by Dr. Tony L Lynn
PLYMOUTH, MI – Does your church seem stuck? Do you cringe when someone suggests starting something new knowing you already have too much to do? Do you feel as if you’re doing more than you should? Are you worn out and wish there were more dedicated volunteers who could do more in the church?
Pastors and church leaders often feel the previous feelings when the church stopped training up new people of influence. It is a common occurrence. In established churches, the development process gets ignored because the old faithful volunteers did the work for years until they retired, moved away, or died. In new church plants, the first generation of volunteers receive a lot of training whereas the following years of volunteers are expected to catch the training by simply soaking up the examples of the fatigued people they are replacing.
Enjoy the 15-minute Video
Please, take less than 15-minutes to watch this video: VIDEO TRAINING OTHERS – then return to read the rest of this article. We can help you set-up a free, customized development process for your church, whether it is old or new. The year of 2022 could be one of the strongest years for your church. Training brings unity and focus. Training creates a contagious energy with those around you.
Multiplication Training
This multiplication training has three levels with goals, memory verses, and assignments grouped in modules. The material can be used in-person or on-line. When you gather to discuss the lessons, great spiritual discoveries will happen for everyone. The lesson plans are already created, but will feel relevant to each church. There are video, audio, and reading materials from John Piper, Paul David Tripp, Jenn Wilkin, Tim Keller, D.A. Horton and many more.
Level One
Level 1 is called “Living on Mission.” I describe this as the level where people discover how to feed themselves spiritually. During this portion, your people will learn how to rely on the Lord every day of their lives. They will understand that their consistent growth in the Lord takes more than listening to one sermon per week. There are seven subjects:
Spiritual Formation
Bible Fluency
Spiritual Design
Evangelism
Understanding the Church
Servant Leadership
Level Two
Level 2 is called “Disciple Making.” At this level, people in your church will advance from caring about themselves to caring for the discipleship of others. This is a dramatic shift where these individuals take on a ministry like a shepherd to others which helps relieve their local pastor. The eight competencies under this level are:
Self-awareness
Communication & Teamwork
Understanding Context
Spiritual Readiness
Making Disciples
Multiplying Leaders
Church Planting
Making a Difference
Level Three
Level 3 is entitled “Church Planting,” but do not let that turn you away. This is the level of study where those in the church are asked to dedicate more of themselves in the local church whether the church is long-established or new. People are looking for ways to meaningfully engage in community. Some older generations, who have retired or semi-retired, could be enlisted to become permanent personnel in a local church. At this level, participants applying what they previously learned to your local church becomes exciting. They become part of the leadership team overseeing ministries so the pastor can focus on sermon preparation, teaching, and vision casting. The areas of focus are:
Emotional Health
Confirming Their Calling
Family Dynamics
Church Planting Models and Strategies
Support
More . . .
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Can people start at different levels of training? Yes.
How do I know where people should start their training? Let them take the provided survey.
What kind of learning styles are incorporated in the training? People will learn by hearing, seeing, and doing. They will interact with the material and one another.
Is there a fixed schedule we must follow? No, this development process is accessed online and is flexible to meet the needs of your local church. You are in-charge of the schedule.
Will the pastor lead this alone? No, the pastor should guide the enlistment of a coordinator, various coaches, and the participants into small groups or what we often call cohorts. This plan relieves the pastor, it is not meant to overload the pastor.
Next Steps
Sign-up to receive your introduction to the training material at STARTING POINT.
Fill out REGISTER MY CHURCH form and click at the bottom of the form.
Respond to a follow-up email, sent to the registrant, giving access to training.
Meet with influencers in your church and start designing your training.
Contact one of Michigan’s leaders who can assist you:
Ken Nether / KNether@namb.net
Tim Shrader / TShrader@namb.net
Matt Thompson / MThompson@namb.net
Years of Healthy Leadership
Pastors, if you will set this training up for your congregation and continue the cycle of training each year for the next 3-5 years, you will see a remarkable improvement in your church’s impact in the lives of the people you love. You will move from cringing to training to celebrating!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Tony L. Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe.