India Training Feedback

I recently received the following email from one of our MCL Trainers in India, Pastor Gideon Nair, following his training of our Management for Church Leaders (MCL) training in September:

I also got very good feedback from the  participants about the MCL training seminar there. People said that they have never attended such a leadership seminar like this before which is very practical and deals with so many topics which are so much relevant to the Church, like biblical leadership, managing ministry, people, conflict, money, time etc…and they expressed their gratitude to me for keeping this seminar there in Bargarh town.

Overall by the grace of God the seminar went on well with people admiring and recognizing the value of this MCL training seminar. The participants appreciated very much the notes, the training manual and its content. When I asked for the feedback on the final day about the training almost every one of them expressed their happiness attending this training seminar.

Testimonies:

1. Pastor David Nayak

    Director, Odisha for Christ Ministries, Kesinga Town, Odisha

Pastor David is a Director of a ministry and has about 30 pastors/missionaries working under him in different parts of Odisha. He was so much impressed attending this training seminar that he invited me to train his pastors next time in his home town – Kesinga. He says that he has attended so many seminars on leadership, but this one stands apart from the rest because it deals with everything related to the Church. He says that every Pastor/ leader must go through this training in order to be more  effective in the ministry.

2. Rev. Dr. Shyam Sunder

    Berean Baptist Church, Bargarh, Odisha

Dr. Sunder is a well known Pastor about 56 years old who holds a Doctor in Theology degree and is pastoring in a big church in Bargarh town. He says that he studied nearly 10 years in Bible Seminary and accumulated all the Biblical knowledge that he could. He also attended so many seminars on leadership. However, he says that he has never come across such a beautifully designed training manual on Church leadership and says that he’s been blessed by attending this seminar.  He wants to use the training manual for himself in training other church leaders. He was so much happy that he even invited me to his house for dinner and was so thankful to me for organizing this training in his home town!

Pastor, it’s so amazing the way people are appreciating this training, recognizing its value and the needs for this training, and the subjects I am teaching from the MCL training manual wherever I have gone thus far to train Church leaders!!! I am really enjoying training Church leaders in the different towns and cities of India!! And I look forward to take this training to different parts of India in next year to train more and more Church leaders and request you to please allow me to do at least 6 training seminars for 2015.

 I want to thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to be a global trainer for FLM! Assuring my prayers everyday. May God bless you abundantly! Looking forward to meet you soon in Palampur.

 With love and prayers

 In Christ!

 Gideon

It is truly exciting to see our MCL Trainers spreading our training and receiving such positive feedback and encouragement.  I praise and thank God for all of the MCL Trainers in our Global Trainer Network and pray for their continued success in teaching our material to others!

About Our Training…

We recently reached out to an international expert in leadership training for help and input on our Management for Church Leaders™ (MCL) training manual. Anne Manning is the Chief Learning Officer for a training organization called Achieve Global India and has 25 years of experience training leaders in India and throughout Asia. We sent her a copy of our MCL training and asked for her counsel and guidance in the preparation of our new MCL Trainer Manual to help us better prepare our foreign trainers to teach our material.  Her advice and experience were extremely helpful and we are very grateful that she would take the time to share her wisdom with us.

But she also sent us the following comments about our MCL training material that I would like to share with you:

“It was a joy partnering with Barry to edit and enhance his Management for Church Leaders Manual. In an age where there is loads of material to pick from for training Church Leaders, if I was browsing through a bookstore, I would walk away with this one! I have used various training materials to train leaders, but this is one that I would freely recommend from now on.

Why would I pick Barry’s Trainer Manual over others? It is concise, clear and very practical, with the perfectly picked 12 topics that all Church Leaders need, to understand and manage oneself, others and the resources that God has entrusted us with.

The 12 topics he has zeroed in on are very practical and each one builds on the previous, making it a steady step ladder to effective and faithful stewardship. In our day, people focus more on success than significance, and this manual helps one learn how to become a significantly faithful manager of self, others and resources.

It is evident that this manual is the outcome of years of experience with the common struggles that most Church Leaders face, which sometimes become insurmountable hurdles and even barriers to their effectiveness. Some even lose the fight and fall by the wayside, because these struggles can be so seriously overwhelming.

Thank you, Barry, for your insight into real needs of Church Leaders, discernment about how to meet these needs, and the dedication and commitment to put in the time, effort and resources to make this training manual freely available to those who need it, with no strings attached. May the Lord bless the labour of your hands, and may eternity demonstrate the real fruit of your labour.”

Anne Manning

What a tremendous blessing it is when God’s people work together for the good of those who love Him! Thank you , Anne!!

Barry, along with Lynn Thomsen, recently traveled to Korba, Chhattisgarh, India to conduct a Management For Church Leaders™ training conference in this city of one million people.  Our host, Pastor Gideon Nair of Help India International Ministries, indicated that this part of India is very poor and lacks many resources like training for its pastors and churches.  We were not only welcomed warmly, but the conference participants were also enthusiastic and very engaged in the training.  Here are testimonies from 3 of the pastors and leaders who attended the training October 10-12th:

I have studied 4 years in Bible seminary for my bachelor degree. But, I have never come across a practical leadership study such as this! It was a very practical training for me. The manual notes I got were excellent and are going to be very useful for me in training others. I also have now learned how to manage others and the Church I lead. The explanations on managing money, handling conflicts and spiritual gifts were excellent and very practical. I thank you and Lynn for your burden for training church leaders in Korba.

I have attended many training seminars, but this training seminar was something different for me.  Through this training seminar I got to understand what my spiritual gifts and talents really are and how I should utilize it in the church for His glory. The subjects that were taught by you and brother Lynn, if all the participants who attended would faithfully put to practice, there would be a great awakening in the Churches in Korba area. I personally greatly benefited by attending this training and learning how to manage people, money, and exercising spiritual gifts in the Church. And especially as an elder of the church, the explanation on handling conflicts in the church was very useful for me.  I want to apply this teaching in my church.

I am a women’s leader in the Church of Christ, Korba. It was the most excellent training seminar I have ever attended!  Through this training I was able to find out my spiritual gifts and talents. I appreciated the teaching by both of you and the practical sessions & group discussions on various topics and finding the answers to it. I also liked the teaching on handling money and conflicts in the church. I want to teach the other women in the church on the same subjects. I am grateful to you and Brother Lynn and I thank Pastor Gideon as well for organizing the seminar.

It is a blessing to receive their feedback and gratitude for our coming to Korba.  Lynn and I were so thankful to be able to go to Korba to share this training and to  see first-hand the value that they place upon it for their ministries.  We thank God for sending us and using us for His Church in India!!

Traveling & Serving In The Mission Field

Have you every thought about going on a FaithLife Ministries mission trip, prayed about going, wondered if you could do it, supported a trip financially, talked about the possibility, or said to yourself “I want to, but I do not have the time or money”?   Well, stop thinking and doubting and just DO IT !!

The Bible says, “If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:16-17).  Barry physically needs YOU to help him on the various trips.  He needs teachers, companionship, helpers, mission minded workers, people wanting to help others, individuals that want to help equip others to go out and spread the Gospel and/or individuals willing to take their next step in Spiritual maturity. Do not become ‘dead’.  Increase your faith with ‘action’.

I just returned from a trip to Albania with Barry.  For years I have had the same doubts many of you have had; I am not a teacher, I do not know the materials, I am not good with foreign languages, I am afraid to travel to 3rd world countries,  I cannot afford it,  I don’t have the time, etc.   Let me tell you from experience that a mission trip with Barry will quench all those thoughts and make you realize how insignificant those ideas are.   First, Barry is an excellent trip planner.  He has every trip well planned and every detail organized.  The Management for Church Leaders™ materials are all written out and very easy to learn.  Most of the information in the manual is in an outline form and note based which makes it easy to paraphrase.  Each teaching session has an interpreter plus many people you will interact with understand some English. Barry can supply you examples and ideas on how to raise money for a trip.  You will be surprised how many people will back you.  Let God raise the funds. Traveling is very easy these days and accommodations may not be the Hilton, but you will be more comfortable than you perhaps expect.

One important thing is that you will often be blessed as much from the trip as the group you will be teaching. First, your understanding of other countries and cultures will be greatly expanded.  You will meet and make friends with enthusiastic Christians.   We in America are fairly complacent with our religion, but these newer Christians, pastors and leaders are so filled with The Lord and have a compassion to reach others with the Word, it cannot help but increase your Spiritual growth.

Our recent trip was to Tirana, Albania in May.  We taught the Management for Church Leaders™ material to some 12 Campus Crusades for Christ – Albania staff and about another 20 local pastors and church leaders from the Tirana area.  We found that these management skills are greatly needed and appreciated. They get so much advice in special seminars about evangelism, church planting and outreach throughout their studies, but lack the essentials of how to manage people and resources.

Albania was much more advanced than I expected.  Since Albania was a former Communist block country, I pictured more of a ‘backward’ nation with older rundown buildings and limited food choices.  There are so many new modern buildings going up since the fall of Communism and extensive trade with other Western European countries that it was very pleasant.  Their new mall included all the modern electronic and clothing shops and a food store that made a Super Wal-Mart look small.  Pricing in Albania is very reasonable, especially eating out where you can get a nice meal with drinks for about 500 LEK ($5).  The people are so warm and friendly to Americans.  They pride themselves in their English and trying to make you feel at home.  Never once did I feel threatened even in this predominantly Muslim country.  The entire experience was wonderful.

So, GO on a trip with Barry.  Most of all remember the Great Commission “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. “  (Matthew 28:19) But most of all remember the last section, “And surely I am with you always, ….”  So, stop the excuses and forget those fears and volunteer to go with Barry.  God will surely bless your experience !