It is easy to arrange Christian ministry training events in many places around the world.
Training by Addition
Leaders and ministries are in need of training and greatly desire it. We often begin with training a few, and the few quickly expand to many, and then the many moves to unlimited.
The pressure builds from one event to the next, year after year, for inviting more and more people. When this happens the costs skyrocket, so does the notoriety, as well as the influence it seems.
However, it is common that the expectations of the participants is for personal ministry value and resourcing their own ministries. It can easily become a situation of training dependency.
A lot of good results from that approach to training, but what if we stepped back from adding more training and including more people? What if we purposefully reduced the size of our training events and intentionally structured training for multiplication?
Training by Multiplication
A different approach might be to select quality trainers from a number of church planting movements who themselves are already training and influencing others. For example, invite only two or three from each movement to join a leadership community of about 30-60 trainers.
Part of the training events should include training on training others, and setting up structures leading to reproduction and even further reproduction. But, the accountability should reside within this national leadership community itself, not with the outsiders.
Leaders frequently talk about multiplication, but not enough make it. In order for the multiplication to work, more than the training is needed.
It is crucial that this cohort of leader-trainers see themselves as a learning community, speaking into one another’s ministries, sharing resources among themselves, and responsible to lead each other into a greater and more glorious ministry of multiplication.
In addition, ministry coaching and personal mentoring needs to be built into the system. On-site visits on occasion will greatly encourage the leaders and their movements, and it will allow for observation and further dialogue.
Church Set Free
A multiplication approach to training will relieve outside church partners of the growing financial burdens, involvement in planning and unmanageable number of relationships.
The costs will become more reasonable (especially if shared with a couple additional church partners). The planning will be shared with the national trainers cohort. Relationships will grow deeper and more enjoyable.
This change in approach will renew everyone's vision and energy. And all of the partners will see their influence increase for the Gospel of the Kingdom!
Training by Addition
Leaders and ministries are in need of training and greatly desire it. We often begin with training a few, and the few quickly expand to many, and then the many moves to unlimited.
The pressure builds from one event to the next, year after year, for inviting more and more people. When this happens the costs skyrocket, so does the notoriety, as well as the influence it seems.
However, it is common that the expectations of the participants is for personal ministry value and resourcing their own ministries. It can easily become a situation of training dependency.
A lot of good results from that approach to training, but what if we stepped back from adding more training and including more people? What if we purposefully reduced the size of our training events and intentionally structured training for multiplication?
Training by Multiplication
A different approach might be to select quality trainers from a number of church planting movements who themselves are already training and influencing others. For example, invite only two or three from each movement to join a leadership community of about 30-60 trainers.
Part of the training events should include training on training others, and setting up structures leading to reproduction and even further reproduction. But, the accountability should reside within this national leadership community itself, not with the outsiders.
Leaders frequently talk about multiplication, but not enough make it. In order for the multiplication to work, more than the training is needed.
It is crucial that this cohort of leader-trainers see themselves as a learning community, speaking into one another’s ministries, sharing resources among themselves, and responsible to lead each other into a greater and more glorious ministry of multiplication.
In addition, ministry coaching and personal mentoring needs to be built into the system. On-site visits on occasion will greatly encourage the leaders and their movements, and it will allow for observation and further dialogue.
Church Set Free
A multiplication approach to training will relieve outside church partners of the growing financial burdens, involvement in planning and unmanageable number of relationships.
The costs will become more reasonable (especially if shared with a couple additional church partners). The planning will be shared with the national trainers cohort. Relationships will grow deeper and more enjoyable.
This change in approach will renew everyone's vision and energy. And all of the partners will see their influence increase for the Gospel of the Kingdom!
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