Sadly 'Can't train, won't train' summarises what many ministers feel about developing the next generation of church leaders. But it needn't stay like that . . .
There is a wealth of encouragement in the Scriptures that point towards a much more positive approach. An increasing number of ministers are getting involved and passing on their insights and experiences (see, for example, The Briefing No. 218).
The recently-introduced Training for Ministry programme emphasises that 'mentoring' is not a newly-invented secular concept, but one of the biblical keys opening the way to good church leadership. The course is shaped around this, and one of the modules looks at apprenticeship schemes and mentoring training. The content of one of the seminars, entitled 'A biblical method for leadership' shows just how much the Scriptures can help leaders in the responsibility of passing on the truth from one generation to the next).
