IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - The Way Forward Regionally

These are some ideas exposed by the regional delegations for the way forward in their different regions worldwide:

1. Make a general plan of training and integrate it that will include a process of evaluation.
2. Work on how to handle pedagogy.
3. Produce courses in relationship with the pedagogy. Actualize the competences at the different level.
4. Reorganize the training program: through online training.
5. Pursue the use of technology.
6. Help our NM to stop and reflect.
7. Fashion development to the different levels of staff: new staff, etc.
8. Curriculum for staff to take from training that will benefit students. Different areas identified.
9. Encourage NM to build a component of training into their staff meeting. Build also in GS consultation, board consultation, etc.
10. Help National Movements with self-assessment.
11. Include students into the discussion we had here.
12. Partnerships with other regions in staff training and development.
13. Connecting students worldwide.
14. Making resources available for the use of students.
15. Creating awareness of the need for transformational training.
16. Offering intentional mentoring.

The IFES worldwide Training and Staff Development Consultation took place in Ghana May 7th-15th 2012.

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 7 (and last)

Some thoughts on Colossians 1:28-29 by Uncle Tibi

What was Paul’s goal in ministry to be able to present everyone perfect (mature) in Christ.

Not focus on one, but all. Paul was not interested in numbers.

Marks of maturity

• Character, because there is “infancy”, there is jealousy, etc.
• Stability in our faith. We are not blown out by any new teaching. Understanding of Christian truth. Hebrews 5:11 Solid food is for the mature.
• Able to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2 

Means

• Proclamation, we proclaim Him. And Christ crucified 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.
• Admonishing. Warning (RSV). Acts 20:31.
• Teaching. Apostles teaching. Acts 11:25.

We have no job in transforming the church in a business school. We need to teach the Word.

Not only becoming a student leader but becoming mature for the service in the church.

How he did the work

·       Hard work:

o   Labour

o   Struggle

o   Teach

o   Admonishing

This includes suffering 2 Cor. 11: 26-29

Ephesians 3:20

Ephesians 1:19

·     Prayer

Colossians 2:1

He prayed for people in meaningful ways. So that they will be encouraged. He will teach them in their presence, he will wrestle in prayer in absence.

Small Group Discussions on training gaps - some insights

Gaps in Staff Training

• Lack a culture of developing staff
• Organization is too flat, no long-term strategy for staff roles
• Staff initiative in personal development 
• Training to supervisory staff/Gen Sec/board/Administrative is a big need
• On job training missing 
• Too traditional overlooking the right medium (technology & pedagogy) 
• Staff training too event oriented 
• Most training are not practical
• Need for modular training
• Student contribution into staff training
• Evaluate training
• No pastoral care 
• More theological training

Gaps in Students training

• We put things in a box and the whole is not comprehensive. 
• Gap and/or inconsistency in the whole process: curriculum development, content, delivery.
• No defined curriculum.
• No Training in self-formación.
• Too much confidence in programmes and events, but not enough investment into informal relations.
• No intentional training.
• Training programs are not tailored to students’ needs. We design them based on what we think students need.
• Evangelism as priority – training neglected (in pioneering situations).
• Afraid to lose content so we stick to old ways.
• We think that by changing methodology we are changing contents.
• Gap between doing things and effectiveness. 
• Too much information transfer in trainings.
• Inconsistent training methods.
• Being creative and creating space for exploration and reflection what is taught.
• Training not relevant enough.
• Theologically heavy teaching. No change of attitude. No relationship in how to impact the world. 
• Gap between the biblical teachings and our culture. Lack of critical thinking in how we need to change the culture with Biblical patterns. 
• Fostering effective practices, not just techniques.
• Involve students at all levels.
• Staff should be facilitators than rather than being lords.
• Not enough prayer.
• Multiplying the good thing we are doing.
• Networking to be improved for sharing best practices.
• Reassessment of what we’re doing in training.
• Follow-up.
• Teacher-disciple model .
• Use of new technology.

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 6

Some thoughts on Philippians 2:1-11 by Daniel Bourdanne at the Church Service 

Text addressed to a community that had problems of unity: Unity is first unity in Christ: You are in Christ. 

Question of identity. As Christians we have a new identity. It goes beyond ethnic, gender, age values. Unity is our mark of identity. We must live it in the day to day. 

v.2 We have to work out this identity. 

- We should work on our hearts. Have the same feeling in  Christ. 

- But also at the level of our minds. Our minds need to  be taken from our identity in Christ. 

- The third level is at the level of "me". War of "me". Our interests. 

We need humility to live unity in the church. Otherwise it brings us to compare ourselves. This then  leads to humility. We ought to see our brothers as more important than ourselves.

Humility is not worthless, it is the law of the Kingdom of God. In our world we need to go into the high direction. But the law o God is that if we want to go up we have to go down first. If we humble ourselves like Jesus the reality of the resurrection will visit us. 

How do we use technology to enhance training?

Some conclusions on our discussions about the use of technology in training 

Digital resources

• Video

• E-Books – mp3 books – downloadable books

• Games Mobile Apps

• Podcasts

• Videocasts

• On-line chat forums

• IFES Twitter

• Blogs, intentionally writing and intentionally reading

• Streaming meetings

• SMS as a means to lure students to training resources

Social networking

• Facebook or similar social networking platforms to facilitate pre- and post- training conferences/meetings.

• Online community of IFES Trainers

• Meetings of committees.

Platform

• Online interactive Bible study.

• Daily Bible readings with questions as mps podcasts to help students engage with the Scriptures daily.

• “Best practice” resources.

• PowerPoint’s, notes of a main speaker on internet before and after an event.

• Resources library.

Mentoring

• Chatting on-line as a way to mentor people.

• Using tech like bulk/group SMS to initiate spiritual activity (like prayer).

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 5

Excursion day!

Off to Accra: colors, smells, movement, noise...

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 4

Memorable Quotes

• It is not about what we do for Jesus but what Jesus has done for us. This is the foundation of our ministry.

• Along the path the cross will always be there.

• Failure will always be a reality in our ministries, we need to admit it.

• We are not training people to be self-secured and independent. We are teaching people to grow in their dependence of God.

• We tend to put too much importance in what we can do. It is all about what we receive from Jesus.

• The deal is not how good we are, how competent we are. It is about who are heart belongs to.

• It can become all about ourselves. We are called to serve the people of God. It is not in order to secure great careers.

• Discipleship cannot be lived in comparison.

• Our calling is not to be better than someone else, achieve more, our calling is follow Jesus where he leads us.

• We are not training for success but for discipleship.

• We are invited today to trust Jesus with our lives. We are encouraged to encourage one another to follow Jesus to follow the paths God is leading us into.

• “Peter is asked to be a fisher of men and a shepherd, he can be both of them just as he is first a disciple”. Newbigin

• Think of all the technologies Jesus used.

• Gap between the use of technology between staff and students. Students are more competent.

• No consistency across the foundations. Everyone has a level of something but no common identifier. No consistency in what we teach in a regular basic. We teach what is the “hot” button.

• Gap between what we think or think we think/do and what we do (reality).

• We put things in a box and the whole is not comprehensive.

• Inconsistency in the whole training planning process: curriculum development, content, delivery.

• Tendency to do what the students want, not what they need.

• Tend to build the students in what we want them to do instead of what God wants, disciples of Jesus.

• Theologically heavy teaching. No change of attitude. No relationship in how to impact the world.

• Generational gap – students are different and yet we are still using the “old methods”.

• We do not trust students.

• We think that by changing methodology we are changing contents.

• Gap between the biblical teachings and our culture. Lack of critical thinking in how we need to change the culture with Biblical patterns.

• Gap between doing things and effectiveness.

• Students are not necessarily motivated

• Standardization of training. Or non standardization of training. Contextualization important here.

• Need to know how to contextualize.

• Very event oriented training.

• Staff feel guilty about spending time to have training, learning, etc.

• Lack of clarity on role descriptions, who are we hiring for what role?

• Mentoring for staff. Taking care of staff as people.

Provocative questions

• What are some of the gaps and weaknesses in our student and staff training?
• What are we doing that may be not so helpful?
• What should we do much more, that we are neglecting?

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 3

Memorable Quotes

• Jesus was marching to establish his kingdom. He knew that the way lay through the cross.

• Jesus knows he is the servant that willingly becomes a ransom for people, even if they do not understand.

• Perhaps the disciples did not want to understand! They turn to more cheerful topics, things they can understand: Who will get the top jobs in the kingdom?

• Christ’s kingdom is measured by the servanthood performed not by orders given. Jesus modelled by washing the dirty feet of his followers. He was willing to endure humiliation.

• Jesus drank for us: to free us, so that we can then serve him and others; so we can submit to him and let him wash our feet.

• The past is a different country, maybe the past generation is too.

•  We are the content of our curriculum.

Provocative Questions

• Do we recognize ourselves with any of the disciples ? Not wanting to believe what he seems to be saying about suffering and service? Do we recognize ourselves in the pushy disciples or the grumbling ones?
• What do we mean by “curriculum”?
• How many of us have a plan to move our people from A to B?
• Who are the people to whom our curriculum is targeting to?
• What is on the menu? How do you serve what is on the menu?
• How do you organize the content of a curriculum? 

Thoughts to Ponder (Daniel Bourdanné)

• We need a shift from activity orientated to effective orientated. We do spend a lot of time doing things and we need to see if they have that much impact.

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 2

Challenges for this consultation (Daniel Bourdanné)

• While we are here what is the vision that we have?
• Who is going to determine the direction to our strategy of training?
• Who is going to direct into the recruitment of people we train?

Some memorable quotes

• We need to spend some time in the desert to develop a vision, to construct goals, to talk to God and clarify what we want to do.
• Jesus had an intentionality in the development of leadership.
• Jesus had a very clear vision in the process of training: he was going to start by identifying the people.
• When thinking about training we need to find a way to accomplish the two purposes of both training the students and staff we are training and training ourselves.
• Jesus did not establish an academy but a community of followers.
• Community of followers imply communities of relationship.
• We maybe have to reinvent the “corridors”. We maybe have to reinvent the restaurants, open our houses. We cannot make a spiritual real impact if we do not want to open our homes to our staff and students, so that they can learn, unlearn, etc.
• We need to have a core of men and women in which we invest. It is the best multiplication method.
• Most people will learn their theology from hymns not sermons. So you have to get them right!
• Give evangelism a disproportionate time in training because it is tougher.
• The danger for us as trainers, is the modelling. Evangelism is important and needs to be done not just say that it is important.
• The claims of a doctrinal basis are the anchors and the channels of life.
• We expect God to speak through Scripture. It is not a mere “academic” exercise.

Provocative Questions and challenges

• Why do you want to be trained? Why do you need training? What can we do to serve best our students? What do they need?
• How to be a radical Christian in a setting where everyone is Christian?
• Find out what is the curriculum that Jesus used by looking into the Gospels. 
• How do will build prayer in all we do?
• Do our students know how to feed themselves from the Word of God?
• What are your training programs: the end or means to an end? If they are means to and end, then what is the end? How do we know that our programs will move us toward that end?
• Is there any brokenness that does not really deserves your (Christian) attention in community of influence?
• What is preventing God’s people from growing to the full potential that God wants then to grow?
• Which of these brokenness IFES should be responding to or should respond to?
• What is God’s will for people in respect of this brokenness?
• Who are the change agents that IFES will work with?
• How would you deliver content?

Questions to Ponder

• How do we not spread ourselves too thin as to loose focus, get exhausted, make bad decisions, etc.?
• How to think strategically about all the priorities we need to take into consideration?

IFES Worldwide Training Consultation Ghana - Day 1

Expectations (from Daniel Bourdanné, GS IFES)

• May this consultation give us back the passion to training.
• Think of the content of our training: So that students become more like Jesus.
• Training form: Becoming creative, explore new paradigms.

Some memorable quotes

• This is the danger when we become experts: We do not open our intelligence to other realities that may not be possible yet but could be possible tomorrow, can even become the norm.
• We can become prisoner of our training methodologies, forms.
• God often uses people from the periphery to bring a change of paradigm. 
• If we want to change we need to face our insecurities. 
• Change of paradigm may imply that we need to get rid of some things radically.
• This is precisely where the change of paradigm is: What people thought was impossible becomes possible.
• The OT is the oldest program of theological education.
• The teaching in the NT is for the church as a whole. 
• This community together learns about the divine program of education.
• Christians invented theological education, converting the educational system of their contemporary time.
• Christian understanding is developing continually as it interacts with the world around.
• Theology is about thinking in interesting ways, making decisions in a Christian way. So there are always new questions that arise as we interact with the world.
• A change of paradigm will not happened if you are satisfied with the status quo, without critical reflection, a critical judgement of the assumptions.
• We look at history to move forward.
• We read history to see where we are going in the future. Our history is who we are.
• Two things that give IFES strength and that create an environment where paradigm shifts can happen easily:
• Rock solid commitment to Scripture.
• Commitment at the grass-root (student initiative).
• God has used very young and ordinary people.
• Acts 1:8 – the vision is to share until the end of the earth.
• We need to give the glory to God. At the end of the day is through the power of His spirit.
• Counter cultural: even if we are the only people in this place we will do it. How do we create that passion? Because, yes, it is possible.
• Principle of student leadership is very important.
• There are seasons and we need to adapt the work in and out of seasons.
• We need to tell our stories and we need to tell it with passion. We need to celebrate what God has done.
• Questions come from context but answers don’t: we have to go to Scripture to get answers.

Provocative Questions

• What is worthy of study?
• What will be the order in which you ask the following questions?
• What enduring or eternal truths should the curriculum provide?
• What essential skills and knowledge should the curriculum provide?
•  What problems or experiences of the learner and his/her context should the curriculum address?
• What do learners need to grow to their full potentials? What threats should the curriculum help them to remove?
• What is curriculum? What does it include? What does it have to achieve? How do we go about it?

Where do big ideas come from

Short film by legoclick.com.

The Ultimate History of Distance Learning

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