Timothy Institute Celebrates 10 Years
As the Timothy Institute celebrates 10 years of work, its director Rev. William “Bud” Ipema is excited to see its materials being used in more than 35 countries around the world.
Often the Timothy materials are used by CRC mission personnel, but other denominations use the materials as well.
Based at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., the institute also offers Timothy Leadership Training, which combines training materials with presentations from trained pastors and lay people who travel, often at their own expense, to sites around the world to hold workshops and training seminars.
“We are finding that there is a call for Timothy Leadership materials from an unbelievable amount of places in the world,” says Ipema. “When taken seriously, phenomenal stuff happens. We are seeing churches grow in faith, generosity and productivity.”
Among the many efforts Ipema is excited about is joining with Back to God Hour Ministries International to start providing training materials to BTGMI listeners in Indonesia. Christian Reformed World Missions hopes in the next year to expand its use of Timothy materials in countries where it works, especially Africa.
The institute was founded 10 years ago in response to the strong growth of Christianity in countries that lacked a base of trained Christian leaders. The pastors who started churches frequently had little theological training, which meant the church often revolved around the preacher’s own beliefs.
“The institute saw as a great need leadership training that is affordable, doctrinally sound and effective,” says the institute’s website: http://timothyinstitute.calvinseminary.edu/
The main focus of the materials, developed by Calvin Seminary professors, has been to teach basics of Christian discipleship and biblical principles to relatively untrained pastors, who then train evangelists and lay people in their churches.
“The result has been the development of leaders who can give substantial leadership and contribute to church growth,” says Ipema.
“We start with the principle that our job is to create independence,” says Ipema. “We fight against the idea of creating dependence on us.”
Timothy Leadership Training uses two educational methods integrated into five training manuals. The materials are written with the goal of being biblically sound yet easy to grasp and have been translated into a number of languages.
Timothy Leadership Training is an inductive method of teaching, in which participants read and reflect on scripture together. Questions in the manuals help participants discover how the Bible applies to their lives in their settings. They are encouraged, through prayer and other means, to search out God’s will in their lives.
Timothy trainers also help church leaders to develop action plans so that they can immediately put into practice in their congregations what they learned.
“Through their plans they develop a renewed sense of responsibility,” says Ipema. “We try to open up and help people who have a vision to do something in the name of Christ.”
Church leaders are given one week of training and then asked to go out and implement their action plan for a minimum of six months, says Ipema.
Through the action plans, members of churches are asked to share their achievements and the obstacles they face in Christian service. People are also asked to give to their church in whatever amount or in whatever ways they are able. Using biblical principles and teachings, action plans are tailored to specific churches in their settings.
“We train the value of giving and how to be transparent in what is given,” says Ipema. “By teaching the membership how to go to work for God, we are also teaching a whole new spirituality.”
Given the success of the training, the institute is constantly looking for trainers, especially ordained pastors and missionaries and lay leaders who take the training and then travel to another country to pass on what they have learned.
To contact Ipema, email: [email protected].
