We teach that too!

Today friends, I am going to illustrate our teaching goals as we are training Christian leaders at Becker Professional Theology Academy.

The Traditional Sunday Worship Experience

The Sunday services that joins together like-kind people in neighborhood churches. Usually a generational church with people that have been there a lifetime, as had their parents and grandparents before them. Pastors preach a steady program of basic Christian messages that their parishioners can apply in their lives during that week. It gives the congregation a chance to remember God and pray to him once a week at least. This type of church is often exclusionary and sometimes cruel and rejecting of believers that do not look or live like them.

Never fear, part of our Academy teaches our Pastor recruits on how to conduct neighborhood churches, with a focus on traditional hymns and the benefits of pot-lucks. Really! Church pot-lucks are the best; it not only feeds the people and gives a chance for sharing amongst themselves, but, the food is always good as the women in the church bring their foods that they have perfected over the generations. Fellowship is fueled perfectly! So we teach our Pastors about tradition and hymns and neighborhood fellowship; but, we do it a bit differently by insisting that all people, even those that are ornery, ugly, lonely,  different, or just plain weird are welcomed to the table.

The Spirit-filled Worship Service

How wonderful these services are when the Holy Spirit surges through the congregation of believers and all worshipers lift their hands to praise the Lord! Members excitedly attend most services and expect to see His wonderful presence always. Church services often leave members refreshed and spiritually restored; exhaustion from unlimited praise to God justifies the sharing of food after the service. It is good also! Raised hands, singing, and sometimes-supernatural activities such as Spirit-guided talking in tongues and healings happen regularly in these type of churches. Though Holy Spirit churches are all over the world, the South gathers a good deal of them together in the places where black worshipers can join their neighbors and praise their Lord. I have never experienced an exclusionary attitude amongst Holy Spirit worshipers and have seen countless instances of inclusion, fellowship, and Christian love greeting newcomers.

We seriously teach every student the importance of the Holy Spirit presence in worship and in daily activities. We insist upon His inclusion in every part of their ministries, and will not accept exclusion of His presence in their works; thus, we teach them how to make contact with God, and be a conduit of His moving to the people they are ministering to. Though we focus less on the worship service, and more on the day-to-day activities and works for the Lord, our students are fully equipped to lead the revival of Spirit worshipers.

This is us!

 

This illustration reflects perfectly our primary focus in training up Pastors and Chaplains at Becker Professional Theology Academy.  Check out this apparent “oneness” of the coach and his assistant. How great would it be if Pastors and Chaplains in this world did their jobs with perfect reflection of Christ? Watch the assistant reflecting the actions of the coach, right down to the tiniest of motions. This assistant duplicates his main coach’s actions with unceasing “oneness.”

There is little focus placed in teaching the preparation of Sunday best or waiting upon the Holy Spirit in planned times. It is about being so well trained, and so confident of their Lord’s expectations, that it gives our students a different perspective on ministry. Rather than being limited by traditional Christian expression or celebrating in a church building once or twice a week, we are training up our Pastors and Chaplains to reflect the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly, with attention to details and practice, practice, practice of the Lord’s ways.

Becker Professional Theology Academy teaches its Pastors and Chaplains how to do ministry outside the four walls of a church. We teach them how to reflect Christ’s movements perfectly, and confidently complete the works given to them with a precision so apparently Christ, that it is recognized by all.  We believe that Christ’s works are not limited to the exclusive religions or perfected worship services behind four walls.  We believe that unchurched believers can have supernatural contact with God given the chance, and it is the job of our Pastors and Chaplains to bring Christ to them in the way He would respond, perfectly.