TRAINING AND RETREAT MODELS

Every effective group of Disciples elders will need to set aside times for training, spiritual growth and team building. New elders cannot be expected to serve well without some direction as to how to do their jobs. Elders who have served for many years can share what they know and also set an example of leadership through learning. As in other areas of leadership today, serving as an elder requires regular updates with current knowledge as well as a grounding in the basics. Your elders group needs to decide how you will provide training in the meaning and functions of eldership.

To plan for the training of your elders, you will need to consider:

• Time: a day, a weekend, a regular portion of your monthly meeting?

• Place: in homes, the church, a retreat center or in a neighboring church?

• Subjects: Table leadership (prayers, procedures, schedule, working with the deacons); Pastoral care (homebound members, those in the hospital, nursing care centers or hospice, care for bereaved families, families with newborn or newly adopted children, those in prison, in family crisis, chemical dependency, or mental health needs,  military families, Fellowship Groups; Response to Baptisms, new members and members who are becoming inactive; Spiritual life of the elders ways for elders to pray together as a group, individually and by prayer covenants or prayer chains through the week.

• Leadership: Will the training be led by elders, the pastor, regional ministry staff, or others with a particular kind of expertise?

• Shape of Retreat:  Is the retreat primarily for prayer?  Primarily for sharing skills training?  Primarily for getting acquainted with one another as faithful people?  Be clear about your agenda when you invite people to come on retreat. 

This website has many resources you can use to plan a training program for your Elders

• Books and articles you can read together
• Ways you can pray together
• Ways you can share your faith together
• Ways you can study Scripture together
• Ways you can talk about God with one another
• Information about the whole church
• Information on the culture in which the church has its witness
• Information about Evangelism and Mission 
• Toolbox of Resources on Evangelism
• More Evangelism resources
• Information on Church Renewal
• Information on New Church Starts
• Ways to perform your ministry as Elders
• Information on the Global Mission of the Disciples of Christ
• Information on Involving Families in the Church

Below are samples of how you might structure your time for training sessions of varying lengths

24 Hour retreat

5:00 p.m.           Start with Dinner

6:30 p.m.           Opening Worship Time

7:00 p.m.           Faith Sharing and Getting Better Acquainted

8:15 p.m.           BREAK

8:30 p.m.           Gather for Evening Worship and Blessing

9:00 p.m.           Night of Silence (no speaking until after Breakfast)

                          OR  Informal conversation and games for those

                          who wish to stay awake

8:00 a.m.           BREAKFAST

9:00 a.m.           Opening Prayers

9:30 a.m.           The main learning topic of the day

                          (This might be any of the topics listed above)

10:45 a.m.          BREAK

11:00 a.m.          What does this new information have to do with us?

                           How will we use this new learning as Elders in our church?

Noon                   LUNCH

1:00 p.m.            Time to have individual prayer walks or reflection or

                           journal time

2:00 p.m.            Expansion of the learning topic of the day

                           OR the introduction of a second learning topic

3:00 p.m.            Is there business the group needs to do together? 

                           Schedules, plans, assignments?

4:00 p.m.            Closing Worship and Communion

Daytime Retreat/Training Session

8:30 a.m.             Rolls/Drinks/Arriving conversations

9:00 a.m.             Opening Prayers and Bible Study

9:30 a.m.             Introduction of the topic of the day

10:45 a.m.           BREAK

11:00 a.m.           Continuation of the topic of the day

12:15 p.m.            LUNCH

1:00 p.m.              What does our morning discussion/learning

                             teach us about Eldership? 

                             What does that mean for our service as Elders in this       

                             place?

2:30 p.m.              BREAK and clean up chores

3:00 p.m.              Closing worship and Communion