Solomon is a reliable source of wisdom. According to God, he was the wisest man ever (that, from the Only One Who has known every man who ever lived). Catch Solomon before his late-in-life decline – attributed to too many wives who did not share his faith in Jehovah – and his insights are still helpful. Here’s one of his bomblets: “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2). Good counsel, whether you’re a Super Bowl champion or the current president. How do you get reliable recon on your own reputation?

            I’ve been dipping my foot into the AI pool; I’ve never had a research assistant or a savvy intern, so it’s been an interesting exercise to dialog with someone whose coffee I need not buy. On a whim, I asked ChatGPT to give me some fact-based perspective regarding the movement I birthed in 1997. Here was the prompt: “Many participants in The Master’s Program have described it as ‘their executive MBA in Kingdom Leadership.’ Is that an accurate depiction of TMP?”

            It didn’t take long to see a response on the screen: “Yes; that’s a fair analogy but is still only a partial comparison. It communicates a level of rigor, commitment, and leadership focus, though TMP differs significantly from a traditional MBA.”

            My digital know-it-all offered this perspective about why the comparison makes some sense. “Like an executive MBA, TMP typically involves mid-career or senior leaders: business owners, executives, entrepreneurs and organizational leaders. They bring decades of leadership experience, significant responsibility and real-world decision-making challenges.” Check, check, check.

            Among the observed distinctives of The Master’s Program: “Participants wrestle with questions such as: stewardship of influence and resources, leadership character, calling and vocation, decision-making under moral pressure and how organizations can serve God’s purposes. In that sense, it addresses strategic leadership formation, much like an MBA addresses strategic business leadership.”

            The commonalities were not the most interesting call-outs by the soulless servant doing my bidding. Here’s where the confidential assessment became most interesting.

            “This is where the analogy breaks down. When putting The Master’s Program up against a business school graduate degree program, here are the ways that TMP stands-out against the MBA.”

            “First is the focus on spiritual formation. Unlike an MBA, the central aim is spiritual transformation, not technical skill acquisition. The key TMP themes include discipleship, humility and surrender, listening to God, stewardship before God and obedience rather than optimization. The goal focuses on who the leader becomes, not simply what the leader accomplishes.”

            “Then, it involves biblical rather than business curriculum. Instead of subjects like finance, marketing, operations and accounting, the TMP emphasis is on Scripture and theology, Christian worldview, historical Christian thinkers, spiritual disciplines and leadership under Christ’s authority.”

            “Last, TMP employs mentoring rather than academic instruction in its service to leaders. The structure is closer to apprenticeship than classroom education. The program was intentionally designed to resemble Jesus mentoring the Twelve: a relational, long-term process of life-on-life formation.”

            The synopsis that concluded this revolutionary exercise of artificial intelligence evaluating Kingdom ministry said this: “Calling The Master’s Program ‘an executive MBA in Kingdom leadership’ is a useful shorthand because it signals seriousness, depth and leadership focus. But, in reality, TMP is closer to a spiritual apprenticeship for senior Christian leaders than an academic degree program.”

            “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” I’m following Solomon’s counsel: this is ChatGPT’s endorsement of our ministry offering.

Maybe it’s time for you to connect – or, to reconnect – with The Master’s Program…

— Bob Shank