[SOURCE: ChristianStandard.com]

As more and more local congregations recruit ministry staff from among their own members, the need increases for new and nontraditional ways to equip those people for ministry.

In the last decade, Bible colleges and Christian universities have instituted programs to meet this need for training. Hope International University was one of the first. The School of Advanced Leadership Training (SALT) at HIU works with churches to “equip emerging leaders with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and relevant ministry.”

SALT courses take many forms—some are designed as online classes, others are on-site seminars. All are designed to be collaborative and instantly applicable to real-life ministry situations. Churches are turning to non-traditional programs, like SALT to build a solid foundation of biblical knowledge and ministry skills to bridge the gap from volunteer to full-time positions within the church.

“Finding unique and creative ways to partner with churches is what we are all about at Hope,” said Phillip Towne, Director of HIU’s School of Advanced Leadership Training. Many of SALT’s approaches to training and education came about by asking, “How can we at HIU equip people for ministry without removing them from the churches where they serve?”

In a recent article by the Christian Standard, church leaders share their experience with these programs and their benefits to their careers in the church.

To read more on this increasingly popular church-based ministry training, click here.

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