Church leaders from 13 countries have rounded off 2005 by spending two weeks at the first Ministry Training Strategy conference at Moore College.

Delegates from England, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Eurasia, Slovenia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, United States and New Zealand attended the December conference to learn how to build a ministry training strategy (MTS) in their own countries. 

The focus of the conference was to provide the theological framework and practical skills, resources and ideas needed to grow gospel workers in their respective countries.

Colin Marshall, MTS National Director and Conference convener says "it was very exciting to see this worldwide interest in apprenticeship training'.

"We all learned a lot from each other about the various challenges people have in raising up workers for the work of the Kingdom," Mr Marshall says.

Eddie Coulter, Superintendent of the Irish Church Missions from Dublin in the Republic of Ireland says he is taking home "the training mindset'.

"We will make sure it is part of everything we do," Mr Coulter says. "[The conference] has made me far more intentional about training.'

Just prior to the conference, Phil Nicholson, Director of OMF Taiwan had put on his first ministry trainee, known as an apprentice.

He believes the conference helped him cement his training plans. 

Dave West, Senior Minister Melville Union Church from Johannesburg in South Africa describes MTS as ‘the most significant thing we have ever done’.

“I came to Sydney because of a commitment to keep improving and move from an "event church' to a "training church',” he says.

Through Mr West, the apprentice program has been running for several years in South Africa.

"My advice to others is to jump in the deep end and make it happen, it is worthwhile," he says.

Grant Retief, Senior Minister, Christchurch Glenwood, in South Africa says he also found the conference useful.

"It was great in teaching us the nuts and bolts of what to do," Mr Retief says.

"I tend to be an intuitive trainer so this information helped me be more purposeful about what I have been doing. It has also been useful to think with fellow countrymen about how to apply apprenticeship training in South Africa.'

The delegates will be aiming to implement their MTS training strategies thisyear.

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