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TL;DR:
Christian global missions hinge on developing new leaders who can faithfully teach and serve others, following Paul’s charge in 2 Timothy 2:2.
The primary goal is ministry competence, not merely academic credentials. Therefore, leadership training worldwide takes many forms. The central idea is that equipping reliable, competent leaders is a primary missional task. Flexible, context-sensitive training models help the church multiply servants who can disciple, teach, and plant new faith communities worldwide.
The Message renders Paul's words in 2 Timothy 2:2 as "Pass on what you heard from me -- the whole congregation saying Amen! -- to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others."
Biblical narratives make clear that the church has a responsibility to train its leaders. Indeed, biblical scholar A. T. Robertson called training leaders "one of the chief tasks of Christ." So, if we are going to follow the example of Jesus, how do we do that?
Some denominations have set up an academic standard that all pastors must meet. The Church of the Nazarene has gone a different route. Our expectation is that Nazarene ministers worldwide will acquire a specified list of abilities. Those abilities include:
Such abilities are more important than merely earning a degree or a diploma or a certificate. To help ministers acquire and demonstrate those abilities, we rely on various delivery systems. This approach reflects both John Wesley's training of lay ministers and the diversity of educational backgrounds among early Nazarene leaders, who ranged from people without much formal education, like Uncle Buddy Robinson, to those with advanced university degrees, like A. M. Hills.
We have distance programs where teachers go to the students and residential programs where students come to the teachers. We train ministers online and in face-to-face classes. We offer ministerial training at a variety of academic levels, from very basic for people without much formal academic training all the way up through accredited doctoral programs.
How are church leaders trained around the world? Although residential Bible schools may sometimes have been viewed as the preferred model, the church has used a variety of training approaches throughout its history.
Some denominations have set a certain degree as the path to ordination. That's not been the case in the Church of the Nazarene. We've always had a variety of ways in which ministers could get training leading to ordination. This variety developed because the denomination focused on ministry outcomes. Consequently, training has included individualized study, Bible schools, universities, seminaries, and district-sponsored seminars. Such flexibility and diversity reflect who we were in the early days.
In some places, training programs are open only to those already pastoring churches. In other places, the program requires a church-planting internship to be completed before graduation.
Examples of what is being done around the world include:
None of this is set in stone. Helping people acquire the competencies for ministry is the main thing!
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
This blog on a key issue in world missions outreach was one of 20 articles published in the "Mission briefing" series in Engage, a monthly online magazine produced by the Church of the Nazarene.
"So many evangelical Christian churches fail in developing their leadership. We don't work on replacing ourselves as leaders in the church, which is one reason the church is struggling so badly in the West." -- Kevin B., Northwest Nazarene University graduate student
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructs his young protégé Timothy to pass on the teachings he has received to reliable individuals who will, in turn, be able to teach others. Paul does not explicitly say "train leaders." However, what he says contains principles that can be applied to Christian leadership development.
While some denominations set academic standards for ministers, the Church of the Nazarene identifies required ministry competencies rather than making one particular academic degree the sole path to ordination. This focus on outcomes allows for flexibility and diversity in training approaches, including informal apprenticeships, decentralized Bible colleges, one-on-one tutoring, residential schools, modular schools, and fully online programs. Prioritizing competencies for ministry rather than academic qualifications follows the example of Jesus in training leaders. Stressing outcomes can open doors for people from diverse educational backgrounds to enter the ministry. It encourages accessible and adaptable approaches to ministerial training.
"If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task." -- 1 Timothy 3:1
Richard Zanner, himself a veteran of cross-cultural missionary service, outlines important characteristics that missionaries should develop:
When missionaries arrive at their places of service, they must understand their role as people who have been "called by God and sent by the church" to pursue specific objectives.
We can best be humble servant leaders if we:
Christian leaders must understand that they are ambassadors for Christ. So, trying to model ourselves after Jesus Christ will be a helpful exercise.
Culture can be very briefly defined as "the way things are done by a group of people," whether that be an ethnic group or a local church or district situation. Christian leaders need to demonstrate that their primary concern cannot be their own comfort or the interests of their family. Missionaries must recognize the cultural differences that already exist between them and the people they serve. They should avoid creating unnecessary additional barriers. [ more on cross-cultural understanding ]
We should try to fit in with local Christians while remaining mature Christian models, examples, and teachers. We must ask for God's wisdom in knowing what to accept as culturally neutral (and therefore not necessarily sinful or wrong) and what to challenge as anti-Christian.
If one wants to understand the "soul" of a people, one must be able to speak their language or at least understand it.
Learning a language is not easy. Those who have done this will remember that they initially seemed unable to express their full personality. That is because people speaking a language in what is sometimes described as a "broken" manner will usually have difficulty expressing their true personality.
Learning a language can be humbling. Yet, it is necessary because unless we know a people's language, we will never fully understand their mindset, their thinking patterns, and their emotions. Without mastery of the language, we may never get beyond surface masks of courtesy and politeness. [ more on language learning ]
This becomes important after you have been in a given area for a while and after initial disillusionments have jerked you into facing reality. Unless you can accept ways that are as different from yours as night is from day, you will have relationship problems.
At this stage, a subtle temptation can come for the long-term missionary to become cynical. This cynicism may appear in snide remarks or jokes about local people and eventually damage relationships with them. Keep a sweet, open, accepting spirit, and you will prevent unproductive attitudes from sabotaging your fruitfulness as a leader.
A vital part of adjustment is developing a genuine interest in the life and activities of the local community. Some years ago I went to visit a missionary. I did not find him at home. When I asked where he might be, I was told I could find him at his home country's embassy library. Everybody knew that the brother was there twice a week. This made me curious, so I went there. Sure enough, there he sat, watching sports on television.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with him doing that except that, in his case, it typified a lack of adaptation to the local culture. I asked that missionary how often he had watched an African soccer game in the maize fields. He did not know what I was talking about. He had never been to one.
It is quite acceptable to maintain your own personality and home culture within reasonable bounds. It is also wise to build bridges by developing interest in local enthusiasms.
Make conscious efforts not to speak about "back home" or "over there" even if you need to make comparisons.
In the same vein, when we talk about "our" president, we need to mean the president of the country in which we reside. When we talk about "our country" and "our law," we should likewise be referring to our country of residence.
If we will embrace the people and the nation in which we live as our own, new horizons will open up. We, too, will wind up being adopted.
Do not expect others to do what you are not prepared to do yourself. One of the most subtle excuses can be that "they are used to it."
People may feel demeaned when a leader assigns them a task that the leader is unwilling to do personally.
Know your direction. Be clear about what is expected of you. Know what the church requires from you as a "partner in ministry." Have a clear picture of your assignment. Let everybody see that you have a plan and that you have set out to accomplish a certain task within a certain time.
Let everyone see that you enjoy your challenge and that you work with enthusiasm. Think big, and get your fellow laborers to think with you.
Be transparent in your dealings, whatever they are. Be ready to give your rationale for what you do and why you do it "this way." Make sure that there is a system for reporting and accountability. If people see that you are answerable to someone else for what you do, they will find it easier to develop accountability as well.
Become known as a person who seeks God's blessings and His guidance. Do not neglect prayer, public or private. Do not yield to the temptation to think that a problem could be too big for you. Trust that God can provide wisdom and strength for confronting even the most difficult problems. Even personality conflicts can be calmed when people meet at the cross. Give credit to others and glory to God.
This article was originally published in Trans-African. Adapted and used by permission.
"When the rulers are good, the people are happy. When the rulers are evil, the people complain." -- Proverbs 29:2, Easy-to-Read Version
Howard Culbertson,