Training for the Team

Shared Ministry Teams are provided with a comprehensive training package which has been tried and tested over many years. The purpose of the training is not to pump more information into experienced Christians but to prepare and help the new team to work effectively together in the service of their church and of the Kingdom of God. The training will always encourage Team members to ask, "What are we learning about ourselves as a Team and about myself and my gifts as a valued member of this Team?" The aims of the training are to:

• foster a Team that prays, worships and reflects together, offering mutual support and encouragement
• utilise and build on personal experience wherever possible
• increase understanding of the local context
• encourage an understanding of individual and group behaviours which promote healthy Team life
• To come to an understanding of the role of Team members both as individuals and as part of the Team
• To examine the nature of collaborative / shared ministry and its impact on leadership styles and Team function
• To encourage the involvement of the whole congregation
• To develop their missionary vision
• To look at issues around planning, decision making, change management and reflection on process and outcomes

The normal expectation is that training will consist of  around 10 evening sessions plus an initial residential 24 hour session. It is possible to complete the training within a twelve months although this is, of course, dependent on people's diaries. Two experienced trainers are allocated to the SMT wherever possible although sometimes there is just the one, and these trainers will also function as facilitators to the Team after commissioning to help the Team get into its stride.

Training begins with a Friday - Saturday residential which always helps a new group to begin to work, share and worship together. This residential will explore the principles of shared ministry, hopes, fears and expectations for new team members, some exercises that will explore how the group works together and plenty of laughter as the group begins to form as a team. And it is important to note that within the overall structure of the training there will always be flexibility and adaptation to local needs and concerns. 

Over the next twelve months the Team will explore and share their personal journeys of faith and their experience and understanding of core aspects of Christian belief. They will explore something of the history of their own church and how it relates to their ministry today and the team will reflect on the community they serve and the mission and vision of their church. 

The goal of the training is to equip a group of people who have been chosen to lead, encourage and enable others to minister together in the local church and community. Shared Ministry training:

• is a shared journey in which the team learns together
• reflects on life, experience, the Bible and many perspectives from the church and the whole of life
• is practical and and aimed at helping the Team to work together and with others
• is all about team members learning to give of themselves and being open to change