Put Accountability Back Into Training Leaders

Summary

It is a duty of pastors and leaders to train new shepherds and leaders by modelling pastoral skills on-the-job in new, small, highly interactive, loving churches, as Jesus and Paul did. 

Relational modeling and teaching

At People Of Yes! we have noticed a debilitating deficiency in relational skill modeling in many aspects of Evangelical work.

We recently surveyed a group of successful field practitioners, who told us that one of the most important needs that they saw in their fields was to put more time and energy into relational modeling and teaching, as the most important ministry & leadership skills. They felt neglecting this area stifles church planting movements and church health in general.

Loving churches the main classroom

Our People Of Yes! approach is to learn and implement what is starkly evident in church planting movements. New, small, highly interactive, loving churches are the main “classroom” for training new shepherds. On-the-job skill modeling, as Jesus and Paul did it, is the norm.

Wise pastors accept their New Testament duty of coaching apprentice pastors, and most NT church planting is so simple that it needs no budget. Churches where everything is learned on the job are generally healthier than those led by leaders trained via classroom monologue; members do more ministries and simply replicate what they have seen to plant daughter churches.

We need your help

We need your help. We value your advice and feedback to thismessage stressing the integration of pastoral and leadership training with the other vital activities of the Body of Christ. Let us know what you are doing to correct the dearth of relational skill modeling on the field, with churches, or in Bible College or seminary.

People Of Yes! plan to explore and disseminate remedies with your help. How can we stir up edifying debate? Significant reform entails healthy controversy. Please, blog your answer

Hell’s sly fiends

What step do hell’s sly fiends commend
And Christian scholars sometimes take,

Not knowing that it starts the trend
That will with time the truth forsake?

In sacred academic halls,
Could scholars catch with angel’s ear,

The devils’ ruse that so enthralls,
They’d be aware and wisely fear.

Now hear a foiled demon’s wail:
“I tempted them, ‘Deny God’s Word!’

“Their love for Jesus made this fail;
“Our threefold Foe they rather heard.”

“You went too fast”, hell’s comrades cried.
“From church control they first must stray.

“They answer now to Christ’s true Bride,
And, thus, the churches’ Head obey!”

“So have them answer to their own,
“And trust their own advanced degrees.

“Their base will yield, as time has shown,
“    To our hell-bred theologies!”