Are Pastors Primarily Facilitators?

One of the principles of church-based training is that, 'Pastors and elders are primarily facilitators in their roles as teachers and overseers.'

The roles of pastor and elder have been divided in various ways based on ecclesiology, but this discussion isn't aimed at that question. Are they primarily facilitators in those roles (regardless of how their roles are defined)? Does the passage in Acts 20 support this? Maybe Ephesians 4?

What about the pastor who says, "My call is to preaching the Word?" Or the elder who says, "I am to oversee the flock." Are they to mainly be facilitators? How do you see it?

Live Blogging from the Dialogue on Leadership

I'm in Naples, Italy with Tim Faulkner for the event he is hosting, 'A Dialogue on Leadership - Developing Christian Leaders'. I'll try to put some of the more provocative ideas up here for discussion. The first one is easy. It came in the first few minutes of Dr. Steven Moyer's initial presentation.

Leaders are stewards, not owners.

Wow. He referenced Luke 12:42 if you want to look at that.

How would that attitude change what you do in your relationships? Have you tried to help anyone else understand this principle in their leadership? What have you done and how has it gone?

Is it really...?

Who is responsible for training up the next generation of leaders for the local church? It seems like a big job, a huge responsibility. Who is best equipped to handle this role? Does the Bible have anything helpful or definitive to say on the issue?
Let's see if we can come up with some biblical foundations for what I know you are all thinking: the local church bears the responsibility for developing the next generation of leaders for the local church.

What is Church-Based Training?

The Center for Church-Based Training defines CBT as:
Developing all believers to maturity and many to leadership in the local church, under the authority of local church leadership, through an apprenticeship on-the-job approach, with other churches, for Christ's mission of multiplying churches worldwide to God's glory.

The emphasis of church-based training is on the local church. This definition may seem a bit long, but it marks key differences between CBT and other forms of training leaders.

What do you like about this definition? Is this really a biblical expectation of the local church? How does it shape the life of your church?

The Launch

Thank you to those who joined us for the Church Based Training Symposium last week in Budapest. We had a great couple of days together, discussing the concepts of CBT and thinking about how to implement the principles in our churches. Our ultimate goal is to glorify God and grow His church, raising up godly men and women to lead and influence His people for the Kingdom.

The symposium was a great launching point . . . let’s continue the discussion. This blog is here to help us develop our network and support one another in this process. Post your thoughts and questions. We want to hear from you!