Ministry Grid: Training for the Digital Age

Ministry Grid (@MinistryGrid) is the latest training model for the digital generation. The online training tool offers more than 1,800 videos of pastors, theologians and church leaders offering insights on a range of topics from pastoral ministry and leadership development to discipleship and Bible study.
“Technology has changed the way we educate and entertain ourselves, but up to now it hasn’t affected the way pastors train and develop themselves, their staff and their leaders,” says Todd Adkins, Lifeway’s director of leadership. “Many churches are finding it increasingly difficult to schedule time to attend or host training.”
Ministry Grid changes all that. Subscribers can access Ministry Grid’s videos from a computer, tablet or smartphone, making it convenient for them to train anytime, anywhere. An annual subscription price is based on weekly average church attendance.
Need to train your parking lot attendants? There’s a video for that. Need help with time management? There’s a video for that, too.
The video collection includes real life experiences and insights from ministry leaders who have wrestled or are wrestling with the content they present: Melita Thomas, of Lifeway Kids Ministry, explores the eight approaches to how children learn; Danny Franks, connections pastor at The Summit Church in North Carolina, considers the importance of preparing for guests who visit your church; and Bob Russell, retired pastor in Louisville, Ky., discusses the importance of developing a transition plan for pastors and their successors.
In addition to practical ministry training, videos cover a wide range of theological and doctrinal topics.
Ministry Grid enables leaders to customize training to fit the needs and goals of their staff and volunteers. Church leaders can choose built-in tracks or provided video sessions, upload their own video content, turn off unwanted content and put their church’s logo and look on the site.
So, how does it work? Let’s say you have a new children’s ministry volunteer at your church. She needs training, but doesn’t have time to attend a weekend seminar. You can have her watch videos on how children learn and ways to engage children in spiritual conversations.
On her own time, she logs in from her own computer or mobile device and watches training videos reserved for her. Or she can take a skills assessment and receive training suggestions based on the results. She picks a course, watches a video, and she’s done.
A small groups pastor could have all the small group leaders walk through a course together online where he can host discussions, create comprehension questions and provide additional resources.
Another church might develop a first impressions course that instructs volunteers on how to make guests feel welcome and engaged on their initial visit.
Church leaders will find Ministry Grid allows them to meet the diverse needs of their volunteers. Leaders can easily organize and assign training courses to different individuals and also track their progress.
“Because this is a digital product, it can change and grow along with the needs of the local church,” Adkins says. “Pastors can be confident their staff, leaders and volunteers receive the training they need to better prepare them to make disciples.”