 3: Behaviours - To what degree participants apply what they learned during training when they are back on the job.
Level 4: Results - To what degree targeted outcomes occur, as a result of the learning event(s) and subsequent reinforcement.
Like any good CEO, Director, Manager, Team Lead, etc, I am specifically am interested is the results (Level 4). What are to be the results of the church? The best answer that I have heard on this question was answered by Dr. Don Kirkpatrick himself, the inventor of the Kirkpatrick model. In a brief conversation with him, Dr. Kirkpatrick mentioned that the Great Commission can be looked at as the results.
Matthew 28:16-20:
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
But how do we reach those results? That is where the behaviours come into play. What are the behaviours that are required to obtain those results? I think this is best answered in the Greatest Commandment, as follows:
Matthew 22:36-40:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the
first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor
as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So according to this scripture, loving God is #1, and loving your neighbour is a close #2. What is love? Let's take a look at the famour Love Chapter:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight
in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
As far as learning goes, there are so many topics that fall into here, but you'll notice that what is important should align with the behaviours to ensure that the results are obtained.
Lastly, the learning environment should be setup in such a way that ensures that the learners have the best opportunity to absorb the information.
Pretty neat, eh? So what's the point? To me, the point is the Greatest Commission, which is enabled by the Greatest Commandment, which refers directly back to the Love chapter - all of which Jesus provided the ultimate example of through His death on the cross for our sins.
