There is an important difference between training at a Training Center and equipping people in your own church.
At a Training Center, you may train people for 12 weeks. These participants usually come from different churches to learn the PACE ministry. Because they are preparing to understand and teach the ministry, a longer program gives them sufficient time to learn the philosophy, principles, and practical skills of PACE.
However, equipping your own church is completely different. It should not normally take 12 weeks. Instead, it can be completed in three weeks or three sessions:
- Session 1: Chapters 1–4
- Session 2: Chapters 5–8
- Session 3: Chapters 9–12
Why?
Because equipping is different from education or training.
The primary purpose of an equipping seminar is not to provide extensive information. Its purpose is to produce a paradigm shift and create strong motivation for ministry.
Lay ministers need to understand clearly that they are called by God to the PACE ministry. They are not “half-called.” Their calling is genuine, just as a senior pastor is called to pastoral ministry. They are no longer simply church members. They become lay ministers who are called and equipped to care for God’s people.
On the other hand, a Training Center can provide a 12-week course for senior pastors and leaders, preparing them to become effective equippers in their own churches.
If you use a 12-week course for your own congregation, you may successfully complete every lesson, but something important may still be missing. Many laypeople may simply think, “This was another Bible class” or “This was another training course.” They may say, “It was a good course,” but there may be no real paradigm shift, no deep motivation, and no ministry launched.
PACE is action-oriented.
The goal is not simply to complete the lessons. The goal is to commission lay ministers and begin the ministry immediately.
Of course, completing the material in three weeks and commissioning lay ministers will be challenging. But that challenge is part of the process. When people are motivated, commissioned, and sent into ministry, you can begin to see real people being cared for, real relationships being built, and real ministry taking place.
Do not be afraid to try it.
You may make mistakes the first time. That is all right. Those mistakes can become valuable lessons. As the ministry grows, problems can be identified and corrected, and the process can continually improve.
The goal is not perfection before beginning.
The goal is to begin the ministry and allow God to work through faithful lay ministers.
A Training Center prepares equippers.
A local church equipping seminar prepares and launches lay ministers.
Train the equippers deeply.
Equip the lay ministers simply.
Commission them quickly.
And begin the ministry.