train empowermobilize

Training cross-cultural church planters within the local church

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The Program

The Equip360 curriculum was developed by experienced cross-cultural workers.  The content of the course is contemporary, written by people who currently work in their field of experience. The course is concise, yet the tutorials are packed with practical details which you can easily implement in your cross-cultural ministry.  The Equip360 curriculum can be adapted to suit your future ministry.  You can also adapt the training program to fit your home, employment and church life.  With this training program you will be well equipped in all areas of church planting so that you will be effective in planting churches that will grow to maturity.

Course architecture

PRACTICAL
Practical training developed by experienced people.
PRACTICAL
Years of practice and experience passed on to you by an international team of cross-cultural workers.
COMPREHENSIVE
An exhaustive church-planting training program
COMPREHENSIVE
Fully equips you in all areas of cross-cultural church planting so that you can plant churches that will grow to maturity.
CONCISE
Compact tutorials packed with in-depth detail
CONCISE
Modules containing concise yet detailed video tutorials followed by questions and activities, which help you put into practice what you are learning.
CURRENT
Cutting edge Missiological course content
CURRENT
Written by people who are currently working in their field of experience.
ADAPTABLE
Training program adapted for your ministry
ADAPTABLE
Incorporate your training programme into your home, employment and church life. Adapt the curriculum to fit your future ministry.

Equip360 is easily integrated into your

home, employment and church life.

Equip360 approach

Mentoring

MENTORING

You work through the tutorial videos and answer the questions and complete the activities. Your experienced personal mentor then gives valuable input to your answers. Your mentor also connects with you regularly via video conferencing where you can discuss what God is teaching you, an opportunity to disciple each other.

Practicing

PRACTICING

Become engaged in discipleship in your local community and therefore in your local church using the tools you are learning. By practicing what you learn, you gain vital experience, preparing you for your future ministry. You also have the opportunity of passing on those tools and your experience to others within your church.

Experiencing

EXPERIENCING

Participate in Equipping workshops where you’ll meet other candidates and learn from one another. Learn from participating cross-cultural church planters who pass on current and valuable first-hand experience. Leave the comforts of home when you go on a “field trip”. There you’ll experience the challenges of cross-cultural church planting first-hand.

Equip360 Curriculum

God's Narrative: Genesis to Christ

God’s Word is one entire, seamless description of what He has revealed about Himself, about the Spirit world, about Creation, about man and about His intentions. Module 1 – God’s Narrative: Genesis to Christ covers the first part of God’s Narrative. Beginning in Genesis, it gives an overview from His Word of His interactions with men and women throughout history, right up to the life of Christ.

This begins the One Story: a seamless description of all that has been, is, and will be, with God as the Master Storyteller.

God's Narrative Continues: Acts

Module 2 – God’s Narrative Continues: Acts starts by briefly looking back at the Biblical Narrative from Genesis to Christ from a totally new perspective: from the point of view of the identity change that has taken place for a believer. What does the Narrative say about their new identity, their access to God and their coming together with other believers?

Module 2 also covers Acts, where God’s Word describes the events that shape our understanding of our history as a Church, our shared identity, our mission, the Spirit’s work, and the completion of God’s Revelation in the New Testament.

Living in God's Narrative

Module 3 – Living in God’s Narrative is a continuation of the Biblical Foundations section of the curriculum. It consists of a walk through the book of Romans and also 1st and 2nd Thessalonians giving us a quick overview of how these very significant letters fit into God’s Narrative.

Scot digs into what the Apostle Paul wanted to convey to these new churches about who He is, His plans, His purposes and how the very same truths relate to us today.

Grow in your understanding about how we’re to live in light of the Gospel

Communication and Culture

Module 4 begins by focusing on God’s desire to communicate clearly, and what it is that He wants to communicate. All human communication takes place within the context of culture, so Module 4 is an in-depth exploration of culture. Understanding our own culture more objectively begins by making comparisons between different cultures in specific areas, such as the concept of time, areas of obligation, styles of communication, and social relationships. Module 4 finishes by giving an introduction to the major principles of acquiring another language and culture and becoming a clear communicator in another culture.

Language and Linguistics

A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE NATURE, STRUCTURE AND VARIATION OF LANGUAGE

Module 5 – Language and Linguistics equips participants in the some of the more technical areas of language and linguistics. Beginning with the basic concepts, it gives introductions and practical exercises in the following areas: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, language and meaning, semantics, pragmatics, language and identity, languages and dialects, language change and language families.

Culture and Language Acquisition

The key elements that make up every person’s worldview are explored in the beginning of Module 6 – Culture and Language Acquisition.  This helps participants to evaluate and understand the foundations of their own worldview. Several cultures are used as examples to see how different areas of culture can come together to give a cohesive picture. Guidance and advice is given in the area of adjusting to a new culture. Module 6 then covers a practical guide for culture and language acquisition – Becoming Equipped to Communicate – participants are given the handbook and are guided through a series of real-life exercises in their own community to give them an understanding of language and culture learning.

WORD, IDENTITY, LIFE, DISCIPLESHIP

W.I.L.D – Word, Identity, Life, Discipleship A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW TRUTH IMPACTS PEOPLE AND CHURCHES

Module 7 answers the question, Do we need a goal when we are involved in church planting and discipleship? Then, using an outline that has been developed by experienced church planters in a number of contexts, it describes four different areas of growth in the Body – Word, Identity, Life and Discipleship – and how to encourage growth in each area. Practical help and examples are given to equip participants with principles, and an understanding of the realities of each of these areas of church growth in a real context.

Culture and Language Acquisition

The first part of Module 8 – Resourcing the church is a comprehensive guide to the foundational principles of communicating meaning in another language and culture. Bible translation principles and many practical examples and exercises are given to help to equip anyone intending to teach or translate God’s Word in another context. Later in Module 8, a series of tutorials explores the area of Literacy; what it is, how it affects the church in particular, and how to develop and nurture a community literacy project. Finally, the area of developing Bible teaching resources for the church is covered, helping to present the principles of team work and a careful, collaborative approach.

CHURCH PLANTING CASE STUDIES

The case studies in Module 9 of  this course, are framed by the categories Word, Identity, Life, Discipleship. When this framework was introduced in Module 7, it was not with a specific context in view. The four W.I.L.D areas were discussed in turn, with the intention of demonstrating how the principles relate to any situation in which God’s Word is being shared and discipleship is taking place.

This Module also makes applications from those W.I.L.D. areas, but in the form of case studies, all of which relate to work done in people groups where God’s Word was previously absent or difficult to access; in other words, cross-cultural, church planting and discipleship scenarios. The 22 tutorials contain a wealth of valuable insights from church planters and first generation church leaders as they reflect on the challenges they’ve faced, and also the amazing fruit they’ve seen in the areas of God’s Word, Identity, Life and Discipleship.