CONGRATULATIONS on deciding to learn more about raising up the "Sleeping Giant" of the Laity by "Equipping the Saints for the Work of the Ministry," resulting in spiritual and numerical Church Growth.

The "Layman's School of Training" is set out like an 18 hole golf course (adding FUNctionality), each hole representing a purposeful, life changing, practical Bible Course - producing mature functioning members.  Our students back in South Africa spoke of holes, not courses, (i.e. "I've just completed Hole 10").  The idea behind it is to make it a more marketable, FUN idea, as opposed to being all work and no play (which makes Jack a dull boy).
Hole 18 is broken down into several different specialized leadership courses.
Students get credits for each completed hole, that accumulates towards the grand total required for graduation.
Each church will tailor-make their own credit system, according to how many lectures they include in each hole.
Basically, we gave one credit for every lecture attended, and one credit for every 'True or False' test handed in on time, and passed with distinction.  When a True or False test was set on a 4 tape series, they would only get 4 credits - because no lectures were attended.  If they attended a 4 lecture course with 4 'True or False' tests they would get 8 credits.  To encourage beginner students we gave them 3 credits per lecture attended on Hole 1 and 2 credits per lecture attended for holes 2 & 3.

For ALL who desire to:-
i)   Experience an intimate relationship with God.
ii)  Grow in your knowledge of the Word - enabling you to talk about the Word of God with confidence.
iii) Discover God's plan and purpose for your life.
Iv) Become a fruit bearing Christian - to be able to meet Jesus in heaven one day with your sheaves full of souls.

To help each member to discover their place in the Body of Christ as a healthy functioning church member.
To train and equip each member to effectively PRAY in the Harvest, EVANGELIZE the Harvest and SHEPHERD the Harvest.
To show each department head how to effectively Manage their ministry so that the church can reach its overall annual goal.
To teach all members excellent Biblical People Skills, to improve their Home, Work and Church relationships.
To create strong Motivation to get a good percentage of members involved.
To establish excellent Church Structure to reach and keep the Harvest.
To equip every member to effectively witness to their family and all those in their circle of influence.
To establish a shepherding ministry that is built around strong relationships.
To train each member to effectively minister in the area of their gifting and calling.
To teach each member to recognize and flow in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, to set the captives free.
To hold up the arms of their Pastor in prayer.
To help your Pastor reach your city for Christ.

It is essential that the Senior Pastor and the Layman's director (who must be an anointed 5-fold minister - initially this may need to be the Senior Pastor), MUST take the time to fully 'catch this vision'.  You are about to embark on an exciting journey of training and mobilizing your laymen.  The raising up of leaders is no small task and will require diligence to succeed.  Don't start unless you mean to run this race and finish this course!  I've been there.  I've failed and succeeded in the raising up of leaders.  I also know the effort I put in when I failed was partial and the effort I put in when I succeed was total.  After 9 years we had 5,000 registered students, out of which we raised up 1,000 committed trained leaders who caused our church to grow from 3,500 to 10,000 members.  This great reward was really worth the extra effort.  I believe every church can experience a similar percentage growth.

Quote from 'Church Trends' magazine: article titled, "Team Ministry in the 21st Century".  The closing sentence reads like this, "The church of the 21st century will be one that returns to the Eph 4 emphasis of equipping lay believers in a fresh way that has not been seen in America for decades."
The greatest revival in the history of the church is upon us.  The next great move of God is "The Glorious Church'.  It will not just be a revival of the 'Superstar Evangelist', but also of the glorious church, the spotless 'Bride of Christ'.
She will not be a church of pew sitters, but of activated, mobilized, anointed and equipped saints, boldly doing the work of the ministry, winning and maintaining the harvest.
Is your church ready for it?  How far down the road are you in preparing your church for the coming revival?

God told Pastor Moses to raise up leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and TENS (Exod 18:21).  Here is a divine Bible formula - for every functioning leader you'll activate, you'll add TEN members to your church.  Jesus trained 12 and had 120 in the upper room.  To the world he might have seemed like a failure hanging on the cross, with even His own disciples deserting Him.  What did He have to show for his 3½ years of ministry.  A dozen trained men.
But Jesus knew He had the winning formula for success.  As the years rolled by His trained disciples produced tens of thousands of believers.  Sadly many Pastors have chased after numbers, when God told them in Eph 4 their calling is the same as Jesus - to choose, raise and train leaders.  This is one of every Pastors very top 'Key Result Areas' that all should devote a significant percentage of their time to.  How much time have you given to it?  When will you seriously begin?

In 1978 Pastor Theo (my Pastor from "Family Harvest Church" in South Africa) was experiencing frustration with his church stagnant on the 3,500 attendance mark.  He flew to Japan where he had breakfast with Dr. David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the world's largest church, with 750,000 members.  Dr. Cho shared with Pastor Theo that there are 'Three Basic Ingredients that produce Church Growth' - click on this ç link to read the following 3 points in detail.
1.  Prayer, Prayer, Prayer - we need a new revelation of the power and importance of prayer.
2.  A Dynamic Effective Evangelism/Discipleship Program.
3.  Use only well Trained Loyal Leaders for every office of ministry (no cost was spared in our training - that's why we have the very best training to offer the church).
Carefully following these 3 basic principals in detail caused our church to grow to 10,000 members over a 9 year period.  These three principals are not a Korean or South African idea, but a commission from Jesus to the Universal Church.  God's directives work in every culture.  The Mormon's and Jehovah Witnesses have proved that it works perfectly in the American culture.  Every church must find a local workable solution that is built around the pattern of God's Word.  The Bible is always right.
The Layman's School of Training is designed to produce mature functioning members - effectively Praying in the harvest, Evangelizing the harvest and Shepherding the harvest.

In my last year in South Africa (1994) our church started 7 new churches.  These new unassuming Pastors simply put into practice what they had learned at their mother church - to train, equip and mobilize the laity.  Within 2 years some of these churches had grown to 4, 5 and 600 members - and still growing.  Within 6 years some of these churches are approaching the 2,000 mark.

God has given America a heart and financial ability to reach the nations of this world with the gospel.  As a South African I thank God for American missionaries who blessed and transformed our nation with the gospel.  As one born and raised in the uttermost part of the world, we channeled all our prayerful God inspired ideas and efforts to master reaching our own back yard with the Gospel.  God is now sending missionaries back to America, to share some of our learned Gospel skills, to help others reach their own back yard for Christ, while never losing sight of God's precious world.
Question: How can you teach the world to reap the harvest when it's not working in your own back yard?  Get it working in your own back yard first, then you will have earned the right to teach the world how to do the same.  I fear many use missionary trips as an escape from their own failures and frustrations.

I am available to preach a introductory series of vision birthing meetings to motivate and create a strong desire to participate in a Layman's training program in your church.
Then you continue by taking your whole congregation through Hole 1, doing a lecture a night, one night a week.
Pretty simple, isn't it?  Then move onto Hole 2.
I can already hear some Pastors saying, "My people won't come out another night a week."  Sure they will if you'll be positive, pray it through and market it correctly.  Don't tell them, sell them!
Others have turned Sunday night or Wednesday night into a training night.
Any pessimist can think of 10 quick reasons why a new God idea won't work, but it takes a true leader to influence the congregation to follow the plan of God.
All existing leaders must set the example to the rest of the Body and be on the front row of all training courses.  Leaders who refuse ongoing training need to step down.  They're probably leaders in title only, not in function.

No!  In our large church we ran Layman's every week (except December) Monday through Thursday.  Many smaller churches have Layman's classes 1 or 2 nights a week.  We ran holes 1 through 4 & 7a & 18 as live courses - holes 5 through 17 (except 7a) were all tape correspondence courses.  Students would hire and return tapes from our Layman's tape counter every Sunday.  On completion of listening to a course they would write a True or False test on that hole.  These tests were specifically set to test that the student had listened to every tape in that series.  An 80% pass mark was required.  The beauty of this is twofold…
Firstly, it saves the students having to come out an extra night a week to do another course.  Also they can get through all the Layman's materials quicker this way.  They can utilize their time driving to and from work listening to the Word.
Secondly, the Pastor gets to put all his (and other trusted friends of his) best tape series, from all his years of teaching, onto these specific holes - personalizing Layman's for every church.  New members who join the church get to catch up on the Pastors doctrine, vision and heart by listening to all his best tape series that the existing members have already been blest by.
If there is a series you would like to include on Layman's but don't have on tape, teach it to your church during regular service time, recording the sessions to make part of Layman's for future members.  Give existing Layman's members credits for attending those live sessions.  They must sign the attendance register before each service and write the True or False test the Pastor will set at the end of the series.

The courses you must teach live…
Hole 1 - your New Members Foundation class, producing committed new church members.
Hole 2 - the Advanced Bible Study course in which you help your members find their right place of ministry according to their God given gifting.
Hole 3 - the Fishers of Men evangelism course - the most important hole on Layman's - because through it's hands on training produces quality leaders in every area of your church that are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the work of the ministry.  Not everyone will remain a fulltime Fishers of Men soulwinner, but the invaluable training received here will stand them in good stead for every other ministry in your church.  I can help you get Fishers of Men going in your church over a Sunday's services.  We will identify and sign up a core of evangelistically motivated members, then crash them through the 12 part video series I'll leave behind.  This core can then begin training the rest of your church.
Hole 7a - will produce an army of anointed motivated intercessors, praying in the harvest.  This is the life blood of your church.  I'm available to help you with this course over Sunday through Wednesday services.  To teach this