One Day Training Seminars Ideas

One day dates

Roger Saner — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:40:56 +0000

Hi everyone

I know you've been waiting patiently by your computers for the next exciting installment of Change Agents news, and finally you can start breathing again...!

The creative people from Change Agents will be running 5 training days all over Gauteng from May - July, in your area! Yay! The theme for 2008 is “Developing Discipleship-focused youth programmes.” We feel that the conferences cater for leaders from Youth, Young Adults and Children’s work. The questions we'll be asking are, "What does someone who has been through your ministry look like as a follower of Jesus? How can you help God form that person? What are the things you need to do - and the resources you need - to do that?" At the end of the training day you should have a good grasp of that.

Here are the dates:

Joburg Northern Suburbs - 24th May, Bryanston Bible Church
Ekureleni - 31st May, Buela Park
Soweto - 7th June, Grace Bible Church
Tshwane - 21st June
Joburg West Rand - 28th June

Online registration will shortly be available at the Change Agents website: http://www.changeagents.co.za/

The dates for the weekend conference later this year are the 8-10th August at the YFC training centre in the Magaliesburg.

As you know, Change Agents is committed to walking a journey with you as you serve within youth ministry. It would be great if we could do that both at the training days and at the weekend conference. This also ties into our emphasis this year which is more on process than on an information dump. We want to help you develop your ministry in the most appropriate way for you.

I hope these dates let you plan your year well :)

One Day Training Seminars Ideas

Christians, Jesus, Jews, Rabbis and discipleship

Jean MacCallum — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:40:05 +0000

The word “Christian” is used only twice in Scripture, while the word “disciple” is used 270 times. The ultimate function of Christian ministry is not to make “Christians” or even “believers.” It is to make disciples. A believer has placed their faith in Christ, but hasn’t gone much farther than that initial decision to believe in Him, either because the resources weren’t offered or available, or because they are not interested. A disciple is not satisfied with just being a believer - they want to go to another level in their relationship with God. A disciple says I want more - more of God, more of His service, more of His kingdom.

Discipleship in Greece traces much of its roots to the great thinker Socrates. Socrates didn’t actually write anything. Thus, what we know of him is only through his disciples. His disciple, Plato, founded The Academy, which is the model for our universities today. Plato’s idea was to bring disciples to him and teach ideas and knowledge separated from actual life. This kind of discipleship did not require that a person act upon what they believed. It glorified the intellect. It is a follower who would know what the teacher knows, a disciple that could learn how to think. Thus, in our culture, schooling is primarily about head knowledge. This is why, by the first century, we see that all of the Greek disciples did nothing but discuss different ideas.

We are not sure where Jewish discipleship finds its roots, but a typical rabbi would engage more than his disciples’ minds. Discipleship meant using all of the feelings and all of the intellect and all of the will. This meant that rabbis taught a disciple how to feel, think, and act. However, whereas the Greek teacher used primarily discussion for his method of teaching, the Jewish rabbi used much more. After your initial schooling till your early teenage years, when you became a disciple, classroom learning was finished. You still learnt but it had to be done out in the world. Rabbis moved from place to place all the time and taught the disciples along the road, as they saw things or raised questions.

One Day Training Seminars Ideas

Thoughts on discipleship

Bert Watson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:35:23 +0000

Biblical discipleship is about following Jesus - becoming like Him, embracing His purposes, and obeying Him in every area of life. It’s not about church membership.

True discipleship is a relational and experiential process that affects root beliefs and values and results in inner and outer transformation into the ‘image’ of Jesus.

God’s word (truth), the Holy Spirit, and the community of believers are intrinsic to this process.

When Jesus taught His disciples, the backdrop was God’s Kingdom purposes and perspectives and their impact on how we think and live, esp as it affects others.

From the beginning, Jesus chose disciples to train them for apostolic ministry, not merely to be ‘good people’, members of His group, or ‘knowledgeable theologians’.

Jesus often used the ‘teachable moment’ principle. The classroom for discipleship was life with Jesus as He pursued God’s Kingdom purposes. This has real implications for how we disciple.

Jesus made specific statements regarding discipleship. These have real implications for both the disciple and disciple-maker.

One Day Training Seminars Ideas

Bianca's thoughts

Bianca Pohlmann — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:34:28 +0000

I have been thing lots about the “one days” and wherever I look I seem to be smacked with the fact that many
leaders out there don’t really know how to have meaningful relationships. What I mean but this is that the relationships have a very selfish, self serving attitude as well as things like understanding others and dealing effectively with conflict and difficult situations are not strong points for them.

One Day Training Seminars Ideas

Some ideas for the one day event - Martin

Martin Lord — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:33:52 +0000

The process of a consumerist society in which everything is about instant gratification. This carries over to demands on ministry as well.

Everything is about my needs we live in a “me” society.

South Africans are Olympic gold medalist wingers about everything,” Bad news sells”.

Cynicism is alive and thriving all around us.