By Karen L. Willoughby
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BP) – Inherent multiplication is the difference between starting a church and a church planting movement, said Bill Fudge at The Gathering for Spiritual Awakening, which took place at Southern Hills Baptist Church March 2-4 for Native Peoples from across North America.
[img_assist|nid=7162|title=Bill Fudge|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=66]Fudge served as a missionary through the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board for 34 years. The title of his two-hour seminar: Training for Trainers, or T4T. It’s a process used successfully in East Asia for at least 15 years, which could be used by people from any cultural background, which resonated with Christian Native Americans who were at The Gathering to hear of new ways of reaching their family, friends and neighbors with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The concept is that people will invite friends, family, and others they know to their home for a lay-led time to worship Jesus. The following week, some of the original group will spin off and start their own lay-led times to worship Jesus, and the multiplication of trainers continues indefinitely.
“Don’t invite people to church,” Fudge said. “Invite people to your home. People speak truth in homes.”
The T4T process starts with a half-dozen, single-page printed sheets studied one at a time, so it’s designed for people who can read. For non-readers, the trainer should memorize what’s on each sheet.
“They need to obey what they read/memorize, and God will teach them the other things as they grow,” Fudge said. “Matthew 28:19-20 says ‘teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ We have forgotten, ‘teaching them to obey.’ …
“We need to share the gospel; let’s start with winning and gathering people,” Fudge continued. “We can do it if we do what Jesus tells us to do: train faithful men.”
The first six lessons include a gospel presentation and personal testimony, prayer, daily devotions, church and baptism, heavenly Father, and spreading the gospel. The seventh lesson is to be an inductive Bible study, such as the New Testament book of Mark.
Each session needs to include pastoral care – asking how the people in the group are doing, worship, accountability – review and encouragement, vision-casting, new lesson – enough biblical content so they have something to obey, practice the lesson – so they have confidence to obey and train others, set goals and pray for them.
Three questions are asked with each lesson: What does God’s Word say? What do I obey? How do I teach this to others?
“The content can be altered as long as it is simple – able to be obeyed and passed on to trainees, and biblical – what is needed for basic discipleship,” Fudge said. “There is expectation and accountability that everyone trained will in turn train others who will in turn train others, and so on. … You need a vision of what God wants to happen. It can happen quickly.”
The trainer continues with his/her trainees for about a year, helping them develop the leadership skills they need to train others. “The goal is to build a trainer, not just get people through content,” Fudge said.
The important facets of T4T: It’s based on the authority of the Scriptures, presented simply and in bite-sized portions that can be easily learned, repeated and reproduced. It involves modeling, assisting, watching and leaving, plus practice to develop self-confidence.
“Train as many as you can,” Fudge said. “Don’t become the only trainer or you won’t see multiplication.”