Training leaders the way Jesus and the apostles did (2)
Some wise tips about training leaders the way Jesus and the apostles did it.
D. A wise teacher, like Ezra, includes children in important instruction and church life. “Men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel” (Ezra 10:1).
Ezra included children in important teaching, as did Moses and other good leaders of God’s people. Ezra instructed the Israelites to confess their sins and end their relationships with idolaters. Their obedience led a great, national, spiritual renewal. It was too important to leave the children out. It is healthy for children to join adults in serious spiritual endeavours.
Traditional teachers are too hasty in separating children out. It is not enough simply to tell children Bible stories during the worship time. Rather let children briefly act out Bible stories for the adults Thus, the children will know that they are an important part of the church body. The Paul-Timothy studies that we prepare on a topic come in pairs: one study is for the new church leader, and another is for children with a Bible story to act out during the worship time.
E. A wise teacher integrates teaching with the other gift-based ministries of the body, harmonized in love by the Holy Spirit.
“The body is one and yet has many members” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Chapters 12 through 14 of 1 Corinthians show how different gift-based ministries must be practiced together in love, coordinated by the Holy Spirit, in the same way that the different organs of our human bodies work together to let our bodies function normally. This happens when leaders allow other believers to share in teaching others, letting them freely practice the many ‘one-another’ commands such as “teach one another,” “correct one another,” “confess our faults to one another,” “bear one another’s burdens,” “forgive one another”, etc. In small groups, good teachers avoid monologues and make it easy for everyone to take part.
F. A wise trainer of leaders teaches in a way that his trainees can imitate at once and can pass to newer leaders.
“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Teaching given to new leaders must be reproducible. Wherever the apostles went making disciples and training new leaders the way Jesus said to do, churches multiplied. The same thing happens today in most pioneer fields where missionaries and trainers follow these guidelines and pass on “a light baton”. So doing avoids methods that are difficult to imitate, and excludes equipment that is unavailable to their trainees.
A good trainer of leaders finds out what a church is lacking and mobilizes elders to deal with it. “Set in order what is lacking and name elders in each city” (Titus 1:5). A trainer must first listen and verify what are the current needs of each church, then supply through the local leaders what is lacking. Even novice leaders can train newer leaders effectively when trainers supply them with a checklist of the activities that are required of a church by Christ and His apostles. With such a menu of vital ministries, one can easily chart a new congregation’s progress. Paul-Timothy Leader Training provides such a menu of church activities that are required by the New Testament. Train & Multiply uses a similar menu. Free studies can be downloaded from www.paul-timothy.net under these categories:
1. Assurance, counseling, visiting
2. Bible, general studies about the Bible, interpretation
3. Church-planting
4. Disciple-making
5. Evangelism, salvation from sin, death and hell, baptism
6. Family life
7. Giving, stewardship, bivocational work
8. Growing in Christ, Christian character
9. Historical events of lasting importance
10. Love, fellowship, serving the needy
12. Missions
13. Organizing, overseeing
13. Prayer, faith, healing, spiritual warfare
14. Teaching in a biblical way
15. Training leaders
16. Worship, Lord’s Supper
G. A good trainer of leaders investigates the outcomes of his teaching. James 1:22 requires believers to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
Good teaching is applied immediately in a practical way. When mentor new leaders, ask them first to report what their flock has done in response to prior teaching. The Paul-Timothy studies that we prepare have three parts: (1) a Bible study, (2) corresponding activities that the congregation should do during the week, and (3) related activities to do during worship.
H. A good trainer of leaders helps them to discover for themselves what the Bible says about a particular truth.
The Bereans searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:10-11). We give new leaders the tools to mine the gems in the Word of God. Good students discover God’s priceless truths for themselves. Good Bible studies enable students to find biblical truths easily and accurately. The Paul-Timothy studies that we prepare do not tell students simply what the Bible says, but rather where to find it. For example, instead of simply telling people what the Holy Spirit does for a believer, we ask them to discover it for themselves by examining such passages as John chapters 14-16, Acts 2, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 and Galatians 5.
I. A wise trainer of leaders teaches and writes studies that focus on people, avoiding abstract analysis of doctrine.
Paul kept in mind the persons to whom he wrote his letters, naming them and dealing with specific situations in their churches, in response to questions and reported needs. Peter had shepherding elders in mind when he wrote 1 Peter. John wrote, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven… I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him… I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one…” (1 John 2:12-14). We, too, should prepare our lessons with people and their needs in mind. Write studies as though you were writing a letter to a specific person who is typical of those who need your instruction.
J. A wise trainer of shepherds models pastoral skills while teaching, maintaining a balance between classroom instruction and mentoring on the job.
“Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Our best teaching is often done on the job outside of any classroom. Jesus and His apostles apprenticed new leaders, combining verbal instruction with field work. Jesus taught the crowds by monologue, but he prepared novice leaders, by walking and chatting with them (Matthew 5:1-2). When Paul taught the Ephesian congregation, as reported in Acts 20:7, he did so discussing questions with them, not with a sermon. (The verb in the original Greek is dialegomai, to discuss, discourse with, converse with, or discuss a question with another. The context of Acts 20:7 seems cordial and passionate, not a place and time for philosophical monologue, harangue or pulpit oratory.)
Source: George Patterson & Gallen Currah (www.mentorandmultiply.com)
