HIM SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP (31 DEC 2013 – 24 JAN 2014)

The School of Leadership (SOL) is a HIM’s pilot project in establishing an avenue to re-tool, train and equip leaders to bring them to the next level in their leadership. The SOL ran for 4 weeks from 31 Dec 2013 – 24 Jan 2014. The subjects taught in the SOL were mostly practical. There were a total of 124 students over the 4 weeks. Some actually attended the SOL for the whole 4 weeks while some picked the weeks with subjects which were most relevant to them. We had students from all over the world including Nepal, South Africa, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, just to name a few. The SOL brought in many different speakers who are experts in the subjects to equip and impart to the students. 



Week 1

The SOL focused mainly on the preaching of the Word with three main subjects; Expository Preaching, Art of Sermon Delivery and Transformative Preaching taught by Ps Laurence Lee and Ps Wilson Lim. The students not only learnt the mechanics for crafting a sermon but they were given the opportunity to deliver their sermons during the sessions. Many of the students commented that they learnt so much from these three subjects and would put it into practice when they go back to their own churches.



Week 2 

The week with the most students. Pastors were encouraged to come during this week as this particular week was meant to be a replacement for Global Conference. Week 2 kicked off with Engaging the Church in Prayer and Intercession taught by Ps Lai Ling. Ps Brendan Kirby from Hope Adelaide then taught on Conflict Resolution and Management. Pastors started arriving on 8 January and stayed until 11 January. During that period of time, the Elders taught on HIM Values, which was a refresher on our Vision and Philosophy. Each Regional Pastor taught on an aspect of Spiritual Leadership and it was really refreshing. For example, Pastor Jeff  taught “Leaders Solve Problems”, Pastor Ben Lee taught “Spiritual Leadership in Times of Crisis”, etc. At the end of the week, the students were in for treat with a subject called “Team Dynamics” which was facilitated by Dr Lim Peng Soon from Learning & Performance Systems, Singapore. He is an expert in human resource development and the human side of change. The sessions were highly interactive, designed for students to learn about how one change of behavior can make a difference in how you interact, lead and develop a team. The students not only learnt but they had roaring fun as they interacted with each other in interactive team sessions.



Week 3

The focus was on helping students with various aspects of ministry. Han Hui from the Education Department of Hope Singapore taught Bible Study Methodology whereby students learnt how to use tools, appreciate context and unearth truths in the Word. Michael Tan of Eagles Communications, Singapore, came to teach leaders on Self Management which is very important for leaders to last in the long haul. During the mid-week, Dennis Loh from Hope Singapore taught on Church Growth Principles. The week ended with two days of Prophetic Activation facilitated by Pastor Denis Lu of Hope Kuching whereby the students learnt how to hear from God and to speak forth the mind and counsel of God in order to edify, encourage and comfort people.



Week 4

The whole of the final week of SOL was dedicated to an in-depth look into Natural Church Development (NCD), Understanding Coaching and Church Strategies. We had the honour of Pastor Gary Hourigan from Christian Outreach Centre, Australia, facilitating the subjects for one whole week. He loves coaching leaders, pastors, church and planters. His passion is multiplication of churches and church planting. He used principles, practices and resources from NCD to give the students an understanding of church health. All in all, SOL was a success. Quite a few students suggested that SOL be held every year because they truly benefited from it. We are blessed to hear the encouraging feedback from various students. We, at HIM, thank Hope Kuching and all their volunteers for hosting the SOL. The teaching videos are available on the Intranet to authorized Intranet users.



Testimonies


Last but not least, the following are snippets of testimonies from some SOL students. Well done to all students!

For me, what went through my mind as I was learning was that I really wished that more people like my sheep could also come and learn how to study the Bible for themselves, manage their lives, time management, learn how to move in the Spirit. 

~Sin Li, Hope Muar, Malaysia~

I really want to encourage our Hope members in Nepal that they must join SOL if there is another chance. 

~Nagendra, Hope Badiya, Nepal~ 

I’m really glad that I came here for this training because I am so blessed from impartation I received from our anointed speakers. 

 ~Valereen Chua, Hope Manila, Philippines~

The lecturers and teachers here are highly skilled who have given a lot of hours in putting this course together and I really want to thank them. They were not teaching what they have not lived. They’ve lived it and mastered it. 

~Lerato, Hope Johannesburg, South Africa~


Written by Nicola Song, HIM Corporate Communications.