Trainingless churches pool ignorance. Pt 1

If one were to ask me what it takes to be successful in fire service, my number one answer is training. Whether you are a salesman, career fire fighter, executive officer, or a volunteer, change in this world is inevitable; training is the key to keep up with this change.
Sometimes training goes well...
Sometimes, well, you get the picture...

As a salesman, I am often blessed to see new developments in fire service equipment that can better the methods for those on the front lines. I often get to train on these pieces of equipment and show departments how training to use this equipment can better their operations as a whole.

Take the Eclipse thermal imager, for instance. This little pocket-sized imager is now cheap enough for most departments to afford and is even being adopted by larger cities so that more firefighters on the fire field have the life-saving device in their hands. Not only is size and price a benefit, it also is capable of software upgrades via the web, giving fire departments the ability to change with future updates. This is a piece of equipment poised to change thermal imaging operations.

In the case of firefighters, training is a necessity for their safety. As a firefighter, I am a proponent of aggressive training protocols to keep fire departments ready to adapt to challenges in protecting a community. For career departments, it can be as simple as what some shift departments do, which is devote 2 hours per shift to some form of training. For volunteer departments, it should probably be at least 6-10 hours a month (e.g.- two weekly meetings per month devoted to training.) Of course, we would all love to show up at the fire, be a hero, and go home to our families without danger and without the need for training... but that is a reality only in Hollywood depictions of fire service.

The problem with training is that it is all theoretical. Sure, there are some math equations in advance pump operations and hydraulics, but most of training is an exercise in being prepared for the unexpected. That is a poor argument some people use against training, but I say it is just a challenge that must be overcome. The training should not be a list of rigid rules with no flexibility. Instead, training should include flexibility, sharing potential downfalls to each tactic and offering alternatives. The key to good training is preparing for adaptability.

So, it is obvious that fire service needs training, but what about in families? I answer this question with a resounding yes! Though Tish and I have not yet been blessed with children, many families have shared with us that "teachable moments" are the key to raising disciplined, well-behaved children (in other words, using day to day activities to share with children about life lessons.) In addition to parenting, married couples must take time to grow and learn together, constantly seeking to understand their partners more. The result: families that communicate, love each other, and genuinely take care of each other.

If training works in fire service, and it works in families, what about in churches? I came across this question recently when viewing a YouTube account of a teenager trying to share the story of Christ to a Hindu friend. Take a moment to watch this video if you have not already. The entire premise of the scenario is cause for concern, but my focus is actually to rewind the clock and see what would happen if we were to employ training to Christians as a resource on how to share the gospel in love, not ignorance. In a post-Christendom world, where Christians are often viewed as ignorant, hypocritical, and hateful, it would have done wonders for the Christian in this video to do a little ground work first. Would it hurt to learn a little about Hinduism and Sara's home country of India before spouting off about Jesus, hell, and the wrong continent? Simply taking the time to learn Sara's spiritual point of view would go a long way in establishing trust and showing genuine love and sincerity. At this point, all this video has shown is that most of the stereotypes of Christians are true.

The case is made for mentoring in the scriptures (remind me and a future post will be on the subject of mentoring). I believe this mentoring relationship we see in the Bible carries over in how we teach each other to share the gospel. Those with wisdom and understanding-- especially those portraying grace and sincerity-- should be helping those who have less experience in sharing the story.

Sharing the story of Christ varies in tactic as much as people vary one to another. For that reason, I don't believe a simple lesson on the "steps to salvation" will do. Instead, I believe that training people how to share the gospel, just like in fire training, is a lesson in adaptability.

Unfortunately, I must stop here for today. The good news is that I will be back for Part Two soon.

In the meantime, I'd leave to hear your perspective on the following.

1) Am I right? Has the Church failed to train people to share the Gospel in love?
2) If you were to put a training curriculum together, what would it contain?
3) If you are not a follower of Christ, I would love to hear your perspective. Has anybody ever talked about the story of Jesus with you, and did they do so in love or did they do so more like our friend Molly in the video above?