First Round of Training Concludes

Posted by Ted. 15 May 2009
These last three days have quickly flown by. It was great meeting some 70 pastors and other leaders from the South Australia / Northern Territories District.
For years in our training, we end our breaks with a hymn or spiritual song. Often I play piano or someone local does. This is the first training event where we had an entire worship team lead the singing. What a great privilege.
So, how did the training go? Here is a sample of the comments from the evaluations we received.
Under the question: What was most helpful for me...
- Particularly appreciated the focus on love, grace, and forgiveness without denying the consequences of sin.
- Amazing how real the role plays became.
- Practice in the use of pastoral, as opposed to ritual, use of the confession and absolution.
- Realizing how the forgiveness of God breaks down barriers and restores people to be Christ-like again.
- The power and wonder of the Gospel beautifully and freshly revealed – The very centre of the ministry we do.
- Clear teaching reinforcing what I’d read in the books.
- The [demonstration] role plays up front [by the instructors] helped me to feel comfortable in role playing.
What was least helpful for me...
- We crammed a lot into a short space of time. [A few people made similar comments.]
- [Some expressed discomfort with the role plays, but most also commented that they were essential for the learning experienced.]
Any comments for Ted or Francis...
- Job well done! Good story-telling. Clear presentation (even with the accent!) [TED: No worries!]
- God prosper your work & defend you.
- Thank God for your ministry and the sacrifices you made to share this ministry with us and equipping us.
Any comments for the District or LCA
- I was sceptical about this project until we got under way... I discovered that the AoR team has a wealth of experience, and not only the wisdom from that, but the wisdom to enable us to tap into our knowledge and experience.
- Thank you for allowing/inviting Ted & Francis to teach us.
- Please incorporate this training into our seminary course.
- Thank you for providing this for your pastors. Please don’t let this be a 3-Day course, but let it be a way of life in our church.
- Thank you for one of the best conferences I’ve been to.