Bridges to People: Full Training on Zoom

We are very happy about the growing interest of believers from Czech and Slovak Republics. Above all, we are pleased that many participants even during the training start to practically use with non-believers the principles and tools they have learned; then we hear amazing stories!
We recommend participation of the whole teams from a church or region, however, each person registers individually.
The meetings happen on the internet platform called Zoom.
It is important to actively participate in ALL eight meetings and to practice the skills taught.
The training means that we gradually introduce to you important principles and tools, and immediately you will practice them in small groups. Each session concludes with “action groups” where we briefly reflect on the items discussed, practice group ministry, and pray for each other.
The training is only for active participants; YOU CANNOT BE A SPECTATOR!
 

  The APPLICATION for the full training on Zoom  

 

• The Bridges to People training is designed for believers who do not have the gift of evangelism and feel lost when trying to reach their acquaintances. They will learn simple and straightforward tools for their personal ministry, they will also discover spiritual empowerment and will experience inner transformation.
• Both completely new believers and long-time Christians will benefit greatly from the training. The essential thing is that they want to learn how to effectively share the Good News with their unbelieving friends.
• The training has no age limit. We have great experience with teenagers, as well as with proactive sixty-plus-olds. The important thing is that during the training they start doing new things with people around them.
• In the Bridges to People training, we train skills for individual or small group connection with non-believers, for personal sharing of the Good News, for the discovery Bible reading, and for the first steps with those who invite Jesus into their lives. We have a lot of experience in how to involve the new people and are ready to help in the form of consultations or through other follow-up training Steps towards Movement.

The training is very practical. The participants will try out and instill fundamental skills for effective contact with unbelieving acquaintances. The benefits of the training are mainly in two spheres: very practical skills proven in the Czech environment and liberating spiritual experience or literally inner transformation.

PRACTICAL SKILLS

• You will create your own relational map, that will be a great prayers item and an indicator of who to address.
• You will develop and practice so-called „lightning story“, i.e. a version of a personal „testimony“, that takes 20 seconds and attracts attention. (Yes, 20 seconds, not minutes! :-))
• You will gain a skill to briefly and clearly explain the Good News, to invite an unbeliever to Jesus and then to take immediate further steps with him. You will learn what to do in typical situations.
• Graduates who have gone through the entire training and continuously practiced the tools are able to happily and naturally invite their non-believing friends to their own Discovery Bible study and guide the meeting. It has been tested many times with completely unbelieving Czechs.
• You will learn the principles of solving usual situations when meeting non-Christians.
• You will be freed by understanding different levels of connection with non-believers and gain ideas for the next steps in your contacts.

SPIRITUAL DIMENSION

• The participants will grasp a new understanding of their own identity in Jesus and also the fate of non-believing people out there. This part tends to have a special transforming power for some students.
• They will see the empowerment that is available to us when we obey the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
• They will try listening to the living, present Lord Jesus.
• There will be time for prayer, personal reflection and planning before the face of God.
• They will hear stories from trainers who do this with Czechs, and even during the training many participants will start their own Bible reading with non-believers!
• We observe significant loosening of internal barriers in many graduates. Some were able to come out after the training and kindly and successfully address complete strangers, in addition to their acquaintances.
• They will gain insight into the principles of spiritual movement, generational thinking and other important approaches.

We call it TRAINING, because all participants are “on the ice with skates on their feet”. THERE IS NO PLACE FOR MERE SPECTATORS!
The content is focused mainly on personal ministry to unbelievers.
In terms of METHODOLOGY, we use the following principles:

• Biblical foundation
• Brief illustrative explanation and practical demonstration of key principles and important tools
• Several trainers take turns in conducting each part, so it is diverse in terms of personalities and styles.
• Participants in twos or threes immediately try out very practical skills.
• Short inspiring stories from Czech experience; soon after the training begins, participants who have tried it also tell their stories!
• An important part are regular action groups; the same people each time:
• simulation of group activities as if with unbelievers
• structured mutual sharing and encouragement
• prayer for each other and for your people
• we highly recommend continuation of these groups even after the training ends.
• There will be moments of personal reflection and prayer in groups, including personal planning.
• Between the meetings each participant works on their own skills, especially through prayer and practice, so that they are armed and empowered to connect with unbelievers in their surroundings; to effectively share their personal story and the Good News with them, to be able to invite them to a discovery Bible reading, and so on.
• For each meeting, we have several important steps of personal PREPARATION:
• To the registered participants we send materials electronically in PDF format. They have them at hand during the meeting.
• We send a link to about three five-minute videos in advance. It is very important to watch them; especially for a more effective grasp of the key principles during the meeting.
• The most important thing is to try the individual tools with real non-believers in your own environment! Those who – with a lot of prayer – get involved in it and adhere to the principles we are learning will see things they have not yet seen.
• Check out the time requirements of the training.
• Due to limited time, we only provide a shortened form of Discovery Bible study during the training. However, we offer a “Full Discovery” – additional separate meeting with a full-fledged experience (about 90 minutes). Participants register for it during the training.
• For the graduates of the training who continue to serve non-believers we provide various forms of long-term support.
• The financial costs associated with the training are covered by voluntary donations of participants and sending churches. Please, remember this ministry long-term after your participation in the training.

The distant form of training on Zoom does not require traveling, space or other demands and is much easier to organize.

• Eight two-hour meetings on the Zoom internet platform
• The individual parts are connected with each other and form one big puzzle, so you need to go through the entire training, gradually from the beginning.
• Each participant needs their own internet connection to Zoom (with a microphone and camera!), a Bible, a notepad and a pen.
• In the plenary parts, we explain and demonstrate things.
• In the meantime, random twos / threes work together, and at the end of each evening, the same action groups cooperate.
• Before each meeting, participants receive by email instructions for their own preparation (printable PDFs and links to important videos).
• The meetings are really intense and packed. Every time you need very focused time in quiet environment and your phone turned off.
• The option to consult with the trainer is available also between meetings by appointment.
• Between meetings, participants immediately try out the acquired skills and then tell surprising stories!
• A very important prerequisite for the effectiveness of the training is prayer.
• If you want to come as a whole group or elders’ board, that’s great! Everyone registers personally and everyone needs their own connection to Zoom.
• The development of the training is financially covered by voluntary donations.

• Let us pray each for ourselves and for all participants in the training; for our hearts, that Jesus may set them in relation to Himself and to the unbelievers; that He may make us pure and effective instruments in His hands; that He may transform us, so that our approach to the unbelievers would be joyful, natural and effective.
• Let us pray that new groups of creative Bible reading with unbelieving friends may arise around each of us or around our small teams; that these may be places where our people will personally meet and accept living Jesus and begin to follow Him.
• Let us also pray for the next generations of disciples, whom these new people will immediately bring to Jesus themselves. (John 17:20 I pray not for them only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.)
• Let us pray for the trainers that they would understand every local situation well, listen correctly to the living Lord Jesus, and bring the content of the training in a truly effective way that will truly connect believers with unbelievers. (Ephesians 6:18-19 Praying at all times in the spirit… with all perseverance and supplication… and for me, that utterance may be given to me when I open my mouth to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel…)
• We are very happy when the training graduates, who naturally implement the new skills themselves with their unbelievers, offer their ministry for other places – they are willing to get involved as guides and trainers themselves!
• Let us pray for a massive blessing of the training for our entire cities, districts, regions… We want to see thousands of people saved and discipled in our country, so that they themselves can immediately serve to their own friends and acquaintances.