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and More- Christian Caregiving--
a Way of Life - Caring Evangelism: How to Live and Share Christ's Love
- Discovering God's Vision for Your Life: You and Your
Spiritual Gifts - Spiritual Growth through
Spiritual Gifts - Leader Killers: How
to Identify and Deal
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Your Organization - Antagonists in the Church: How to Identify and Deal with Destructive Conflict
- Caring for Inactive Members: How to Make God’s House a Home
- Christian Caregiving--
About
Us
Me, an Evangelist?
Every Christian's Guide to Caring Evangelism
Price: $11.95
Nuts & Bolts Issues for Small Group Leaders
Price: $11.95
Speaking the Truth in Love:
How to Be an Assertive Christian
Price: $13.95
Caring for Inactive Members Leader's Teaching Kit
Price: $49.95
Biblical Equipping:
God's Word in Your World
Price: $11.95
The Equipper's Training Course
in St. Louis, Missouri
What Is an Equipper' Training Course
Who Should Attend an ETC?
Does the ETC Train Small Group Leaders?
Equipper's Training Course Faculty
A Typical Equipper's Training Course Schedule
What Is an Equipper's Training Course?
An Equipper's Training Course (ETC) is a conference where pastors, church staff, and lay leaders are trained as Equippers--those who direct ChristCare Group Ministry in a congregation. The ETC is an exciting week of learning, discovery, worship, relationship building, and catching a vision for all that ChristCare Small Group Ministry can mean for your congregation.
The ETC provides much more than small group theory; it provides a highly effective, step-by-step approach for beginning and managing small group ministry. Equippers return home thoroughly prepared to begin, strengthen, or expand Christ-centered, life-changing small groups in their congregation.
The Equipper's Training Course:
- combines different educational methods--lecture, reading, video, demonstration, discussion, and skill practice--for an enjoyable and productive learning experience.
- allows you to experience ChristCare by participating in a small group throughout the week.
- is a wonderful opportunity for personal, professional, interpersonal, and spiritual growth.
- gives your Equippers Team many opportunities to build community, strategize, and plan for your congregation's ChristCare Small Group Ministry.
- provides many opportunities for you to network and exchange ideas with hundreds of participants, many from congregations that have had ChristCare Groups for years.
- offers several optional special luncheons, focus groups, and Q&A sessions for even more opportunities to learn and grow.
Who Should Attend an ETC?
The Equipper's Training Course (ETC) is for members of your congregation who will serve as ChristCare Equippers. ChristCare Equippers are pastors, church staff, and lay leaders who receive training at a one-week Equipper's Training Course to direct their congregation's ChristCare Group Ministry.
If you're from a newly enrolling congregation, you will typically send a team of two to five Equippers--a pastor, perhaps a church staff person, and one to four lay leaders--to the ETC. They will jell as a team and return ready to get your small group ministry off to a solid start. They will build the foundation for ChristCare Small Group Ministry so that God can change people's lives and lead them into discipleship for generations to come.
If your congregation already has ChristCare Group Ministry, you can continue sending additional leaders to the Equipper's Training Course to strengthen your Equippers Team and grow your small group ministry.
Does the ETC Train Small Group Leaders?
No. The ETC is for Equippers. Your Equippers are the ones who will train your ChristCare Group Leaders. Read more information about training ChristCare Group Leaders in your congregation.
Equipper's Training Course Faculty
The Rev. Kenneth Haugk, Ph.D., Executive Director of Stephen Ministries St. Louis, is a pastor and clinical psychologist. In 1975 he founded the Stephen Ministries organization and began the Stephen Series system of lay caring ministry, now used by more than 10,000 congregations from more than 150 denominations. Ken is the author of many books, including the best-selling Christian Caregiving--a Way of Life, Antagonists in the Church, Reopening the Back Door, The Quest for Quality Caring, When and How to Use Mental Health Resources, and the Discovering God's Vision for Your Life: You and Your Spiritual Gifts resources. More recently he has written the Journeying through Grief books, Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart: How to Relate to Those Who Are Suffering, and Leader Killers. He is also a frequent speaker at church conferences and workshops.
The Rev. Dr. David Paap serves as Program Director for Stephen Ministries St. Louis. As a congregation pastor and a chaplain in the Army Reserve for more than 25 years, David has experience in a wide range of ministry settings. David oversees the work of Stephen Ministries Pastoral and Program Staff; manages program planning, development, and delivery; writes communications and training materials; and teaches and preaches at Leader's and Equipper's Training Courses, church conferences, and conventions. He is the author of Caring for Military Families and Biblical Equipping: God's Word in Your World. David also serves as a ChristCare Equipper in his own congregation.
The Rev. William McKay is Director of Project Development for Stephen Ministries St. Louis. Bill led the teams that developed the ChristCare Series small group ministry system and the Caring Evangelism course, as well as the team that rewrote the Stephen Series Leader's Manual. Bill has also developed Leader's Training Course presentations on referrals, leadership, and supervision. He is the author of Nuts & Bolts Issues for Small Group Leaders and Me, an Evangelist? Every Christian's Guide to Caring Evangelism, and is the co-author of Christian Caregiving--a Way of Life Leader's Guide and Spiritual Growth through Spiritual Gifts.
Joel Keen is a member of the Pastoral Staff of Stephen Ministries St. Louis. In that role he coordinates conference directing activities and maintains training course technology. He has produced and edited numerous videos for Stephen Ministries, including The Gift of Stephen Ministry and Follow Me. He has served as a youth director, writing devotional materials, planning mission events, and speaking to young people about following Jesus. Joel is a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis with a Master of Divinity degree and he serves as a ChristCare Equipper in his own congregation.
Amity Haugk came to Stephen Ministries in 2006 after serving as a restaurant manager at Walt Disney World. A trained Stephen Minister and Stephen Leader, she serves on the Stephen Ministries research team and teaches at training courses and workshops.
Joel Bretscher, Director of Communications, came to Stephen Ministries in 1995. He teaches at training courses and workshops and serves on the ChristCare consultation and program development teams.
A Typical Equipper's Training Course Schedule
Download a more detailed ETC schedule in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Sunday
- Registration and check-in (after 3:00 P.M.)
- Opening Fellowship Events (begin at 5:45 P.M.)
- Two Secrets to Life Transformation in ChristCare Groups
- Begin to Build Community in Your ETC ChristCare Group
Monday
- How Congregations Thrive (and Why Some Don't)
- Four P's and a D for Empowering Leadership
- Leading through Others: How ChristCare Equippers Make Possible Life-Transforming ChristCare Groups
- The ChristCare Group Experience
Tuesday
- Building a Solid Foundation for ChristCare Group Ministry in Your Congregation
- ChristCare Equippers Find Those Who Will Build Life-Transforming Community in ChristCare Groups
- Special Luncheon: The Benefits and Challenges of Being a ChristCare Series Pastor
- Equippers Help Group Leaders Discover Spiritual Gifts and Lead Missional Service, Parts One and Two
- Teach Us to Pray: Helping ChristCare Groups Follow Jesus into Prayer and Worship
Wednesday
- ChristCare Equippers Train Group Leaders to Lead Life-Transforming ChristCare Groups, Parts One and Two
- Life Transformation through Biblical Equipping
- Your ETC ChristCare Group Does Biblical Equipping Together
Thursday
- SEA Groups: Peer Coaching for Spiritual Maturity and Mission
- Special Luncheon: ChristCare with Youth and Children
- ChristCare Equippers: How You Help ChristCare Groups to Grow
- What ChristCare Equippers Do to Help Existing ChristCare Groups Give Birth to New Ones
- Life-Transforming Community and Care
Friday
Successful Models for ChristCare Group Ministry - How ChristCare Equippers Lead in and through SEA Groups
- Your ETC ChristCare Group Works as a SEA Group
- ChristCare Equipper Networking: How ChristCare Group Ministry Works in Congregations like Yours
- Dedication Banquet and Closing Worship Celebration (concludes at 9:30 P.M.).
Note: Friday night hotel accommodations are included in single and double occupancy conference fees. This allows you to participate in the important ETC finale and get an early start home on Saturday.
Saturday
- Checkout and departure