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| The evangelistic newspaper of the modern Jesus Army | 2003 |
DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING
Although His disciples called Him "Rabboni" (Master, Teacher), the style Jesus used in training these men was more that of a man enjoying the company of beloved friends than a guru dictating information to a group of pupils. He taught much more by what He did than what He said.
"The key is is to follow the methods of Jesus and be able to bring direction and challenge within loving, bonded relationships," summed up Huw Lewis, who helps to organise 'Leaders in Training'.
"Gathering disciples together, loving them, serving them, inspiring them, breaking fears together, building trust. This doesn't happen through some impersonal training model. It is essentially relational."
YES!
Raw, honest and relational is the nature of a Jesus Fellowship training series for young women
"THE NAME 'Yes!' captures something of the passion for the cause of Jesus that is our goal and inspiration," explains Maggie Stokell, one of the organisers. "We wanted to explore what it is to always say 'yes' to God.
"We meet three times a year and provide structured post-baptism training for women who want to deepen the quality of their spirituality and make their lives count for something. They are intimate, non-intense evenings and the informal setting is ideal for building up trust and confidence.
"'Yes!' especially helps women who'd normally hold back, fearful of sharing their hearts or using spiritual gifts in front of others. I'm often surprised to see very enclosed women opening up and coming out of themselves as the evening goes on. We also give opportunities for women to try out their leadership skills by getting them to host part of the evening."
Anything can be included in the programme and no topic is off-limits. The evenings buzz with lively, liberated dancing, drama and singing and 'reality level' is high. Workshops like "Take a fresh look at relationships that have got stuck" bring training that's nitty gritty and relevant. Participants come from all over the church - about a third live in Jesus Fellowship community houses.
"People always want more than the timetable allows," says Maggie. "Women really want to learn and be trained and 'Yes!' has proved a valuable building block in the life of our church."
Abigail Clark, 17, thinks nothing of travelling a round trip of up to six hours from Norwich to Northampton to be at Yes! She says one of the biggest benefits is making deep, new friendships outside her own geographical area.
"'Yes!' really moves me on with God and stirs me up. I always leave with a greater desire for commitment. For example, one session Lesley (one of the other organisers) challenged us: 'shall we sit in the background or play our part?' I went home inspired to take the initative more, especially in worship and praying for people."
This article has been extracted from Streetpaper, published by Jesus Fellowship
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