Growing as a Leader at Mission Adelante
by Patrique Harris, Ministry Director
Over the years, I’ve shared a lot about leadership development at Mission Adelante. I’ve seen so many kids, teens, and young adults thrive through our leadership development programs and pipeline. What I haven’t shared as much is how pivotal Mission Adelante has been in my own growth as a ministry leader.
As many of you know, I joined the Mission Adelante team in 2021, nearly five years ago, as Youth Ministry Director. With a somewhat unconventional background for the role, I had a lot to learn. Still, I was met with an incredible amount of support, from encouraging teammates, committed volunteers, wise supervisors, and, of course, God’s grace. With this, I felt a deep and divine confidence in my calling. I felt free to dream, build, and lead youth programming that has really flourished.
But my growth didn’t stop there. A few years later, in 2024, I was given another opportunity to expand my leadership capacity when I stepped into the role of Ministry Community Director, helping to shepherd our core ministry team. While I didn’t have traditional management experience, I think our leadership recognized my curiosity for the bigger picture and my passion for the team. I had much to learn, but I was met with patience, encouragement, and countless opportunities to grow.
More recently, the past three months have likely been the most formative season of my time at Mission Adelante. With our Executive Director, Jarrett, on a well-deserved sabbatical, our leadership team and I were entrusted with piloting the ministry in his absence. It has been a tremendous honor, but also the greatest professional responsibility I’ve ever carried. Each week brought new challenges and lessons, but at every turn, the team and I were supported by the faith and trust of our board, volunteers, participants, and partners. This experience has shown me just how vital a healthy, supportive team is, not only for an organization, but for the leaders growing within it.
All that to say, at every stage of my ministry journey, Mission Adelante has taken a chance on me. And with each new challenge, I’ve been met with unwavering support. Leadership development isn’t just something we offer in our programs for kids and youth. It happens when young adults graduate and step into ministry as apprentices. It happens in our church, where people are empowered to use their gifts in welcome, worship, prayer, and teaching. And it happens every day on our staff, where people like me are being equipped and encouraged to grow into who God is calling us to be.
My story isn’t unique. There are so many leaders who have been shaped by Mission Adelante’s intentional investment in people. So, I want to say thank you to our stakeholders, volunteers, donors, partners, and coaches, who have made it possible for me and so many others to grow at Mission Adelante. To those who give financially, thank you for helping to provide a living wage for me, so I can do the ministry I love.
If you’re interested in supporting me and other developing leaders, we’ve just launched our WE Campaign at Mission Adelante. We’re prayerfully seeking to increase our monthly giving by $5,000 by the end of April. Whether it’s $5 or $5,000, every monthly gift is meaningful and supports programs for kids, teens, and adults, operational expenses, and staff compensation.
If you believe in raising up the next generation of disciples and leaders, consider making a monthly commitment. Your generosity helps make stories like mine possible.
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