Haiti (MNN) ― If you've never built a house before, it would be absurd to build one without getting some training first.
No matter how simple the structure, without the know-how and the tools, the house won't be well made. It's a similar story with lay church leaders in Haiti. They have the desire and the passion to build the body of Christ, but they don't always have the know-how or the tools. The other problem: poverty blocks access to the resources.
Chris Lieb with Baptist Haiti Mission says, "There's a great need for training for the people in the church. There's very little good quality systematic training for Sunday school teachers. This is one of the first trainings that we've done for Sunday school teachers in recent history."
What it boils down to is: to have an effective leader, it is critical that he be trained effectively. Last week, Baptist Haiti Mission brought in a team from the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism to work with the lay pastors and church leaders. Gill and Denise Thomas along with Carl Sexton taught from a Bible curriculum that was written in Haitian Creole.
This week, it's the Sunday school teachers who are getting resources and tools. More than teaching from topic to topic, says Lieb, "They're looking for more resources and for a way to go through the Bible systematically."
A typical congregation has three kinds of people: genuine believers, professing Christians who have not clearly understood or genuinely embraced the Gospel, and seekers. That's why "ABWE has come in with some materials that they've developed especially for Haiti," says Lieb. "It goes from Creation to the end of the Bible, and it shows how God is Redeemer through each section."
These lay leaders need a resource that will help them teach a fairly thorough presentation of the Bible's redemptive story to people who attend their churches. The Chronological Bible Teaching Curriculum used by ABWE covers 100 Bible stories. Not only do the teachers have a clearer biblical worldview, but Lieb says they "have really appreciated having this material and having the training. It's not only the materials: they're also learning how to teach in a much better way."
Now that the foundation is laid and the framing is in place, the lay pastors and teachers are ready to go to work. Lieb says, "For those who have received the training, pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to use them and that they would be tools in the hands of God and multiply the work of ministry."
