The following thoughts come in part to my reading of the book “Breaking Tradition To Accomplish Vision: Training Leaders For a Church Planting Movement”—by Paul R. Gupta and Sherwood Lingenfelter. Not all of the thoughts are theirs but enough of my writing below stems from them that I want to give them proper credit. The majority of the information can be found in chapter two which is titled “A New Paradigm: Non-Formal Training. If you are a missionary or are interested in evangelism and church planting in a non-western context then I strongly recommend this book.
In India they had focused on formal training and realized it was not sufficient in and of itself to fill the need of developing mature pastor leaders that would go forth evangelizing and discipling with the goal of seeing churches planted. This led them to the idea of non-formal training to go alongside formal training. They realized formal training was necessary in order to not hinder the theological development in the nation, but they also realized that to reach the masses they needed men that were trained in the context of their own village, town or city. By remaining at home these men could begin meeting the spiritual needs of the people right away as they were trained and mentored by the missionaries. Then as these men became trained mature leaders they could begin to see churches planted and start training others to do the same.
To plant a church in every village, town and city of this nation, having a church for every thousand people in every people group, we need twelve thousand Bible preaching churches throughout Zambia and a minimum of twelve thousand mature pastor leaders. The reality is that good Bible preaching churches are scarce and a large church might have several hundred in attendance with the majority of the churches having only a few dozen faithful attendees. In order to accomplish the great task ahead of us while using only formal education as the means of developing mature pastor leaders will demand decades of work. This if the task is even plausible. Currently, the task of training men in a college setting only reaches a few and it moves at too slow a pace. Gupta and Lingenfelter point out that often programs attract students only interested in obtaining a degree and most are not interested in church planting efforts. Once the degree is acquired many do not return to their home and pursue ministry.
Because of this they then formed a plan to attract the right kind of men for non-formal training. Pg. 28-29
1. The first principle was to find students who had a passion for evangelism and church planting and provide training for them that does not take them away from their villages and people group. They trained once every three months for ten days and came for eight modules over a period of two years.
2. A second principle of the training is repetition. Through repetition the trainees gained progressive mastery of foundational information on the Bible and biblical theology.
3. A third principle of training is application by teaching others. They required all trainees to teach immediately what they had learned to those they are reaching and discipling in their villages. Through this training they learned how to share their faith and how to disciple those who came to know Christ as their savior. When they located areas where people were receptive to the gospel they sought to make this the area of their first church plant.
The goal of this type of education is to make it free to those who are seeking to be equipped as evangelists and church planters. The simplified idea in this type of endeavor is to introduce the basics of the Old and New Testaments, give an exposure to key doctrines, teach study skills so they can study the Bible on their own, teach how to conduct Bible studies, and prepare lessons and sermons.
Lingenfelter points out many bonuses for Non-Formal Leadership Training. Pg 40-42
1. Non-formal training vastly expands the potential recruits.
2. Practical engagement quickly sifts out those who are not wired for, or committed to, the ministry.
3. Experiential learning has powerful results for adult learners. When you can nurture men in how to evangelize and disciple it will bring an incredible outcome.
4. Evaluation and correction with reference to goal increases positive learning outcomes. When you know what kind of leaders are needed you are able to adjust the training to achieve the goal.
5. The variable pace and repetition of learning serves the diversity of trainees, so that most succeed. Individuals who progress rapidly become coaches for those following at a slower rate.
6. On-site mentoring advances student learning. Mentors play an important role in all the training components. Trainer mentors and peer mentors assist trainees in the development of spiritual disciplines, character, and skill for ministry.
7. Empowerment of trainees to train others serves to multiply leaders and followers. The practice of teaching trainees to teach their new converts and teaching new converts to teach their families has a profound multiplication effect when it is implemented well.
Some drawbacks to a non-formal training can be the emphasis on evangelism and church planting can result in the leaders you are training lacking strong biblical foundations because they don’t have time to develop skills in interpreting scripture. In their studies they found it takes at least four years of mentoring a non-formal trainee to develop stability in a church. The timetable then is similar to that of formal training, but with the bonus being the men can remain with their family and in their village, town, or city while they are being trained.
As a missionary that has been engaged in formal training for three and a half years I see the great benefit of a good balanced education. My time spent lecturing in a formal classroom setting has been well spent. Teaching the Bible on a formal level should be done in order to train the top tier leaders that will impact other top tier leaders in the secular and sacred world. These degreed men will also be shepherds of theological development in Zambia and other African nations. It would be foolish to not advocate advanced studies, but in the same light it would be foolish not to advocate non-formal training. Theological Education by Extension is not a new idea. For the Gospel to take effect it must be given so that people can hear it, process it, and believe it through the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit. Once a person is saved they must be discipled and when this process is accomplished they will be able to “teach others also.” The non-formal training of mature pastor leaders must be pursued if the masses in Africa are going to be reached for the Gospel. May the Lord of the Harvest give Zambia laborers who will be willing to “Break Tradition To Accomplish Vision.”
