The Role of Trainers in the Local Church (Scott Wilson)

Excerpted from his new book “Making It All Work – The Art of Training and
Development” (due out in February 2007)
 
The typical way of thinking is that training has been for the eldership or
leader of the church – often seminars or conferences to increase some sort of
skill, attitude or knowledge etc. These are often built on the “put-out-the-
fire” syndrome mentioned before, rather than planning. To be an effective
trainer within the life of the local church is a serious issue. It demands a
certain type of person with a certain frame of thinking. This can be linked to
the ministry gift of teaching or apostle. There is a need to concentrate on
some of the skills and competences that are needed to be an effective trainer
and in the way they think.
 
FIVE WAYS TRAINERS THINK
1.       The Synthesist. In this model, the trainer interprets information, sees
the similarities and differences, and tends to speculate on the results they
have seen. Approximately 15% of the world’s population are synthetic
thinkers – they take great amounts of information from many places,
analyze it, and work it through until they have come up with an idea or
thought on what that means in the context of training. It must not be
confused with an analytical thinker – the synthesist spends time bringing
lots of little ideas and concepts together to make a whole.
 
2.       The Idealist. The idealist values data and theory equally and welcomes a
broad range of views and then seeks ideal solutions. He/she is able to take
facts, material, information and theory that is provided at that time, and a
broad range of views that are available to them, and then seeks to pull out
from this the ideal solution or view to be presented. This trainer is like the
synthesist to some degree, except focusing more on the ideal, or the best
view that can be adopted for the time we are in.

3.       The Pragmatist. This is an adaptive person who seeks the shortest route
possible to a solution. They say “whatever works will do”. They do not need
to violate values or concerns regarding the Scripture. Their way of thinking
and training is “we have a job to do, it must be done now, and whatever we
can do to get this job, we will do”. Many pastors have a tendency to become
very idealistic in their thinking, but pragmatic when it comes to training their
people.

4.       The Analyst. This trainer is interested in scientific proof and theories that
have worked. They seek one best way and will seek to examine many
practical experiences and analyse these, such as organisations that have
grown significantly, or revivalist movements that have proven that they have
worked.

5.       The Realist. Seeks solutions that meet current needs and is interested in
concrete results. Different to the pragmatist in that they will first evaluate
the program and issues at hand before attempting to enact the decision.

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 THE ROLE OF THE TRAINER
1.       The Evaluator. The trainer must develop instruments that assess change,
knowledge, skill, attitude, behaviour and results, so that they can assess
whether the program or the instruction they are giving are of high quality.
Usually this is a written evaluation, or minimum, an oral report of the impact
of the program on the society or organisation they are working within. The
trainer must become an evaluator of the programs they are running – this is
not just an evaluation sheet filled out by the people attending or
participating. This is a positive reflection on the program but more is needed
if the program will become effective.

2.       A Group Facilitator. A person, who supports, manages or looks after;

encourages group-discussions, group-processes, team-building, etc. They
help people to find out about themselves. These trainers work from the
underneath or alongside, not over the top. Trainers in the local church are
facilitators who enable other people’s gifts and experiences to come to the
full, so that they can be used effectively in the environments they are
working. A facilitator is a person who comes alongside another one or a
team, and helps them reach their destiny or the plan/goal that they are
heading towards. Facilitation is very similar to the work of The Holy Spirit –
He comes alongside and facilitates, or works with us, to produce the best in
us.

3.       An Individual Development Counsellor. The trainer helps assess

personal competencies, part-planning of career, professional development
needs and referrals when necessary. This means, to some degree, that
the trainer opens doors for the people that they are training. They help
them find the place where they can fit in and use the skills they have
learned. They might find a job for them. They will counsel them in the
career they ought to choose, and will show them the path they ought to
go. The trainer in the local church is one who enables people to use
successfully the skills, giftings, or competencies that they have learned in
the training program. They go from simply communicating skills in front of
a crowd to isolating the individuals and suggesting where they can go,
what they can do and where they can serve more effectively. They are not
separated from the persons they are training but are involved in the on-
going planning and processes for their lives and helps them to reach their
destiny and all they are called to do.

4.       An Instructional Writer. They prepare a range of written learning

materials, including exercises, workbooks, manuals, notes, scripts,
presentations, tests, evaluation-forms, etc. We need to develop this
understanding in the church – it has been absent for a long time. There has
been a resistance to this generally in the church, and it has by many been
considered “un-spiritual”. The trainer, or the instructional writer, is one who
is providing a clear focus for where the course is going.

5.       An Instructor. The trainer is one who facilitates learning through

presenting information and structured experiences in the form of face-to-face
presentations, lectures, role-plays and maybe even games. The trainer is

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 also one who instructs. So the trainer should be one, or preferably, one who
has a ministry gift, and maybe even supported with someone with spiritual
gifts that also contribute in this area.

6.       Managing Training and Development. They are planning, organising,

and controlling training and development projects and operations. These
roles include developing department or overall objectives for the
organisation, organising the budget, the people who will be involved in
presenting material, and development and evaluation of further courses.

7.       The Marketer. The trainer is one who promotes, markets, and sells the
viewpoints of the programs to other areas of the organisation, and, if
necessary, outside the organisation, so that people see the need to enrol in
the training programs offered.

8.       Media Specialist. The trainer is up-to-date, at least to some degree, with
computer-based software and other media materials. These are tools that
can be very important in, for instance, resourcing people through the
internet or keeping in contact with them through e-mail.

9.       Needs Analyst. The trainer has to have the ability to identify the
differences between actual performance/skills, and the skills/performance
needed to meet the objectives of the individual and the organisation. This is
very important. The trainer needs to see both where people are today and
where they need to be. This is crucial in designing courses. It helps the
trainer to find out what needs to be provided in the course, based on the
current need that is required for the organisation to reach its goals. It is not
an easy task, and requires great skill, patience, and analytical thought.
Rather than front-on or fire-fighting training that provides a stick-on-plaster
method of helping people understand the circumstances they are in,
projective training and development will focus on what is needed for the
organisation or church to reach its goals.

10.    A Program Administrator. Even though the trainer may not do all of the
above things themselves, they make sure all of these are done. All facilities,
equipment, course material, people concerned are organised for the training
event and the program. The role of the trainer is to administrate all these
various issues. This is a very important point. The atmosphere, the room,
and the technology available in the training event can make or break the
difference between a successful event and a poor event.

11.   The Program Designer. This is linked primarily to the instructional

writer. The difference is that a program is an overall design of contact,
activities, and instruction, where instruction focuses on a very narrow
group or section of teaching or training within a program. The program is
the whole picture while instruction is a smaller part of the program. The
trainer is the program designer, so they are looking at the small and the
large. The trainer must be a person who is able to look some distance
ahead, up to five years, and can set a program that is that far ahead.
 

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12.    The Strategist. The strategist thinks long-term, planning and training for
development structures and organisational directions, policies and programs.
They are not only thinking in terms of how to design a program, but what
strategies are in place to make sure the program comes to pass and does
reach its goals. The strategist is linked very much to the overall vision-
setting of the organisation, and is probably involved at a high level in what is
happening in the organisation to cause the transfer of knowledge through the
ranks of the organisation.

13.    Task Analysts. The task analysts identify activities, tasks, sub-tasks of
human resource and support requirements to accomplish specific results. The
task that is required for a church to function effectively is enormous. It is the
releasing of gifts that enable the church to function as well as it does. The
trainer is a person who identifies tasks within the organisation, and trains
people in their gifting so that they can fulfil their tasks. Often we have tried
to release people in their gifting by discovering their gifts. The more strategic
way of doing this is to identify tasks that need to be accomplished in the
church, and then find the gifts to fit the task. Instead of just finding out their
task, it is probably more viable to set the tasks and let gifts develop around
those tasks. Analyse the tasks that need to be done, and then call the gifts
out to complete them. This is what a trainer will do and concentrate on.

14.    A Theoretician. The trainer understands and produces understanding of

theories of learning and their application. They keep up-to-date with new
concepts, issues, and develop research reports. They are working with the
current theory that is happening around the place now.

15.    A Transfer Agent. They facilitate the development of on-the-job

application of learning. Even though they are a theoretician, working with
theories, they are making sure everything that is learned is applied. They are
making sure that those trained are using it to the maximum effect in what
they are called to do. So when writing courses, developing programs or
training people, focus on the need to transfer the information, not only in
knowledge, but in action.
 
THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES OF THE TRAINER
1.        Computer competence. Develop computer-skill, at least to a basic level.

2.        Presentation skills. Being able to hold yourself well in an organisational

crowd where you are committing yourself to a process of training is vital.
Trainers must be confident, relaxed, a reasonably good speaker, well able to
present the material they have in an effective way. Some technocratic
examples to help: Body-language, voice-control, eye-contact, the way you
dress, the way you use the lectern or lecture-area.

3.        Negotiation skills. The ability for two parties to bargain together to get an
agreed result. Primarily the trainer is negotiating with the leadership of the
church or the organisational values and vision of the church to find the
common ground for where they can provide training-programs. They may
also be involved in negotiation with people who are on the course.

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4.        Writing skills. The trainer will be involved in writing courses and will need
to be sharp in how to use words, phrases, putting together notes, etc.

5.        Data-keeping skills. The data that will flow through your hand and
mind has to be stored somewhere. Keeping good records, up-to-date
filing system, and good time management – providing an environment
where data is stored properly and effectively. This is very important to
remember when offering training and education at a higher level.

6.        The understanding of what is happening in your environment. Being

able to “smell out”, sniff and hear what’s taking place around about you and
your environment – both internal and external. Trainers are listening,
reporting, and hearing what is happening so that they can develop quality
training-courses that relate to the issue at hand.

7.        Adult learning understanding. Adult Learning is quite different to the

standard way people learn at the moment. There is a huge difference
between how children and adults learn – the difference between pedagogy
and what is now called andragogy.

8.        Understanding of organisational behaviour. How organisations work,

how they function socially, and how they as groups work together.

9.        The skill of costing. Costing involves setting up budgets, working with
finances, determining the costs of running courses, etc. Basic financing skills
are needed.

10.     Group-process skills. It is important to understand how groups function

and think. This helps us to understand how to build programs that work in
the environment of team.

11.     Intellectual versatility. This refers to a broad range of intellectual

thinking, and the ability to use diverse types of thinking systems, and being
able to work with several of the different thinking systems. It is important
that the trainer is not stuck within one type of thinking style.

12.     Academic proficiency. The trainer needs to be “on the way”, themselves,
including formal training, to become a master of the subject they teach.
Trainers need to be sure to continually train themselves academically.
 
13.     Research skills. The ability to search out, think about and look into
different styles or thoughts of the day that are happening around the scene.
The trainer must be able to read well and take material out of what they are
reading; or at least know where people can be resourced.

14.     Interviewing skills. A lot of the training will be interviewing people. The
interview, when they come into the program, when they are going out into
the workplace, and in-between. This involves open and closed questions,
forming opinions, evaluating the learner, their learning, and what they have
been doing as a person.

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15.     The preparation of objectives. The trainer will be responsible for
developing courses in terms of objectives or goals. This requires the ability to
examine need and produce a written statement of how to reach the required
result. Objective preparation skills are essential to great training programs.

16.     Facilitation skills. Facilitation is the ability to come alongside and help
others reach their destiny.

17.     Classroom instruction skills. There is a difference between presenting

ideas to people in a technocratic way, and being able to teach in a classroom
setting.

18.     Futuring skills. The trainer is able to see in advance – a prophetic edge –
to what is needed, and how these things will unfold in the future, and be able
to keep up–to-date with future issues.