Background
This paper was written by request of the developers of a missionary training school in Daytona Beach, Florida. The concepts covered in this situation can be applied in other locations both in the U.S. and abroad to develop Missionary Training Centers.

The emphasis of this training and information paper is to cast a light on the philosophy of a learner-centered paradigm of training where participants (trainers, learners) are actually Ministry Associates. They are disciples making disciples throughout the entire learning period. Several examples are cited of other ministries with high quality learning materials and systems that are especially suited to a group learning model.

Developing the Curriculum
One of the subjects I have written papers on in the past was the concept of Progressive and Continuous Lifelong Learning. Many fine young people and even older people have not taken the time to obtain advanced levels of education to prepare them for life challenges. However they have advanced in learning through practical lessons in life experiences. It is possible to build upon those experiences and reinforce them so that the students (soon to be leaders and teachers themselves) reach a common level of basic understanding. Then upon this foundation, competency builds.

  1. The least effective learning model is the typical classroom lecture. (10% retention after 48 hours.) However, through a participatory model where the student also becomes a mentor and trainer, up to 90% retention is possible. Most knowledge is transferred through on-the-job training (OJT).
  2. The key to obtaining this high level of learning is:
  • Philosophy of education.
  • Practical versus theoretical learning.
  • Trainee is a ministry associate upon enrollment, not simply a student.
  • Group learning yields best results.
  • Focus on discipleship.
  • Church planting priorities.
  • Utilization of proven learning programs developed by others and useful internationally.

Note: It is evident in the U.S.-based Christian movements that disciples are not made through listening to pulpit sermons. The priority must be on the making of disciples in order to meet the Great Commission mandate.

  1. The role of mentorship Jesus was a mentor. He invested in the life of a dozen who in turn followed his example and with a few began to change the world. This is done in small groups. The role of the learner In the learner centered model, the focus is on learning rather than teaching. You are not establishing a school, but rather a Ministry Equipping Center which is learner focused. 1. Models of learning:
  • Greek  teacher knowing much and transferring it to the student teacher focused.
  • Hebrew  learner centered model. Learning through examples shared (parables), life experience, mentorship, progressive from simple to more complex. It is the model for developing people for a high performance effective life.

Training the trainers! This is the discipleship model that Jes modeled.

  1. In our discussion you mentioned your intent to develop the training curriculum around a very practical applied ministry model. One set of training materials that you mentioned was Crown Ministries for financial training.
  2. You may find that the students you enroll have not had basic discipleship training, even if they have received Bible training in a church training center or Bible college. Or if you find that they have had inadequate Bible training, we have discovered a very practical self-study Bible study guide called The Christian Life Bible Study Guide. This course is set up as a one-year, 52 lessons if doing one per week. Of course it can be done faster. Dr. Charles Travis at Logos Christian College and Graduate School states, The Christian Life Study Guide is so thorough and comprehensive that we give college transfer credit for those who have completed the course. Ideal for the lay person as well as the serious Bible Student.
  3. Please permit me to philosophize a bit. The attached notes help establish learner-centered models for learning. I will develop the following concepts one at a time in attached documents.
  4. A Learner-Centered Life Model.
    B. Effectiveness of Small Group Dynamics.
    C. Available Small Group Proven Performers.
    D. Case Studies for Learning Outcome-based Model.

A Learner-Centered Life Model

A goal of a missionary training protocol is to develop individuals who can disciple others and form them into worshiping groups of believers. These believers then are those called out of the world to be a special people to receive the blessings of God. Their lives are fashioned to be a living testimony of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit progressive transformation of the individual and also in the worshiping assembly to develop the mind of Christ and His character qualities.

A true disciple has Christlikeness.

The process of learning the disciplines is a transfer from one believer to another. This is called discipleship or the making of disciples. This is what we are called to do in the Great Commission. Discipleship then is a process to positively influence an individual to take on the belief, character, lifestyle and life priorities of an individual or group of believers that we call disciples of Jesus.

Being a disciple is engaging in the process of learning to be Christlike.

A true disciple is an individual that has been transformed from living for himself to living for the benefit of others. This life-giving attitude results in a continuous lifelong advancement of character development. Out of this character (Christlikeness) comes forth action motivated by a desire to influence others to become like Jesus also. This progressive and continuous lifelong learning has great benefit for the individual and for others also.

A true disciple influences others to be a disciple also.

Disciples have a common heritage in Jesus and a desire to be with others possessing Christlikeness. This character and belief forms a strong bond. As the individual influences others this togetherness causes the individual to continue to grow in character as a member of a group of likeminded individuals. He/she then is not individualistic, but makes a commitment to the group a life priority.

A disciples growth is progressive and continuous as a member of a group of likeminded people.

A group of disciples is usually small. They like being together for meals, helping one another in practical issues of life such as moving, birth of babies and death of family members, carrying in food when there is sickness, or giving money during a family emergency. They help one another in the struggles of life. Their life is so improved by being part of the group that they encourage others to become part of the group also.

A disciple wants his friends to join his group.

A group of disciples is the church in action the ones that are real people helpers. They are different than their competitive colleagues at work. The disciple is bonded to individuals in his group and the groups are bonded to one another. It is like there was an election and everybody won! They were all elected. All are needed and there are benefits for all. Such groups have an affinity for each other because of their sense of unity of purpose. All seem to exist for the common good.

Discipleship groups bond together.

There can develop a large number of these bonded groups, even dozens of such groups such as in a single high rise, as in Singapore. The groups spawn other groups. Because the world has become so urbanized, large church buildings are far too expensive or are simply not available, and even big living rooms are rare. About a dozen people seems to be just right. Besides, with this number it is more like a family and of course, family members always help one another especially when one is in a pinch. When a student is in a large group like a university class, it seems that they are just a number and become lost in the crowd. But in a discipleship group, there is intimacy and sharing. True discipleship can occur in this setting.

A disciple finds that his group is just like being in his family back home!

One type of gathering has been called G-12 or P-12, Groups of 12 or Principle of 12. This is not really a secret code, but seems to be something more than just a discipleship group. These groups have affinity for each other, i.e. lawyers, nurses, department store clerks in a certain mall. For example, Ted Haggard’s congregation in Colorado Springs has groups who came together because they all enjoyed tying flies for fishing.

Effectiveness of Small Group Dynamics

The power of learning in small groups.
There seems to be a way of learning to live by just being with others. This can be negative when a person begins associating with the wrong crowd, or positive; if there are mentors who have successfully traveled the pathways that are today’s struggles for people learning to become Christlike. A mentor is like a teacher, but really seems to be more like one of us. He/she has struggles, too, but appears to have somehow overcome and succeeded in breaking through.

In a small group one cannot hide no matter how he might feel about himself. When he gets acquainted with others, he finds that some of them have even greater struggles than what he is going through. He finds that there are people at work who simply connect gizmos to gadgets, but in the Friday night group they have real value. All of the sharing and fellowship has the purpose of leading each one closer to Jesus as they learn from each other.

The following are examples and not meant to be an exhaustive list:

Proven performers in various teaching methods.

  • Teaching, especially women’s groups Joyce Meyer
  • Powerful preaching John Hagee
  • Preaching with humor an important factor Jesse DuPlantis
  • Mass evangelism Billy Graham
  • Discipleship training materials Dr. T. L. Osborn, Osborn Foundation, Dove Christian Fellowship (House to House Publications)
  • Tent ministry, evangelistic crusades Drs. Kevin and Leslie McNulty
  • Missions training Perspectives in World Evangelization, AIMS Smart Missions, Equipping for the Harvest and others
  • Leadership Leadership Training International (Kevin Hinman, Virginia)

Effective small group training models.

  • Financial training Crown Ministries
  • Training in raising children Growing Kids God’s Way
  • Marriage training University of the Family
  • Cell structured church training Ralph Neighbor
  • Home discipleship Groups of 12, Principle of 12, Dove Christian Fellowship Home Church Model
  • Missions training Vision for the Nations, U.S. Center for World Missions
    The Perspectives Course can be done in a small group model, Operation WorldView Video Series (Mission One)

Missionary Training School Daytona Beach Just imagine if you have a group of trainees that will one day become a country team of missionaries and they have:

  • A sound grasp of global missions Perspectives on World Evangelization, U.S. Center for World Mission, Pasadena, California
  • Strong marriages University of the Family, Denver Colorado (formerly Marriage Ministries International) or another small group marriage training program
  • Orderly families, obedient children Growing Kids God’s Way Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, Los Angeles, California or another small group parents training program.
  • Financial understanding and discipline Crown Ministries
  • Discipleship a disciple making disciples Groups of 12 or Principle of 12, Cesar Castellanos, Joel Cominsky, Ralph Neighbor, Larry Stockstill, Dove Christian Fellowship and others
  • Training in The Father’s Blessing Pastor Bill Ligon, Christian Renewal, Brunswick, Georgia. Parents learning to bless the children in the family to release the power of God in their lives.

All of these can be done in a small group setting. Regardless of the number of students in the Missionary Training School, they can be formed into multiple small groups and do much of the training in a small group system. The teacher is simply a small group facilitator/mentor. This is an extremely effective model, performance (outcome) based and do-able. As the students learn, they also learn to reproduce the training, and the outcome is that you know your trainees can do what they have learned.

The Role of Case Studies in Learning

  1. The advertisement said, It is the next best thing to being there. That described the feeling of the group a year after their exciting trip to Israel. They recalled many of the exciting places and how they had felt at each one. They were grateful for their safety, especially after they heard on the news of the bombing of the hotel at Netanya ten days after they got home. The photos in the paper showed the foyer where they waited for their bus as a disaster zone.
  2. In the same way as remembering, recalling and retelling a real event that has happened, a case study of an event or even a simulation of a similar event can be a great learning experience.
  3. Case studies, whether real or simulated, set the stage for a real life learning experience. When well written they create an enduring learning method. By group review of the case, evaluating the background, cause/effect of why such an event took place the group learns much almost like the real thing. The next best thing to being there.
  4. Example:
    John and Sarah, the facilitators of our home group, called us just as we were finishing dinner to ask us if we would help him with a project with the newest family in our home discipleship group. I said we would, but I really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. Together we went over to their house where the family was being evicted. They hadn’t paid rent for over four months and the landlord was now taking action.

Suzie had shared a bit of her family problems with Sarah from our home group when they were at the playground in the neighborhood park. Sarah realized that this couple were not believers and invited Suzie to bring her family and come to a fellowship meal that Friday night at their home. Amazingly, Suzie was able to persuade her husband to come. Jane and I had only met this couple once at that get-together, and now John has asked us to help him with this project.

Melvie, the man of the house is really macho. Last Saturday he got into a fight with his wife, Suzie, over the overdue bills. This is what we learned:

Suzie locked herself in the bedroom. He pounded on the door threatening to kick it in if she did not open it up. The baby was screaming and the two-year-old was crying for his mommy. With the kids so upset, Melvie was getting hot. He knocked all of the dirty dishes off from the kitchen counter onto the floor and stormed out through the garage door to his pickup. Suzie heard the garage door open and the squealing of the tires as he sped away.

After he was gone, Suzie had the courage to come out to quiet the kids and try to make order in the kitchen. She was considering calling the police, but then remembered the new friends she had made at the home meeting and decided to call Sarah. She was still sobbing when she called. Sarah had promised to try to help after John got home.

When we got to their home, Suzie invited us in and we sat down in the living room. Just then Melvie came through the door. He was surprised and she was not glad to see him.

What will you say in this situation?

What outcome do you hope to achieve?

How can you partner with John and Sarah in this situation?

What would Jesus do?

Case studies can be a great learning tool for group dynamics.
There will be varying opinions in the group in answer to the questions. It will become clear that there is not a one size fits all solution to this challenging situation. Someone will be chosen to express the group’s response for the larger group.

Mission Field examples make excellent case studies.
There are unlimited possibilities for writing case studies based on real-live situations on the mission field.