Maintaining and sustaining an organisation’s capacity to train and supervise mentors, consultants and facilitators.
All of our training programs (Mentor Equipping, Conflict Management, Church Consultancy, Retreat Facilitation, Parish Recovery) can be taught on a once-off basis. While this is worthwhile and does provide a well trained group of mentors, consultants or facilitators who are capable of many years of ministry for an organisation or denomination, over time there will always be some natural attrition of this group. Original members retire, others move or transfer, and some are invited to use their skills in denominational leadership. In order to maintain a sustainable body of equipped mentors, consultants or facilitators, there is a need to build capacity into a denomination or organisation to own and maintain the program themselves. This is done through equipping a small team of trainers and supervisors (SATT) within the organisation specifically for this task. John Mark Ministries is committed to this process as the best way to build sustainable capacity into denominations to provide long term professional development and support for leaders.
If a denomination or organisation is committed to owning a program in the long term, John Mark Ministries seeks to identify two or three potential trainers who have participated in the first training program. With organisational endorsement, these members are invited to participate in an equipping program for trainers. This is usually run over 2 full days or 4 ½ days per year for four years. Equipping for trainers can often be added before or after existing training programs to save on time and cost commitments.
Once trainers have joined the training group and begun their equipping they are usually invited to facilitate the training of a second or third group. This can be done alongside a primary John Mark Ministries trainer as co-trainers or as a team of two with their own new group. This allows John Mark Ministries to guide and supervise a group of trainers while they run a full program to ensure it is completed successfully. Again the equipping of trainers is based on action-reflection learning. Often two or three more potential trainers are identified in the second and maybe the third groups and these also join the training team at appropriate times.
Organisations planning to embrace a long-term training strategy for any of our programs need to plan for two or three training courses (see below, Training Course A, B and C) with at least the first (A) and possibly the second (B) facilitated by John Mark Ministries and also plan for a parallel ‘train the trainer‘ program. This allows a team of around 4-8 trainers and supervisors to be identified, equipped and to begin training other groups. After the first 2-3 courses , all later programs (D+)are then facilitated by denominational trainers.
Once this process of transferring the program to an equipped group of trainers and facilitators is complete, the group can easily adapt, develop and grow the program to tune it to the specific agenda, needs and perspectives of the organisation or denomination. This group also allows members of earlier trained teams to stay networked, maintain their accreditation and keep their training updated through running workshops for the whole denominational team of mentors, consultants or facilitators. This creates a sustainable program for the organisation.
