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US/Canada Ministry Training Track
Audience
This track consists of a series of courses designed for those who minister among the poor who live in the United States and Canada. It is intended for pastors and church lay volunteers such as deacons and those on ministry outreach teams who serve the congregation and the community. The training will benefit both individuals and a ministry team. It is ideal for an outreach team or Sunday school class.
Objective
This track prepares you to engage and lead your congregation in a church-based economic development ministry that addresses the spiritual and physical needs of low-income individuals. It gives you an understanding of the harm that can come from doing relief when the situation calls for development and teaches you to identify the basic principles and tools needed to develop relationships with low-income individuals in your community. It also prepares you to evaluate and implement biblically-based economic development ministry strategies selected from the areas of savings and asset accumulation, financial literacy, and job training.
Requirements
Prior financial or economic development experience is not required to participate. In addition, the ministry strategies and programs taught do not require large operating budgets.
Formats
Currently, the courses in this track are only offered in Distance Learning format. We are working on self-study material for the first course in the track.
Courses
To view a course description, click on the course box in the following diagram.
The "Foundations" course is an orientation-level course that presents ministry philosophy. It introduces 1) a holistic way of looking at poverty, 2) highly relational methods of doing community development, and 3) a number of important concepts and issues surrounding holistic community development ministry. The "Foundations" course is a prerequisite to the "Principles" course.
The "Principles" course is an orientation-level course that presents optional strategies for ministry. It outlines various ways to implement the Chalmers Center model of Christian economic development. This course is designed to give you the knowledge needed to determine the appropriate ministry strategies for your particular ministry context.
About the "Foundations" Course - As an introductory level course, the "Foundations" course does not provide the technical “how-to” information for specific economic development strategies. Instead, it provides a basis and solid understanding of how to assess community needs and how to do holistic ministry among the poor. Therefore, even if you do not implement an economic development ministry and choose to implement another ministry strategy among the poor, this course will benefit you.
Coming in mid-2009:
New course #1 self/group-study course with an accompanying book.
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