Approach
Ebenezer will implement a three-phase approach to training, based on prayerful discernment of what God will have us do with the resources given. These phases are described below.
Literacy Training
Through learning meetings with pastors, we have found the startling fact that 50% of the pastors interviewed are illiterate in varying degrees. Even though the original vision of Ebenezer was not literacy training, we realized quickly that if a pastor cannot read, he cannot teach from God’s source of truth - the Bible. We recognized that literacy training would be essential if we hoped to establish leaders grounded in Biblical truths.
Through initial fundraising efforts, we have raised enough funds to teach literacy to 15 pastors. The literacy curriculum we are using is from an organization called Alfalit.
Combined with literacy, is concentrated prayer and worship time with a focus on prayers for the lost. Pastors are given Bibles as they learn to read, and they cherish the reward as they learn how to understand the message of the Bible. Upon completion of the prescribed courses, the pastors are given certificates of completion.
Early projections show that it will take three months to provide basic training that will allow a pastor to read and write. This timeline is, of course, dependent on the individual and his commitment to learning.
Discipleship Training
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
The Great Commission commands us to make disciples. This should be the heartbeat of missions work. Train disciples, and then send them into the field to reap the harvest of souls.
Ebenezer Discipleship Training Center will be focused on making disciples. Discipleship requires intimacy and time. It allows the individual to make mistakes and the trainer to gently lead them into the truth. This will be accomplished through the curriculum of “Discipleship Essentials” by Greg Ogden. The materials have been translated by a partner Haitian Church in Grand Rapids, MI, by permission of the publishing company and Greg Ogden. The material uses four themes to explain in a simple manner the core of the Christian faith. This curriculum is a workbook style in which the individual completes the lesson and then discusses it in a small group setting. The leader facilitates the discussion and leads the group into Biblical discussions and truths. This style allows the Spirit to work in the individual and for him to gain confidence that his beliefs are based on a strong foundation.
The discipleship training takes approximately one month to complete. A typical day will be 12-14 hours long filled with personal devotions, corporate worship, and prayers for the lost. We believe that after completing this training, the pastors will be able to lead their churches with confidence and boldness, and that they will be able to identify false teachings and refute heresies.
Mission Training School
The final phase of the Ebenezer program will be a two-year discipleship training school. Our belief is that after the pastors go through the training, they will return to their congregations with a new fire and passion for the Lord. As they disciple people in their congregation, we believe they will be able to identify those who have an anointing to give their lives to reach the lost. The pastors will recommend these people for the Ebenezer Mission Training School where they too will learn Biblical truths along with evangelism training. Through this training, they will be enabled to plant churches throughout Haiti. We pray that churches will even be planted in the worst areas of Haiti, such as Cite Soleil.
This phase of Ebenezer is a future goal and is at least two years from the launch phase. The most effective curriculum for this phase is being investigated. Some suggestions are “Evangelism Explosion” , “International Stewards”, and “Bible Kerygma”.
