“How do we continue to shift the emphasis from transferring knowledge to transforming people?” This is one of the many questions Tammy Lashway asked when Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) leaders chose her to coordinate the global training and development team.

Tammy approached this task — completely revamping AGWM’s missionary training system — with an open and inquisitive attitude. Along with her team, she has spent months asking questions, evaluating systems, and above all, responding to each door God opens.

Under Tammy’s leadership, AGWM is launching a new missionary training system called “Journey.” Tammy and her team have designed Journey to welcome and onboard new global workers into AGWM’s unique culture, to build a strong competency framework, and to support new global workers to develop the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed for long-term effective engagement.

Tammy began her career teaching elementary school. She and her husband, Nate, served as children’s pastors in the U.S. until God called them into overseas missions. In 2004, they moved to Madagascar as missionaries to children.

The Lashways became team leaders in their second term and inherited Bible school leadership. They have since served in Tanzania and are currently in Burundi, Africa, where they have a thriving ministry in church planting and biblical education. They also lead a BaseCamp (launch team) for new missionaries.

Tammy’s experience as a trainer in Africa gave her a passion for seeing global workers successfully acclimate to new cultures and a first-hand look at what new workers need to make that happen.

Tammy became the coordinator of AGWM global training and development on January 1, 2023; however, God began preparing her long before.

“A couple of years ago I was listening to a podcast by Kadi Cole about finding your leadership voice, and the Holy Spirit said to me, ‘That’s what I want you to do. Find your leadership voice,’” Tammy remembers. “When the Holy Spirit tells you to do something, it’s a good idea to do it.”

In 2019, after receiving her master’s degree in Intercultural Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God University (now Nelson University), AGWM leadership invited Tammy to serve on AGWM’s Understanding Language and Culture competency team. However, after the first few meetings, she began to question if she was a good fit.

She explains, “They [the team members] all have doctorates. I’m a reader, but they’re talking about authors I’ve never heard of, and they use vocabulary words that I don’t know. … I told my husband, ‘I have no idea why they asked me to be on this committee; I am going to quit.’”

While praying about her role, Tammy heard from the Holy Spirit, “The foot can’t say to the hand, ‘Because you’re not a foot, you’re not a part of the body.’” The Holy Spirit went on to say, “I have enough smart people on that team. If you don’t understand, or if you don’t know the words, then the new global workers probably don’t know either.” Tammy held onto this word from the Holy Spirit. Her team members continued to encourage her as she found her voice among them.

“Not only are they smart,” Tammy states, “but they have hearts of gold. They are passionate about training and developing the next generation of global workers."

After transitioning from team member to leader of the competency team, AGWM leadership asked Tammy to interview for an even bigger position: the coordinator of AGWM Global Training and Development.

Tammy explains, “This was not on my radar, and it just makes me laugh that God chose to use me in this way. This is totally Him, not me. I want to walk humbly and boldly through whatever doors the Lord opens because it’s about Him. It’s the Holy Spirit.”

Greg Mundis, former AGWM executive director, told Tammy, “Let’s just dream. What could you do?” From there, they began to envision rebuilding training from the ground up.

To build a training program that addresses the needs of all global workers, Tammy began meeting with people across AGWM departments, including area directors, regional directors, first-term global workers, team leaders, trainers, the Executive Committee, ISMK, and more.

She asked everyone two questions: “If we had a clean slate, what could we do?” and, “What does the new global worker need and when do they need it?"

After gathering feedback, Tammy worked with a committee with representation from each of AGWM’s regions, with positions varying from new global worker to regional director, to develop a new plan.

Journey includes five levels, each representing a different stage of first-term learning. Recognizing the challenges of an itinerant missionary body, AGWM has invested in an online learning management system to deliver parts of the program.

Progressing through each level, global workers will develop a competency framework based on AGWM’s six core competencies: Spiritual Formation, Life and Work, Understanding Language and Culture, Theology of Mission, Bible in Ministry, and Ministry in Context. Each region will further develop their workers’ skills with team training in a context that is unique to local needs.

One of Journey’s foundational principles is that training happens best in teams in context.

Tammy explains, “The beauty of training in teams in context is that context gives them hooks. It gives them what they need to know and the why behind it, so the motivation is there. The team gives the new global worker the right people to process with. The team becomes the scaffolding that supports the new global worker in that season of formation.”

While Journey is geared toward first term global workers, those with more experience can still engage with elective courses and further resources. AGWM is also starting a new leadership development program called LEAD. Courses for LEAD will be in person and in the same online space as Journey.

Journey will create a consistent base level of information across AGWM. As global workers develop, grow, and learn to contextualize knowledge in the places they serve, they will have a solid foundation on which to build. The team aspect of Journey will leave workers knowing they’re supported and a part of something greater than themselves.

Explaining her goal as AGWM training develops, Tammy shares, “We [AGWM] are moving toward becoming a development culture, a learning culture. Not just pre-field, not just first term — we continue to learn and grow because the cause is worthy. We’re establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere.”

By Joy Myers