The PLI Experience™: Stories from the PLI Family

Alicia Lucke lives with her husband Jeremy and their three children in Corvallis, Oregon. She is a D2MC alum and a coach in Leadership Essentials. A trained Spanish linguist, Alicia currently serves as a project manager at a local Area Agency on Aging. She writes grants for programs and hires and oversees staff to implement those programs. Most of the programs are community-facing projects in the senior service space. She also oversees a County Veteran Services Office. She describes it as constantly changing and complicated, and she loves the community-centeredness of it. 

She says, “My kids like to say that their Papa is a pastor and their Mama…‘works.’”

What made the two of you decide to do PLI, and what would you say to someone considering it?

Jeremy had always wanted to do PLI while we served in Jacksonville, as he liked the idea of being discipled, but the timing was never right. Six years later when we moved to Oregon the opportunity came to do PLI, and with our church and district supportive, we jumped at the chance.

PLI is a gift to any clergy and lay leader as it allows you to stay curious about what God is up to in your ministry and focuses less on typical church outputs and more on intentional relationships with Jesus, your family, fellow saints, neighbors—we highly recommend it!

How did your PLI experience shape you as a follower of Jesus? 

I loved D2MC as it reminded me that we don’t have to overcomplicate ministry and “doing life” with non Christians in our community. I especially loved the Integrated Life concept and routinely still read the Character Questions to assess my own UP (personal relationship with Jesus), IN (relationships with fellow Christians), and OUT(relationships with my community). If I’m honest, oftentimes it is the “IN” Character Questions that capture my attention and prick my heart, such as “Is time a curse or a blessing?”; or, “Do I love the flock?” It helps to center me, reminds me to slow down and create margin to enjoy the Sabbath, and intentionally make time to prioritize friendships with my church family that I love.

How did your PLI experience shape you as a leader?

I’ve taken quite a few leadership/coaching classes over the years and found PLI to be similar, but it provides a Christian lens from which to lead. PLI has helped me to find better work/life rhythms, reminded me to talk less/listen more when coaching, and ultimately, to lean into what He is calling me to do for the Kingdom.  

How have you and your husband benefited from PLI as a couple/family?

My husband also went through D2MC and enjoyed it—it came as an unexpected gift to us during COVID, gave each of us a virtual built-in support network during the pandemic, and ended with an awesome, in-person immersion! More than anything, it gave our marriage a shared language so that when we are navigating the twists and turns of life we are able to talk through it in PLI terms (e.g. kairos moments, change leader, etc.).

What is a take-away from your time in PLI that has stayed with you?

I loved the accountability piece that is baked into the fabric of PLI and its curriculum. In project management, I routinely strategize realistic activities/outputs/timelines, but don’t often do the same for my own personal ministry or family goals. PLI gave us the tools to anticipate future ministry dreams, articulate specific changes we’d like to see in our family habits, and provided us with a built-in support network of Christian friends to remind, reinforce, coach, and pray for us throughout the journey. 

When we went through D2MC, we had just settled into a new house, and when asked who my “people of peace” were, I struggled a bit to have certainty when naming them. Now, a few years later, we are settled into the neighborhood and our local schools, and have kiddos doing about every activity/sport imaginable. PLI gave us the green light to not only love our neighbors but intentionally do life with them, authentically, which I think can be hard sometimes for clergy and their families. As I reflect back, my people of peace are still those I listed a few years ago, but also now include new Christian friends that I’ve made over the past few years. I’m so thankful to God for placing these families in our lives!

Tell me about your experience as a coach in a Spanish-speaking group. What are you seeing in your huddle?

I currently serve as a PLI coach for Leadership Essentials. It’s a small, Spanish-speaking cohort on the West Coast, and I’ve enjoyed getting to hear the stories of some amazing Latina leaders and how they lead in their own context. I’m constantly in awe of their intelligence, love for Jesus, and ability to navigate ministry in two languages, constantly pivoting between two different cultures, and doing it with humility and grace. Spanish-speaking huddles are also the coolest thing ever, a gift to me as they show extreme patience with my non-native skills. I love it!

What is God teaching you right now? 

I’m in a season of change and reflection. My kiddos are growing up, with the last one entering Kindergarten this year. It’s bittersweet for sure. My husband and I are soaking up all we can of each kiddo’s uniqueness, talent, and larger than life personalities. I think God is teaching us how to better be in the moment and reflect on all His goodness we have with them, our church family, and our community.