At MTS we’re committed to equipping trainers who can train new gospel workers for the harvest. The model of being trained as we see in the New Testament is one of being alongside one another, teaching and rebuking and encouraging and showing.
Apprenticeships provide the perfect shape to be trained in not just knowledge but life and skills! That is why we encourage all gospel workers to be trained through apprenticeship by skilled trainers. The goal is that the training is centred on the following three C’s.
Training by apprenticeship builds: Character
Apprentices sit under an experienced ministry worker (their trainer) who helps them grow in ‘life and doctrine’ (1 Tim 4:16). They get to taste ministry and live life as a ministry worker with the support and accountability of someone who has done it before (and is still learning to do it too).
Apprenticeships allow each person to receive tailored training and experience in ministry. One size doesn’t fit all, and in fact we want ALL kinds of different workers to fulfil the many needs of the harvest!
Under an experienced trainer leading them in godliness, apprentices are modelled and instructed in more regular prayer and Bible reading patterns. This sees ministry workers complete training in ministry with far more regular habits in prayer and Bible reading.
Training by apprenticeship builds: Conviction
Like any apprenticeship, ministry apprenticeships involve a combination of learning and practice. Apprentices integrate God’s Word, life and ministry to experience holistic training in gospel work.
This prepares people for formal theological education or compliments their study as they pursue it. During the process, apprentices learn very quickly that they are not sovereign, but God is!
Training by apprenticeship builds: Competence
The integration of Word, life and ministry creates competence in gospel workers. Apprentices get on-the-job training as they do ministry under the guidance of their trainer. They learn that ministry is about people, not programs, and they hone their gifts and learn about their weaknesses.
A well-rounded apprenticeship gives people leadership in a familiar ministry, learning in a less familiar ministry and the opportunity to start a new outreach initiative or some input to new approaches to ministry.
Apprentices are shaped into workers by trainers
What makes apprenticeships especially unique is the relationship between trainer and apprentice! In addition to being a great testing and learning ground, apprentices are poured into by experienced ministry workers who are praying for them and with them. Trainers ‘do life’ with their apprentices in a practical way and show them how to love and serve Jesus with their whole lives. This guidance creates more godly, skilled and stable gospel workers who are well-equipped to do ministry for years to come.
Want to get apprentices started in your church? Learn how here.