Fortune magazine article “The future of work: an ‘apprentice’-style office?” via Column Two.
Interesting thought. Apprenticeship – why? Among many Christians (incidently within or connected to the “emerging church” movements), our lives are being qualified as living as “disciple-apprentices of Jesus”. The development of the disciples are very much apprentice-styled; you can’t even label most of the disciples as “Christian” (by our modern-day definitions) during their time as disciples. Most didn’t even believe Jesus to be “Saviour” or “Messiah” – although they might’ve proclaimed him as such.
Despite such lackluster belief, they are the founding fathers of Christianity, and their lives gradually became the stuff of legends (and Biblical accounts).
I see discipleship in an apprenticeship model as something that works very naturally – although slowly. Navigators has built their ministry on that model, with older/mature masters mentoring apprentices.
Paul in 1 Cor 11:1 encourages Christians in Corinthian house churches to: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” I’ve seen a particular bunch of campus ministries which doesn’t quite follow this model (due to lack of funding or whatever reasons) seriously hobbled in its growth (and that of many of its members).
Well, back to the business-related thoughts that this article brings up: Tom Malone, the author (of The Future of Work, which the article reviews) states that freedom and democracy is coming to the work place. And what is one of the fundamental factors of freedom and democracy? Communications! Learning and information sharing comes naturally from within guilds and apprentice networks, which are a part of the external markets (outsourcing, contract work, freelancing, etc.) of Mr. Malone’s third model.
I can’t help but imagine how freedom and democracy in faith and spiritual domains can free so many people (“in slave to the law”).