FIVE C’S REQUIRED FOR ANY CHURCH TO TRAIN MTS APPRENTICES.
1. Candidate
2. Cash
3. Curriculum
4. Culture (A culture of training i.e. disciple making disciple makers.)
5. Change agent (The change agent, the rabid dog, the tenacious terrier is the most important of the 5 C’s. Without a change agent, everything peters out.)
FIVE THINGS THAT BIGGER TRAINING CENTRES DO WELL
1. They have recruiting and training ministry apprentices as a key part of their vision. If it is part of the vision then everyone commits to it – staff team, treasurer, parents of future apprentices. If it is part of the vision people don’t say, “Why do we spend so much money on training people who end up leaving us?” (e.g. Lakes Evangelical: We train 1 apprentice for every 100 adults or part there of i.e. 0-100 Adults = 1 x apprentice; 100-200 = 2 apprentices; 200-300 = 3 apprentices etc.)
2. Their senior pastor is at the MTS recruiting conference every year. This is a working out of the vision mentioned in Point #1. (e.g. Greg Lee at Hunter Bible Church)
3. They identify, commission, recognise and resource the “Change Agent” within the church (in Hunter Bible Church’s case it was Richard Sweatman 07-16. Now it is Scott Curtis 2017f)
4. The staff team devote significant time and effort to playing a part in training all disciples with a clear training regime from “Just arrived at church” to “potential MTS recruit”
a. HBC training regime: Life -> Connect Series -> Growth Group Member -> Ministry Skills Training (2WTL -> 121 Bible Reading -> GG Leading -> Team Leading) -> MTS Apprentice]
5. They recruit apprentices:
a. Tap on the shoulder – those who bubble to the surface as keen in Point #4 above
b. Into a “Leadership Pipeline” that is the apprentice leads the leaders of the “training regime”. (“My success is my success” vs “Your success is my success”)
FIVE THINGS THAT SMALLER TRAINING CENTRES DO WELL
1. They have recruiting and training ministry apprentices as a key part of their vision
2. The Senior Pastor is usually the “change agent” for a number of years (Therefore they really need to be at every recruiting conference)
3. The Senior Pastor trains one keen lay person (There is always a keen gifted lay person who can be trained up to do this.) Individually, over time, to be the person who coordinates the training regime (I’d recommend 2WTL, Follow Up, Blueprint, Growth Groups). Over the years, this lay person may become the “change agent” and the Senior Minister reverts to being the “permission giver”.
4. They make sure leaders are mentored one to one
5. They get people teaching asap e.g. Year 8 students teaching Sunday school to Year 4s.
FIVE THINGS THAT LEAD TO NOT TRAINING AT ALL
1. “If you aim for nothing, you’re sure to hit it” If the goal = zero apprentices, you’ll probably do it. No vision = no buy in.
2. Make sure the Senior Pastor leaves after 5 years… this will ensure a training culture cannot get going
3. Making sure paid staff act like formula 1 drivers not Captain Coaches. (Ignore Ephesians 4)
4. Absence of “tapping on the shoulder” (Ignore 2 Tim 2:2)
5. Make sure you use people like cheap labour and expect heaps of them without putting any time into them.