One Equipping Track; Many Ways to Teach It

JOELby Joel Comiskey

I remember when we first started using our training track (equipping series) in Ecuador. We tried to train the Ecuadorians one-on-one. We thought that was the “right way” to do it. We soon discovered that it wasn’t natural for a group-oriented culture like Ecuador to readily embrace the one-on-one training method. When we started training the Ecuadorians in a group settting, they came alive and were much more teachable.

Am I against one-on-one? No, I think it’s fabulous. What I am saying is that we need to be flexible with regard to how we train people. After all, didn’t Jesus train His disciples in a group setting? Yes, He did focus on Peter, James, and John, but for the most part he trained them together. Here’s what I believe:

Have One Training Track but Many Ways to Teach the One Training Track

I believe a church needs to determine the one equipping process that the entire church will follows, from the new believer (or non-Christian) to leading a cell and beyond. Yet, I also believe a church should exercise great flexibility on how to teach the equipping. Some examples are:

  • Sunday school hour. Some churches use the adult Sunday school to teach the different training manuals.
  • Before or after the cell group. One option is to ask trainees to come 45 minutes before the cell starts or to stay awhile after the cell to complete one or two lessons.
  • Retreat setting. It’s possible to teach one entire equipping book on a Saturday or during a special retreat.

I’ve trained people one-on-one, one-on-two/three/four, a small group setting, or in a large group setting, such as a retreat.

An importnat goal of the cell church is to make sure everyone enters and completes the training. To make this happen, we need to be flexible and offer lots of options to make sure everyone is trained.

What are your thoughts?

Joel

4 thoughts on “One Equipping Track; Many Ways to Teach It

  • Joel, one of the foundational things that precedes this discussion but actually makes it possible is clarity and focus on what needs to be in the equipping track – the specific ideas to be learned, the specific skills to be mastered, and how learning will be measured (including what is required for advancement and what is not).

    When these things are clear, even standardized, it would make it much easier for people to participate in equipping in a variety of different ways.

    It’s more normal for many of us, including me, to build the bridge as I walk on it, resist specifications, standardization and clarity, and constantly change and “improve” due to my restless desire to innovate and tinker with ideas. So the real problem with implementing what you propose (despite significant and obvious benefits) is my reluctance to ever produce a “finished” product as an equipping track. I don’t think I’m alone in having this problem.

  • david, you have made a very good point here!! I agree! That is why I shared in my last blog about the content of training and the importance of having a specific training, rather than the general educational model. You’re right, if a person is developing the training “on the fly” it’s much more difficult to then add variety of ways to teach the training.

  • Hello! am sorry for not keeping track…can you please publish some of the lessons that you share in the equipping track….
    thank you…

    More power
    God bless you!

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