On this page:

What is Tribe?

Who are Wim Codington, David Kaufmann, and Phil Dillingham?

How do I participate in Tribe?

Other frequently asked questions

2023/2024 Tribe syllabus

Promotion video

What is Tribe?

Since the inception of the Hebrew people of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, the need for leadership development was met through established schools of training for the work of ministry leaders. After God’s incarnation on the earth in the life of Jesus Christ, leaders have continued to be developed for the growth and maturation of God’s people on earth, the church, through training programs, seminaries, mission agencies, and other centers of training.

In recent years, the need for Godly leadership is higher than ever, but the traditional centers of training have had difficulty keeping up with the rapid changes in culture, technology, and methods of learning. Perhaps just as important as appreciating cultural sensitivity, leaders must now also be deepened in their commitments to personal integrity and to the mission of God for God’s people before embarking on significant ministry assignments. If they do not, they may risk hurting others and also falling away from their task for lack of steadfastness.

Personal steadfastness and stability cannot be learned in a classroom. They must be formed and shaped within the soul of a person through deep reflection, fellowship with brothers and sisters in the faith who have walked difficult roads and thereby gained wisdom, and personal experience of challenges which develop character.

At City Church Network, we aim to play a small part in completing the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Jesus promised that after this is complete, the end of the world will come and He will return to complete His final work of judgment and transformation. We long for that day.

Completing the Great Commission will require the training of more ministry workers and leaders who have deep character and a willingness to suffer joyfully in the service of King Jesus.

For this reason, several leaders of City Church Network and Priest Lake Christian Fellowship (Wim Codington, David Kaufmann, and Phil Dillingham), have developed a simple curriculum designed to train Godly leaders with knowledge of God, the Bible, self, and others and with character that will endure steadfastly to the end of their God-given assignment on the earth. Please click on the Tribe Syllabus button below to learn more.

We hope that God will bless our efforts and, through our work, commission many new laborers for the work of ministry in the harvest fields of the world.

Who are Wim Codington, David Kaufmann, and Phil Dillingham?

Wim Codington (hear Wim’s heart behind Tribe in a brief video below)

Wim Codington grew up in Knoxville, TN; southern France; and Sheffield, England. He was homeschooled from K-12 and is the oldest of 9 children. He attended Covenant College to study business / accounting, history, and Biblical studies. After nearly 15 years of working as an auditor in public accounting in Nashville, Wim left the world of business to work full-time in ministry. Wim is the Executive Director of City Church Network.

Wim and his wife Libby desire to help people to enjoy and to be totally satisfied in God. In their shepherding work, they seek to pinpoint and eliminate areas in the lives of followers of Jesus that threaten to steal away the fullness of their joy through effective use of the Bible, prayer, counseling, writing, and teaching. In addition, in his administrative role at City Church Network, Wim works to create and sustain the financial, legal, website, and communication tools of CCN for the purpose of maximizing clarity, transparency, stewardship, and unity in the body of Christ.

Wim and Libby aim to assist the body of Christ to be effectively mobilized and strengthened for the supremely valuable work of proclaiming the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ to those people who have not yet heard.

Wim and Libby live in Nashville, TN and have four children.

David Kaufmann

David Kaufmann grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. He has always had a passion for physical action and for camaraderie. From a young age, he enjoyed athletics and team-building. As a teenager, through his own life experiences, God began to grip his heart with a love for the saving grace and redemptive power that God alone possesses. He developed a passion for missions and evangelistic ministry that has continued until today. 

In 2011, he led a team in planting a church in South Nashville with a focus on reaching immigrants and refugees through simple disciple-making. This church became over 10 house churches and eventually evolved into a missions agency, City Church Network. Today, David continues his ministry passions of mobilizing and equipping missionaries to the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world and encouraging local ministry leaders in Nashville. David has had over 17 years of pastoral ministry.

David is married to Rebekah and has four children. David lives in South Nashville. 

Phil Dillingham

Phil Dillingham grew up in the Nashville area. Despite having lived here nearly his entire life, he has had an active ministry of engaging other cultures which included living in Sierra Leone as a child. 

During his 45+ years of pastoral ministry, Phil has engaged deeply in community formation, leadership training, and church renewal. His understanding of human nature and His love for God, God’s Word, and the body of Christ make him an excellent member of the Tribe leadership team. 

Phil is married to Connie and has three children. Phil lives in Antioch very close to Priest Lake Christian Fellowship. 

How do I participate in Tribe?

Please complete the application below and email it to Wim Codington at wimcodington@gmail.com. Please call Wim Codington (423.505.6411) if you have any questions.

In order to provide an opportunity for the Tribe leaders to get to know you and for you to gain confidence and clarity about God’s potential calling for you to engage in this training, please provide answers to these questions (attempt to limit each response to 500 words or less):

• Provide an overview of your life, highlighting the significant milestones that have formed you into the person you are today.

• Provide a summary of your sense of spiritual calling and vision for the rest of your life, as best as you know it and see it, highlighting the people and events that contributed significantly to your sense of calling.

• Request a personal reference from a ministry leader, mentor, or authority figure from your recent past or present. Request that the reference be provided directly to Wim Codington via email at wimcodington@gmail.com.

Other frequently asked questions:

What is the cost of the course? The cost of the course is $300 per quarter ($1,200 per year) plus the cost of books. Scholarships are available for those who are unable to pay for the course. Payments for the course may be made quarterly and can be paid here.

What is the calendar for the course? The calendar is embedded in the course syllabus (a link to the syllabus is at the bottom of this page).

What is the deadline to apply? There is no deadline to apply. Please apply as soon as possible and contact Wim if you’re concerned that you are late. Better late than never.

Are all four quarters of the course required to be taken sequentially? The four quarters of content covered in the course course are designed to be covered in the following order: God, Bible, self, and others. However, this is not mandatory, and participants may sign up to take quarters out of sequential order if desired. 

What will the course fees be used for? The cost of offering the course is minimal. The course leaders are offering the course voluntarily without payment, and there is currently no cost for using the Priest Lake Christian Fellowship campus for meetings and gatherings. The funds collected from course fees will be used to pay for food for a few Tribe events and also to facilitate team-building exercises for Tribe participants. 

I really want to take the course, but the cost is a barrier for me. Please apply for Tribe anyway and indicate in the application that cost is a barrier. We are hoping to provide some scholarships for participants that have difficulty in paying the full course fee.

I really want to take the course, but the calendar is a barrier for me. Please contact Wim Codington (423.505.6411 or wimcodington@gmail.com) and notify him of your scheduling difficulties. Wim is willing to work around participants’ scheduling conflicts through independent study and meetings. 

What are the expectations of participants after the course is completed? The course is designed to enhance the character of the participants and their ability to clearly discern and confidently obey God’s callings in their lives. There is no specific requirement of participants after the course is completed, but the sincere hope of Tribe leadership is that participants will continually look for ways to lead and serve God’s people in the unique ways God has gifted and called them. This may include leading and serving in their local churches, starting new ministries, and many other forms of engagement with others.