Teaching pastors to reach the world with the Word
In a building so small it lacks a restroom, pastors and church leaders are learning how to use God’s Word to impact the world for Christ. Fifteen students from across the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh recently graduated as the inaugural class of the Calvary Chapel Training Center in Hyderabad, India.
On November 8, Calvary Chapel Cary Senior Pastor Rodney Finch, along with local pastors, church leaders and representatives from other Bible colleges, officially cut the ribbon on the school. It is the result of more than two years of planning and seven years of missions work in the nation.
Hunger For The Word
It is said that two years of sitting in a Bible-teaching church on Sundays and Wednesdays is more preparation for teaching God’s Word than many Indian pastors have. Resources and study materials are often hard to obtain. As a result, many pastors are inadvertently teaching incorrect and false doctrines.
Therefore, CCTC’s two week program focuses on teaching pastors how to teach the Bible inductively, by using the Bible to interpret itself. The school also stresses teaching verse-by-verse to ensure that teachings and doctrine remain in their original context. Doing so minimizes the chance for biblical principles to be misused and distorted.
Two Weeks and Seventy Courses
Following the ribbon-cutting the first 15 students began two weeks of intensive study, including 35 classes covering a wide range of doctrinal subjects. Students from the first class included pastors from churches around Hyderabad as well as other church leaders and women, some of whom may be the only Christians in their village or neighborhood.
Each class begins with worship and are taught in either Hindi, the national language, or Telegu, the language of Andhra Pradesh. Course materials were developed in the United States and translated into the local languages.
While Pastor Rodney taught all 35 classes of the first session, two Indian pastors with whom Calvary Chapel Cary has worked with for many years, will oversee the school and teach the weekly sessions year-round. More than 300 applications for future sessions have already been received.
Upon graduation, each student receives a certificate along with copies of all the course materials so that they can study and share with their local churches. They also receive an mp3 player with an additional 35 courses worth of material for additional study on their own.
On November 8, Calvary Chapel Cary Senior Pastor Rodney Finch, along with local pastors, church leaders and representatives from other Bible colleges, officially cut the ribbon on the school. It is the result of more than two years of planning and seven years of missions work in the nation.
Hunger For The Word
It is said that two years of sitting in a Bible-teaching church on Sundays and Wednesdays is more preparation for teaching God’s Word than many Indian pastors have. Resources and study materials are often hard to obtain. As a result, many pastors are inadvertently teaching incorrect and false doctrines.
Therefore, CCTC’s two week program focuses on teaching pastors how to teach the Bible inductively, by using the Bible to interpret itself. The school also stresses teaching verse-by-verse to ensure that teachings and doctrine remain in their original context. Doing so minimizes the chance for biblical principles to be misused and distorted.
Two Weeks and Seventy Courses
Following the ribbon-cutting the first 15 students began two weeks of intensive study, including 35 classes covering a wide range of doctrinal subjects. Students from the first class included pastors from churches around Hyderabad as well as other church leaders and women, some of whom may be the only Christians in their village or neighborhood.
Each class begins with worship and are taught in either Hindi, the national language, or Telegu, the language of Andhra Pradesh. Course materials were developed in the United States and translated into the local languages.
While Pastor Rodney taught all 35 classes of the first session, two Indian pastors with whom Calvary Chapel Cary has worked with for many years, will oversee the school and teach the weekly sessions year-round. More than 300 applications for future sessions have already been received.
Upon graduation, each student receives a certificate along with copies of all the course materials so that they can study and share with their local churches. They also receive an mp3 player with an additional 35 courses worth of material for additional study on their own.
“We came to learn something about the development of pastors,” said Shrina Samondros (phonetic spelling), who attended the inaugural class with her husband. “We are learning more and more about things we have never heard, such as how to teach the Bible and that everything should be in order just as we pastors should be in order.”
