Discipleship Training – Ray Vander Laan

Discipleship Training -I listened to Ray Vander Laan of Follow the Rabbi. He gave a presentation at Holland Christian High School. Ray talked about discipleship training. Jesus not only mentored his disciples, he taught them how to mentor others. Ray Vander Laan showed us how discipleship training related directly to the metaphor of the “shepherd”.  Rabbis in the first century Israel were to be shepherds to their disciples, so as to send them out to disciple others. Discipleship training included the training to be a better disciple and training to make disciples.

Ray Vander Laan showed pictures of grass on the hills and the mountains of Israel. The first thing we noticed in the pictures is that there is not a lot of green grass in the holy land. Vander Laan explained that “green pastures” means different things in different parts of the world. In the holy lands green pastures are harder to come by so the shepherds need to have insights into where the green pastures actually exist.

To be Christian leaders, we need to be pastors and leaders who stay close to our great Shepherd, Jesus. Ray Vander Laan repeated an ancient Rabbi saying. I wrote it down:

“Find a Rabbi. Drink his words like you are thirsty. Always be covered with the dust of his feet.”

Discipleship Training – Staying Close to the Savior

A Christian Leader needs to drink up the Word of God with thirst and daily stay close to the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  Christian Leaders Institute believes that every student needs to be covered with the dust of the feet of Jesus.  When someone starts at Christian Leaders Institute, they take a getting started class that deals with staying in a close walk with God in part one of the class.

Discipleship Training – Knowing Where The Grass is Located

The second part of the class is about knowing where the “green” grass is located.The second part of the class deals with basic Christian doctrine. When you conclude this class you receive your first award at Christian Leaders Institute, THE CHRISTIAN BASICS CERTIFICATE. This is a great way to start your discipleship training at Christian Leaders Institute.

After you receive this Christian Basics Certificate, you are given a scholarship to take any of the 22 advanced ministry training courses. A more advanced certificate is the Christian Leaders Certificate which includes 23 credits. The classes are the following:

• Getting Started Class: Reproducible Walk With God and Christian Basics (7 Credits)
• Old Testament Survey (3 Credits)
• New Testament Survey (3 Credits)
• Church and Ministry (3 credits)
• Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits)
• Church History (4 Credits)

Discipleship Training at CLI then includes four more diploma levels.  You can check out the entire program at Christian Leaders Institute. Click here

Ray Vander Laan’s class was inspiring and informative. I would love to have Ray Vander Laan become a professor at Christian Leaders Institute. I was inspired to stay close to Christ and learn where the grass is located so that I may lead others.