Apprentice training: COVID19 style
COVID19 has changed a lot of things. But one thing it hasn’t changed is a commitment to training future gospel workers for the harvest field.
That’s driven by a desire to heed these 9 wonderful words:
“Preach the Word, in season and out of season”. 2 Timothy 4:2
The method and medium might be different, but the message stays the same.
Along the way, this has been a great training opportunity for our apprentices.
They’ve had to learn to adapt to a new shape of ministry.
They’ve had to rethink and be creative in how to minister in this season.
They’ve had to face frontline pastoral challenges and questions.
They’ve had to rely on God to financially provide for them.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual when it comes to our 3-fold training ….
- MTS MUNCH
Our weekly MTS munch has now gone online too. It’s been great to still connect in with each other, pray and be stretched. Recently, we got the change to theologically reflect on coronavirus and what it’s taught us about God and humanity. (Stay tuned for a post on that).
2. COACHES MEETING
Each apprentice is paired up with a coach. Someone who been in ministry for a bit longer, and who meets regularly to spur their apprentice on towards godliness. In this particular meeting, we shared how we can be helping our apprentices make the most of this season, how we can be supporting them, and then brought each of them before our Father in heaven.
3. ONE-TO-ONE COACHING
This is a regular chance to meet 1–1. It’s a great chance to be vulnerable, to ask each other the hard questions, and to debrief and reflect over a cuppa and the Bible!
Here’s Rehan and I getting in some exercise during one of our catch ups. We’ve been reading through 1 Timothy together. We happened to be putting into practice this well-known verse:
1 Timothy 4:8: For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
But then when we got to verse 10, we had a fascinating discussion about how that training for godliness is not just an empty, meaningless task. Instead, Paul gives us the very motivation here:
1 Timothy 4:10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Maybe you’d like a taste of the brilliant training our apprentices are receiving? Well MTS (the organisation that supports us, and stacks of other churches, in recruiting and training apprentices), hosts a Friday afternoon training time. You can view some prior Friday Arvo Ministry (FAM) training sessions here:
