Resources to Help a Busy Pastor Train Leaders

There is no question that a major part of a pastor's job description is to "equip the saints for ministry" (Ephesians 4:11-12). The wonderful thing is that there are abundant resources to help a busy pastor accomplish this. Here are some recommendations of ways to train leaders in your church. The following descriptions are based on their current websites. E412 (Piedmont International University – now Carolina University) E4-12 is the new groundbreaking delivery method where you can earn an accredited Master of Arts in Ministry degree in just 30 hours for the unbelievably low price of $99 per credit hour. This is made possible through a partnership between Piedmont International University and your local church. The "e4-12" name comes from Ephesians 4:12 where the Lord gives gifted teachers to the church to equip the saints for ministry and build the body. The goal is to assist churches by graduating Christian leaders who are competent in Biblical and theological knowledge, strong in their personal faith, skilled in ministry, outstanding in communication, and prepared to understand and engage their culture with courageous proclamation of the gospel and confident defense of the faith. The MA in Ministry degree, a 30-credit hour program is made up of ten courses comprised of twelve, professionally filmed, 45-minute video classes. Each class will be streamed and played into a classroom at your church. Students seeking the master's degree must hold a recognized bachelor's degree and apply to Piedmont for online classes. Students then gather each week at a time decided by the church to watch the video classes, and log on to Piedmont's Blackboard server for discussions, class assignments, and exams. Bible Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) BTCP training uses a biblical, systematic, portable and comprehensive approach to providing the foundational equivalent of a good Bible college or seminary education. Our training consists of 520 hours of interactive classroom lecture and discussion under the supervision of a qualified teacher, taking about 2 years to complete. Their mission is to extend non-formal theological training to the world’s untrained pastors and church leaders. World Wide Bible Institute (Source of Light Ministries), is a three-year Bible Institute Curriculum created to be used in a structured school or on-line setting. It is not intended for the person who wishes to merely pick and choose courses from a random selection of offerings. WWBI’s curriculum progresses from simple to more complex themes and produces a “building block effect,” in which each subject builds upon what has been learned in another. Several Christian colleges are extending credit for work completed in WWBI. Centers of Church Based Training (CCBT) CCBT helps churches worldwide develop passionate disciples and mature leadership teams through 1st century discipleship using source-based learning (guidance through book-reading). Their experienced practitioners – pastors, church planters, elders, and lay leaders – delight in providing transforming experiences to your leadership team and teaching your leadership how they can provide transforming experiences in your church. Founded in 1995 by pastors and church planters Gene Getz, Bruce Miller, and Jeff Jones, they have ministered to churches around the globe with many denominations and many language groups. BILD International The BILD Training System is a highly integrated set of programs and resources that enables church leaders around the world to accelerate the planting and establishing of churches by training their own leaders and establishing believers in their churches. BILD International The BILD Training System is a highly integrated set of programs and resources that enables church leaders around the world to accelerate the planting and establishing of churches by training their own leaders and establishing believers in their churches. The BILD Training System is comprised of two major components, the BILD Institute and the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development. Together, they provide church leaders with a complete system for establishing every believer and training leaders at every level within their church, church network, or church-planting movement. Thousands of churches and leaders around the world are using these programs and resources to establish believers and train leaders with a vision of seeing the gospel progress and the Church spontaneously expand in their villages, towns, cities, countries and cultures. Photo by M ACCELERATOR on Unsplash