When Are New Believers Ready for TUMI?

[Andrew Lee]

I'm curious to know how churches are determining when a new believer is ready for training at TUMI.

From the TUMI Satellite side, a student will be accepted once the church that they are serving with recommends training via a pastor's recommendation if the student is found to be a leader. I understand that TUMI is not a discipleship tool for new believers.

But from the church's side, a new believer can show leadership skills through their ability to influence others, but may not be ready for theological training. What are some key markers a church should look for to determine if/when a student is ready for TUMI training? We don't want a new believer to be overwhelmed by the courses and feel that they are not "smart" enough to be a Christian.

Has anyone had any criteria or experience in this?

[Lorna Rasmussen]

Greetings Andrew,

It is interesting that you ask this question. We've been thinking about that much here at TUMI National as well and are in the process of developing a wonderful followup curriculum for new believers. This curriculum is based on helping ground believers in the story of Scripture through memorization tied to an overall understanding of the Bible. This is a four part series, each part has 100 passages that would be memorized with their themes. We will have two DVD's that a church can use to help orient their members to this program, the entire list of references in an at-a-glance poster, memorization software, a helpful handbook, and verse cards (in ESV and KJV translations). We are excited about this resource and will have it available in June. I have pasted the description of this resource below:

"Without question, the most important resource in the development of Christian discipleship and pastoral leadership is a mastery of the sacred Scriptures. The Apostle Paul asserted that not only were the Scriptures 'breathed out' by God (making them utterly unique to all other literature), but that they were 'profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work,' 2 Tim. 3:16b-17 (ESV). A mastery of the Bible and its message is critical to every phase of effective urban ministry, and the ability to help others master the Bible is essential to preparing the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4.12).

Convinced that Scripture memorization is one of the most efficient and effective means of Bible mastery, this workshop will focus on developing this discipline in the lives of believers from new converts to Christian leaders. This workshop is specifically designed to help the developing urban disciple and Christian leader to master the Bible through Scripture memorization, with the goal of training others to grow to maturity in Christ through daily meditation and understanding of the Bible’s history, key doctrines, and promises.

The course highlights TUMI’s Master the Bible Program, a four-series Scripture memorization regimen which includes both audio and video resources. Based on selected texts from the English Standard Version (ESV), the program titles include: New Beginnings In Christ: Foundations of the Faith; From Before to Beyond Time: Understanding the Story of God; Living the Christ Life: Participating in Jesus’ Story, and Growing to Maturity: The Measure of Christ’s Fullness. The program also has a supplemental memorization program for Christian leaders entitled Empowered to Lead: Serving the Church of Jesus Christ.

This workshop will concentrate on all the essential skills needed to memorize and retain a thorough knowledge of Scripture through disciplined, programmed memorization of biblical verses according to themes and topics. We will also include issues of translation, hermeneutics, Bible history, and the story of God culminating in Christ. This thorough program will enable each student to know and meditate on the foundational truths of the Faith, the Bible’s fundamental content and theology in Christ, providing a simple, effective method to gain mastery of the Bible’s contents in outline format, section-by-section, and book-by-book."

Even though we are introducing this resource in workshop format, this resource is designed specifically for use in the church as a followup training regimen from new believers to maturing believers.

Lorna

[Don Allsman]

While there is no scientific answer to Andrew's question, we do know that we are warned against being too hasty in laying on of hands (2 Tim. 5:22). But we can also be too slow in giving responsibility to emerging leaders. I refer you to Dr. Davis' excellent appendices in Modules 7 or 11 (see appendices #16 and #18). They provide the best guidance I've seen in answering these questions as you discern each potential leader's ability to engage the Capstone curriculum. These appendices have practical value for many other church leadership issues such as pastoral selection.