One Year School of Ministry
Introduction
The One Year School of Ministry was born out of our desire to give men in North Africa the basic training to be pastors in unevangelized cities and villages. The following is our plan for the first year of ministry training. It is our hope that young missionaries and pastors with our same desire can take this strategy and be better equipped for the task of multiplying national leaders who make disciples.
The One Year School of Ministry contains 10 basic courses but it is more than course work. It is meant to support life-on-life discipleship. It is meant to give structure to the “withness” that Christ taught us to practice with faithful men (Mark 3:14). Read through the following stages before running with the course work. The course work is offered free to church planters in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Turkish.
Stage 1: Identify Goals and Expectations
What are our core ministry values?
1. We value the Gospel of Jesus supremely meaning our aim is to preach salvation by grace through repentance and faith in the cross and resurrection of Christ, Son of God.
2. We value the Word of God. We seek to establish the doctrine and the daily walk of every Christian in a correct interpretation of the Word.
3. We value the local church. We seek to gather believers into local churches in every city thus extending the body of Christ to carry out the Great Commission.
4. We value obedience to the Great Commission of Christ. We teach that all Christians are responsible to get the Gospel to the lost world near and far away.
5. We value trained local leaders. We believe that the best way to reach Morocco is to train Moroccan believers as pastors, preachers, and servants.
Describe the ideal graduate from our training.
The ideal graduate from our training loves the Word of God and is centered on the Gospel of Christ. He walks a pure life free of stumbling blocks of sin and pride. He loves the local church, gives of his money to it, and is a force for unity. He can lead someone to Christ and teach him how to walk with the Lord. He can preach a passage from the Bible with excitement and contextual accuracy. He is able to stand firm in persecution and be identified as a Christian to his family and country.
What are the marks of maturity?
- He has a good testimony with the believers and unbelievers. (Titus 1:6)
- If married, he has a believing, orderly family. (Titus 1:6)
- He is not self-willed meaning he does not desire to please himself but Christ and others (Titus 1:7) by being hospitable and loving good men (Titus 1:8)
- He is dependable. Serious about his business, not frivolous (Titus 1:8) He is not lazy about his time and the work of the Lord.
- He is holy, separated from wickedness (Titus 1:8) including a love for money (Titus 1:7) and injustice for gain (Titus 1:8).
- He has himself under control (Titus 1:8) meaning he is not soon angry (Titus 1:7), is not a striker (Titus 1:7), and is not a drunkard (Titus 1:7).
- He holds fast to biblical doctrine and teaches it (Titus 1:9)
What are the activity goals?
- He has a daily, morning devotional time with God. (Ps. 143:8)
- He faithfully and knowledgably shares the Gospel (2 Tim. 4:2)
- He prepares teaching material weekly from the Word. (2 Tim. 4:2)
- He spends time with new believers in discipleship (2 Tim. 2:2)
- He is honest and faithful to his own word (Ps. 15:4)
- He involves others around him in the work of the Lord (Eph 4:11-12)
- He serves and encourages his brothers (Rom. 12:11, Luke 22:32)
- He is a avid reader of good books and learner from good men (Prov. 2:1-7)
What slogan best communicates our goal to the disciples?
Making Disciples who Make Disciples
Is there a vision statement that will keep the leadership focused on the ultimate goal?
Mission Statement- We exist to train faithful men to love Christ, preach the Gospel, serve His church, and disciple more faithful men.
What identifies and describes the characteristics of the target group for this training?
The ideal person to be chosen for this training is:
- A man
- A believer
- Baptized
- Faithful to regular church meetings
- Desirous to be trained for ministry
- Available for the necessary hours
Stage 2: Catalog the Knowledge Base, Mindset, and Skill Set
What is the frame for this training?
The student will participate in 6 to 8 hours of classroom training per week for a one to two year period. The student will also be trained during weekly church services, evangelistic activities, mission trips, and intensive summer courses.
What will the disciple know by the end of the training?
The disciple will know:
*The implications of the Gospel including salvation, sanctification, reconciliation, regeneration, redemption, propitiation, justification, and glorification.
*How to correctly interpret and apply the Bible both the Old and New Testaments.
*The definition, polity, and importance of the local church.
*The three aspects of the Great Commission including the preaching the Gospel, organizing of local churches, and discipling of new believers.
*How to successfully fight with the Sword of the Spirit the world, the flesh, and the devil.
*How to use the tools of evangelism and discipleship.
*The skills for preaching effectively.
*The teachings of Christ concerning the Christian life and the response of the first church to persecution.
How will the disciple be more confident by the end of the training?
He will be confident and excited to preach the Word.
He will be confident in his training and knowledge to walk with the Lord, serve in the church, and disciple others.
He will be compassionate for the lost.
He will be increased love for Christ and the church.
What will the disciple do on a regular basis by the end of the training?
*He will spend time in the Word and prayer daily.
*He will share the Gospel with the lost.
*He will spend time with new believers discipling them.
*He will teach the Word on a weekly basis.
*He will gather believers into a church.
*He will baptize new believers.
Stage 3: Courses, Texts, Teachers, and Activities
What courses will be necessary to accomplish stage two in order to produce our desired disciple?
- The Gospel
- Description- A study based in Romans teaching the need for the Gospel, the power of the Gospel, and the centrality of the Gospel in each life and the church.
- Old Testament Survey
- Description- The Old Testament Survey course is meant to be an introduction to the major themes, sections, and prophesies of the Old Testament. A special emphasis will be given to the prophecies fulfilled by the New Testament in Christ.
- Life of Christ
- Description- The Gospel as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The different purposes, themes, and audiences of each writer will be considered. The parables, teaching, and works of Christ will be in focus.
- New Testament Letters
- Description- From I Corinthians to Revelation this course will consider the purpose and message of each letter along. The course will be divided into Pauline letters, Johanine letters, other epistles, and Revelation.
- Hermeneutics
- Description- This course will focus on correct interpretation of the Bible according to its historical context, genre, and other appropriate considerations.
- The Local Church
- Description- The course will begin by explaining the polity and ordinances of the local church as established in the New Testament. It will also cover the details of planting a new church and the teamwork required for the longterm health of a church.
- The Great Commission
- Description- This course will be divided into three parts: Evangelism, discipleship, and world missions. A special focus will be given to discipleship as a means for evangelism and missions.
- The Be Level Course
- Description- This course will teach the student how to use the Sword of the Spirit to overcome the temptations of the devil, the lusts of the flesh, and the draw of the present world.
- Theology of Persecution
- Description- This course will focus on what Jesus said about the Christian life and how the first church responded in Acts. A part of this course will also include persecution in the history of the early church, in North Africa, and of Baptists.
- Homiletics
- Description- This course will consider the skills for effective preaching with a special emphasis on the expository sermon.
What activities or techniques could give application and practice for the skill set from stage two?
Evangelistic Meetings- These meetings are with New Testament requestors from our online website being advertised on Facebook. These meetings serve to both give the student boldness and skills as they watch and particpate in sharing the Gospel.
Preaching Opportunities- These opportunities can be created among us, the students and teachers, or in special meetings with other believers or seekers. They would serve to give the student experience in preparation and delivery of sermons.
Missions Trips- This trips would be made inside the country within 2 to 4 hours of the home of the student. The idea would be to provide a good quantity of quality time between the student and the teacher.
Church Services- These meetings whether weekly or monthly depending on the context would give the student experience in promoting, organizing, and preaching in the local church that he would be responsible to plant.
Summer Men’s Retreat- This two or three day event would be designed for both teaching and fellowship with other men from around the country. The main goal would be to create a deeper spirit of brotherhood and teamwork at this retreat.
Disciple making sessions- These sessions would be between a new believer and the teacher. The student would tag along and be taught by the teacher about how best to use the time of discipleship sessions.
Evangelistic projects- These projects include CD’s of evangelistic themes as well as testimonial videos or audio recording. These would be supplementary to the training given in course work and activities.
Stage 4: Scope, Sequence, and Schedule
What will the schedule be for the course work?
Option 1: One day per week for a period of a year.
Option 2: Four days per month for a period of a year.
What illustration could be developed to show the disciple the base steps of development?
The Apostle John describes three stages of growth that lead to being a disciple maker in terms of the physical growth of a child in I John 2:12-14. As a child grows he becomes a young man. As he has children he becomes referred to as a father. The disciples that come to us will be expected to be little children in the faith. We desire that they graduate as young men ready to be fathers as the Lord gives them their own children in the faith.