FINISHING OUR COMMITMENT IN WEST AFRICA 22 MASTER TRAINERS NOW SERVING 11 NATIONS In 2017, the first French-speaking Institute of Children’s Ministry in Africa was held at the local church and national office of the Church of God of Prophecy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Nine nations participated, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The historic training was sponsored through a partnership with the churches of the state of Tennessee. Following that institute and realizing the strategic importance of West Africa for gospel advancement, the vision was birthed to host four more institutes for these nations for further development of these leaders and impact throughout the region. The state of Tennessee committed to raising the necessary funding for these events, which ultimately would cost more than $170,000.00 to accomplish. In subsequent years, trainings were held in Togo (2018), Guinea Conakry (2019), Cote d’Ivoire (2022), and Benin (2023). It was at the third Institute in Guinea-Conakry that the Holy Spirit began to refine the original vision for training these leaders. The International team began to pray and dialogue with the national bishops about how best to guide the remaining trainings so that the leaders of West Africa were not only developed as leaders but were equipped to multiply themselves throughout the area and beyond. The vision was enlarged to include a training event in 2022, in which a small group of individuals were taught the essentials of training and would lead the fifth and final training in 2023.
In pursuit of fulfilling this vision, International Children’s Ministries developed a new curriculum called Train the Trainers, which was first presented in 2022 to a select group of 22 potential trainers. For four days, individuals participated in this intense training experience that taught them how to conduct needs assessments, modeled various training methods when teaching adults, and worked to enhance their skills and presentation techniques. Participants were also taught elements of effective training design, including the use of icebreakers, alternatives to lectures, and the development of quality visual aids. They also identified their preferred learning styles, learned the basics of a positive learning environment, discussed dynamic delivery techniques, and learned how to address challenges when training others. Each trainee also presented a 10-minute class to the group on the final day. They were critiqued by the International Children’s Ministries training team and their peers based on seven categories of effective training that were presented throughout the week. In addition to the development and offering of Train the Trainers, International Children’s Ministries worked with the World Language Department of the International Offices to translate its 300-page Trainer’s Notebook into the French language. The notebook includes 30 core lessons that can be taught by our network in multiple categories of ministry, such as creative teaching methods, classroom management, evangelism, and discipleship. Each lesson includes a teaching manuscript, a student guide, and learning activities.