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Preamble The Military Lay Leader Training and Certification Program is an effort by the Church of God to greatly enlarge and enhance the scope of ministry offered to Church of God and Pentecostal members serving in our country's armed forces. While we enthusiastically support the role of the military chaplain we recognize the enormity of the task they face in providing ministry to a congregation of such diverse backgrounds and that is constantly being deployed to remote locations of the world. We want Church of God men and women to be able to sustain and grow their faith in the military environment while assisting their peers to do the same. Recognizing the special demands of ministry in a military environment we are seeking to train and certify qualified NCOs and officers to serve as "Military Lay Leaders." In the absence of a Church of God chaplain we will look to these men and women to help provide spiritual support to the Church of God personnel in their unit, ship or installation. If the unit is fortunate enough to have a protestant chaplain then the MLL will still be prepared to stand alongside of their chaplain to provide whatever support he/she may require. We believe the potential impact of this program is enormous and almost impossible to overstate. Several examples illustrate this fact. First, during the Gulf War the Church of God had 11 chaplains helping to serve the more than 500,000 military personnel that were deployed in support of those operations. Our offices were in contact with more than 2,500 Church of God men and women who were deployed from our servicemen's centers in Europe. These men and women were trained and motivated to make a difference. Chaplain (COL) David Peterson served as the U.S. command chaplain for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Chaplain Peterson, in reflecting on the tremendous success of the spiritual side of the Gulf operation, reported that the wide religious coverage provided to the troops simply could not have been possible had we not enjoyed the great partnership between the military chaplain and the soldier/lay leader. Everywhere in the region Bible studies, prayer groups and worship services were supplementing the regular services offered by the chaplains. Second, the U.S. Navy makes it a requirement that every ship that
leaves port must have a trained and certified "lay leader" to
assist with the spiritual needs of the men and women on board. They
have produced an exhaustive 186 page "Lay Leaders Manual" to
guide non-chaplain personnel in the fulfillment of this important
mission. The final illustration was given to me recently by an army chaplain reporting on the service of one of our certified MLLs deployed to Bosnia. The chaplain wrote: ". . . have had frequent opportunities to work with SSG Jorge Martinez, and have always found him to be extremely supportive of our spiritual and religious program. SSG Martinez has assisted me in a variety of ministry efforts to our soldiers, to include conducting a field worship service, Bible Study and fellowships. He has multiplied my ministry and been a constant source of encouragement. SSG Martinez does have my full blessings in his pursuits as a Lay Minister and Leader through your organization." Purpose Goal & Philosophy Members of the US Military are being deployed more frequently and often with fewer resources. They often find themselves not only taken away from the support of their local church but also away even from the most basic support of a chaplain and chapel program. The Christian soldier, airman, sailor or marine needs to be able to keep his/her faith active and growing during these times and to also help others do the same. If they are blessed by having a chapel program in their deployment area then they should be equipped to support and augment that chaplain's ministry when requested or given opportunity to do so. Teaching Model 1. Formal Training: The student reads, studies, attends lectures/workshops and completes assignments to familiarize him/herself with the core curriculum. 2. Informal Training: The student is assigned a mentor. He/she works with a more mature and experienced leader, minister or chaplain while continuing their studies. 3. On the Job Training: The student is given "hands-on" ministry assignments while still under the supervision and tutelage of a mentoring pastor/leader/chaplain. 4. Commissioned and sent forth but remaining under the watchcare and support of a coach Key Competencies
The Core Curriculum Basic Discipleship The Lay Leader Training Program should occur in three phases and for three levels of certification. Each level leads to certification for a potentially more complex role as a lay leader: Basic Course = The Bible Study Leader 1. Jesus Walk Discipleship studies Advanced Course = The Outreach Leader 1. Biblical Theology * Senior Course = The Denominational Service Leader (DSL) 1. Biblical Interpretation * * = Courses included in curriculum of the School of Ministry Certificate in Ministerial Studies (CIMS) program. Requirements
Accountability
Information Ministry to the Military Leadership Board of Directors Chaplain (COL) Robert Jenkins, USA Joseph Mirkovich – Administrative Bishop Bruce Rabon – Senior Pastor Harold Jones - Senior Pastor Dwight Spivey – Administrative Bishop Dr. Ridley Usherwood John Walker Ministry to the Military |
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Military
Lay Leader
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