If you visit the Soul61 website, there's not a lot to see right now. The website is flagged as under construction. Given the details that have been removed from the Soul Survivor Watford website that seems quite convenient. So I thought I'd take closer look at Soul61. And I made some discoveries that surprised me.
Where does this info come from?
I used the Wayback Machine to turn back the clock to how the Soul61 website looked in these years: 2013, 2016, 2022. Sadly, it didn't have archives from the other years. More on how this works at the bottom my previous post.
Information for the course in 2022/2023 is very limited in text form. A video of Pilavachi explaining the course is given. Sadly the Wayback Machine has problems archiving videos so this isn't available.
I happened to take a look at one of the trustees' reports that Soul61 are obliged to file at Companies House. That was surprisingly informative. So I looked up the reports from all the other years. You can see these for yourself - go to the Soul61 page and look at any of the files labelled 'Total exemption full accounts'.
Not one, but two intern programmes
In my previous post the I found the text changes mentioned 'intern' and 'soul61 leadership'. I jumped to the conclusion that these meant the same thing, and the words were interchangeable.
I was wrong.
You see, Soul61 have run two different programmes. And their differences are quite striking.
The Leadership course
The Leadership Course features heavily on the Soul61 website in 2013, 2016 and 2022.
It seems to have open entry - you fill out the form provided on the website. References are required. However, it might be that some candidates are turned down at a later stage in the process.
The Leadership Course costs money to join - £4,650 in 2013, £6,500 in 2016, £3,000 in 2022. That figure includes accommodation, but not food.
One aspect of the programme every year is the opportunity to go on trips with Pilavachi. This is phrased like this in 2013:
In addition, the course has optional overseas ministry trips with Mike. In the last couple of years Soul61 students have gone all over the world: California, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Holland. The point of these trips is to see what God is up to around the world and to learn about ministry in different contexts. It really is a great way to learn how to think like a leader. It’s also a great chance to hang out, travel and for Mike to show you some of his favourite restaurants. Those of you who draw the short straw might end up on a trip to Birmingham with Andy.
(Source Placements in March 2013)
If we check this against the trustee's reports for Soul61, we see that some trips were large (22 to Cambodia in 2011-2012) and others were smaller (5 went to Holland in the same year).
The Soul61 website says all participants of The Leadership Course live together.
(Source: FAQs in April 2016)
The Leadership Course took 18-39 people each year in 2013-2022 (except in 2020-2021 when it paused due to Covid).
(Source: all of the Companies House reports)
The Leadership Course has a structure. There's a teaching strand to the course - 2 days per week in 2013. Teaching comes from Andy Croft and a range of other speakers, including Ali Martin, Beth Croft, Jeannie Morgan and Mike Pilavachi. There also seem to be 3 days per week 'on placement' for the participants. Options in 2013 were: church planting, events management, kids' work, media, outreach, production, youthwork. By 2016 this had evolved into two streams: leadership and worship.
(Sources: Teaching page in July 2013 and The Leadership Course page in April 2016)
It's open to those aged 18-24
The Intern programme
Mike Pilavachi selects the interns on this programme:
Interns are generally those that Mike Pilavachi meets (through his role as Executive Director for Soul Survivor or as Pastor of Soul Survivor Watford Church), whom he feels demonstrate strong leadership potential. Mike Pilavachi invites these individuals to shadow him on his speaking engagements for a year.
(Source:2017-2017 Trustees report, page 3)
Interns seem to have different activities. See this extract from the 2015-2016 trustees report:
...four additional students travelled alongside Mike Pilavachi on his UK and international engagements.
The intern programme is free:
Intern costs are funded by donations, primarily from Soul Survivor Watford and Soul Survivor Ministries.
Interns seem to live in the same accommodation as those on The Leadership Programme:
When they are in Watford, the interns also share accommodation with the Soul61's [sic], and attend the same teaching.
(Source of both extracts:2017-2017 Trustees report, page 3)
Soul61 took 2 - 4 interns each year from 2011-2022.
(Source: all the reports from Companies House)
There are no mentions of the intern programme on the Soul61 website in 2013, 2016, or 2022. It's possible that it's mentioned in the video on the 2022 website.
There are no mention of interns on the Soul61 Twitter account.
