W.I.L.D. is a multi-level ministry leadership development program designed to first give the student a foundational toolbox for their own spiritual development process and then to grow competency and proficiency in using progressions of those tools in their own roles and relationships. The toolbox is intended to be a framework, a set ofeyes and ears through which to identify, evaluate and interact with the intentional work of God in our lives through people and circumstances. The toolbox is intended first to be descriptive or evaluative and then prescriptive or proactive.

It is also important to note that God’s absolute creativity has a significant effect on the tapestry of individuals that enter W.I.L.D. for the first time each session. Invariably, each W.I.L.D. class has a broad representation of ages, roles, spiritual giftedness, personalities, physical capacities and characteristics, levels of experience and cultures, among other demographics. As such, each class will have a similarly broad distribution of initial competencies in each of the W.I.L.D. levels PER has identified. That's a good thing! The tapestry of God's people is one of the key factors that helps us to recognize that His design, His gospel and His plan for each of our lives is the only outcome that holds value in the pursuit of spiritual development and ministry effectiveness.

Pilgrimage Educational Resources has identified and evaluated four distinct and progressive levels of learning and leadership as they relate to the spiritual development or discipleship process. At each level, PER delivers training on a targeted set of learning outcomes with the aim that students will achieve a targeted level of competency for each outcome. We use a standard progression of evaluation to measure the level of competency achieved in each outcome. They are as follows:

Level 1: The Learning Process

Anchored by the Learning Cycle and the Transformation Model, the Level 1 curriculum is specifically targeted to grow and hone one's eyes and ears for the work of God in one's own spiritual development process. The foundational principle is that God actively works in our lives through the people and circumstances therein to complete the good work He started when we accepted the gift of salvation through the finished work of Christ. Ministry leadership is not possible without the foundational integrity of the ministry leader's active personal spiritual development process. The Spirit must be alive and actively working in and through the ministry leader for effective spiritual (not necessarily organizational) leadership to be in play.

Level 2: Personal Discipleship

In Level 2, the curriculum kicks the Learning Cycle up a notch into what we call the Ministry Cycle. This becomes a model for using the same core process as a tool for ministry that is not role-based and is on an individual (as opposed to group) level. Other tools such as FORMS (debriefing model) and OIC (Biblical exhortation) are introduced as well. In effect, the student begins to apply the eyes and ears gained in the self-evaluation of Level 1 to the relationships in their immediate vicinity, loving the Body of Christ in the way He prescribed, as every joint supplies.

Level 3: Role-Based Discipleship

The Level 3 curriculum builds a philosophy of role-based leadership on the concept of enabling and growing effective spiritual leaders at Level 2. Here we introduce the Shepherding Cycle and CAST (integrative Bible study) while targeting increased skill with FORMS and OIC. In W.I.L.D. we also introduce the extra dimension of responsibility at the group level for spiritual, and sometimes physical, leadership. Not only does this simulate the organizational reality for most organizational and ministry leaders, it provides a significant challenge in modulating the learning and growth at both the individual and group levels.

Level 4: Mentoring Ministry

At Level 4, the primary aim is to develop competencies for effectively mentoring Level 3 leaders. In this round we introduce the Mentoring cycle which focuses on a level of leadership that mobilizes, empowers, and develops leaders from behind the scenes. Participants at this level will learn to develop a context within which leaders can succeed, while working in a mentoring role with one or more level 3 leaders to help them succeed. Here is where the concept of mobilization sets itself apart from the management of multiple tiers of organizational bureaucracy. Our focus is on a model of multi-level ministry development that seeks to launch people who will launch others into productive ministry beyond the capacity of any organizational structure.