Our Training Method
As we continue to analyze paradigm shifts on the African continent we have come to be convinced that church growth in the non-western world requires a correspondingly new approach to training pastors. Empathetic to Africa’s socio-economic trends we equip an integrated minister emphasizing the balance of knowledge, character and skill, to touch all areas of life-living. In all, we are convinced that a local church that effectively teaches the Bible remains an unmatched theological school.
The church-based model of theological instruction among ministers and church communities is a model whose time has come. We now re-establish the proper rigorous study of the Word of God at the heart of this training process, unequivocally keeping the Bible foundational to this design. This is a deliberate, and unique stance on the status of the Bible for this kind of equipping, which necessarily emphasizes the fact that God’s Word is all in all, in matters of Christian living and ministry.
This pastoral training process is a combination of practical experiences in real ministry through a variety of forms, carefully supervised and assessed, in a local church setting and on a continuous basis. In this process, the goal of training pastor-teachers for a life-long effective practical ministry, rather than for short-term academic achievement, profoundly affects the Bible work done. The Bible stands sufficiently in PT as a complete resource manual for ministry methods, as well as a comprehensive content for ministry message for all time. This view we hold, of the Bible’s position in our work inevitably compels us as Word ministers to extra ordinary diligence in studying it, great care in interpreting it, deep devotion in applying it and a growing desire for faithfulness in teaching it to others. The learning process in PT is therefore, undertaken drawing biblical principles with a view to teaching and doing (practical explanation with a personal experience), rather than simply remembering and reproducing (or an impersonal duplication of information and knowledge).
Next: Our Core Values