Church Based Training

Here is our attempt at a definition of a church-based approach to training:
Church-Based training is developing all believers to maturity and many to leadership in the local church, under the authority of local church leadership, through an apprenticeship on-the-job approach, with other churches, for Christ's mission of multiplying churches worldwide to God's glory.

“In the Church” : The Power of Context

The training takes place in the life and ministry of the local church, which is the visible expression of the body of Christ (Acts 13:1; Ephesians 1:22-23). The church is the body of Christ, the family of God, the temple of the Spirit. The church is the hope of the world. God is at work today in a direct way through local churches.

“Under the Church” : The Power of Responsibility

The training takes place under the authority of the leaders of the local church (Acts 20:25-31; Hebrews 13:17), who must give account to God for the training of godly leaders and for the maturity of the church's members. In developing leaders in a local church, we are working with people who have God-given responsibility for that church or for a specific ministry in that church. In Acts 20:28 Paul told the elders of the church in Ephesus that they were responsible for the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, and responsible for the local church that Jesus Christ purchased with his own blood. In the churches we serve, God will hold us responsible for how we use what we learn to improve the church's ministry. This direct accountability to God gives church-based leadership development an energy that is missing from most classrooms.

“Through the Church” : The Power of Community

The training takes place through a non-formal, in-ministry, life-on-life approach to maturity and leadership development (Acts 11:25-26; 2 Timothy 2:2). This kind of leadership development involves much more than just offering courses. It is a process built into the very fabric of a local church's life and ministry. This is not a form of a Bible institute that operates alongside the church and meets in a Sunday school classroom. Rather, church-based people development occurs in and through the real-life, ongoing ministry activities of a local church. It includes life-on-life mentoring in the context of authentic community.
“With other Churches” : The Power of Partnership
Churches need both autonomy and interdependence, as in the first century (Acts 11:22-24). Rarely does one church by itself have all the necessary resources for developing leaders, but we can and should work together locally and globally to develop qualified leaders for the local church.

“For the Church” : The Power of Mission

The training takes place for the sake of the lost and for the multiplication of the local church worldwide (Acts 13:1-5; 14:21-18). We are not just learning for the sake of learning – which can lead to pride and sterility. We are developing leaders for the sake of reaching people for Jesus Christ in our community and for the sake of multiplying churches around the world.

“To God's Glory” : The Power of Worship

Ultimately our goal is to develop people for the purpose of bringing glory to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Romans15:5-6; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). When you are serving Almighty God, it changes your perspective. We should develop leaders, not just because it is an effective way to run our ministries, or even because it is the right thing to do; but because we want to bring honor and glory to our God.