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?