Train the Church

Equipping men for ministry in the context of the local church

Jun 24, 2019

Episode 10: Can I See Your Curriculum?

Episode 10: Can I See Your Curriculum?

The most common request we get about our training center is “can I see your curriculum?” However the question assumes that the content drives the process. Though we care more about process, we make a stab at answering, “how do you match content to your training process?"

Jun 17, 2019

Episode 9: How Much Can We Expect of Men?

Episode 9: How Much Can We Expect of Men?

After we have described the overall process for training men in the church that we use, there is a question we hear pretty quickly, “How much is reasonable to expect of Christian men who work and have a family?”

Jun 10, 2019

Episode 8: Spiritual Gifts and Ministry Training

Episode 8: Spiritual Gifts and Ministry Training

FBC’s Training Center helps men to know what God has gifted and called them to do in life. That determination doesn’t come from the pastors and their input, but the community that develops within the group itself.

Jun 3, 2019

Episode 7: Our Method for Training Men

Episode 7: Our Method for Training Men

What's our method for training men? We talk year-by-year about what we do with men to equip them with the Word and help them know their gifting & strengths. We try to acknowledge both the strengths and weaknessess of our process.

May 27, 2019

Episode 6: Considering Different Training Methods

Episode 6: Considering Different Training Methods

There are multiple methods in use today for training men in ministry. This episode, we consider the strengths & weaknesses of each major model, including seminary education, unaccredited seminaries, learning by doing, & what happens when churches imitate seminaries.

May 20, 2019

Episode 5: The Training Environment

Episode 5: The Training Environment

What sort of broader context is required to be effective in training men for ministry? How connected should the training program be to a local church and why? What if the local church has issues? We talk through these things and more in this episode.

May 13, 2019

Episode 4: Who Should Be Trained?

Episode 4: Who Should Be Trained?

Every pastor wrestles with WHO do I train for ministry? Who should I pursue and who should I say no to? What's required in a man before investing into him further? Can a man be too young to effectively equip? In this episode, we talk through our filter on who to invest into.

May 6, 2019

Episode 3: The Goal

Episode 3: The Goal

A football coach has a goal for his team. In fact, he has a goal for every practice. When it comes to church-based training, what is the overall goal? And how is the purpose of ministry training frequently misunderstood?

Apr 29, 2019

Episode 2: Discipleship

Episode 2: Discipleship

John talks to Chris and Nigel about discipleship, its distinction and necessity in the process of training men for ministry, and how frequently churches practice a narrow form, rather than all that the Bible encourages us to pursue together.

Apr 22, 2019

Episode 1: Our Background

Episode 1: Our Background

In this episode, we sit down to discuss our back stories, how we were equipped for ministry and came to prioritize the training of men for ministry.