Dear friend,
In the midst of a busy season, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) gathered our ministry leaders for a retreat last month. However, as many have humorously observed, such “retreats” are often anything but restful since they are typically packed with strategic discussions and planning for the years ahead. (Some churches have even started calling them “advances” instead!)
This year, our Executive Director Laurent Tan introduced a new framework called Build To Last 6 (BTL6), a model to guide the development of staff, volunteers, and students. The six core elements of BTL6 are Christ, Character, Community, Clarity, Capacity, and Competency. You can look forward to learning more about each of these elements in future issues of REACH.
The ELT wanted to make this year’s retreat different. Rather than focusing on plans and programmes, we wanted our leaders and staff to understand the BTL6 model well and to spend time reflecting on each element. Laurent convened a team of three staff members to discuss how we could do that. They invited both internal and external speakers and designed experiential activities that would help the lessons take root.
One of the committee members, Fraser Teo, shared that he was pleasantly surprised by how well the other leaders and staff responded to his activity. He had asked the groups to build the tallest tower using only straws and simple materials — a task he initially feared might seem too childish. To his surprise, the teams engaged enthusiastically, discussed strategies and competed earnestly. The exercise led naturally into a meaningful discussion on competency.
Another committee member, Alvin Lim, reflected that the small group sharing sessions helped ministry leaders feel heard, seen and supported. Sarah Koh, the third member of the committee, added that the time together also fostered genuine interaction and connection among leaders across different ministries.
Beyond creating space for fellowship, the ELT also thanked God for the team who planned the programme. Each of the three committee members shared that this period was personally stretching, as they were already carrying significant ministry responsibilities. Yet, through this process, they discovered more about enlarging their capacity, and learning to ask for grace and seek help. We thank God for how they had stepped up and supported one another whenever the load became heavy.
As we look ahead to 2026, we continue to seek God’s help in using the BTL6 framework for His purposes. Please pray especially for our ministry leaders to grow in spiritual depth and practical skills to lead their ministries with excellence.
All Glory To God,
Richard Tan
National Director
P.S. Thank you for reading and responding to my Communiques. As the year comes to an end, I would like to make a special appeal to you to consider giving to the staff’s 13th month salary. Many of you have responded generously to this appeal before and we look to God once again to provide the bonus through you. Thank you for your kind consideration of this request.
