Japan (MNN) — In Asia, for every 600,000 people, there is only one trained, competent Christian leader. David Dayalan from Asian Access says they are working on training more leaders, especially in Japan.
"Asian Access developed a strong emphasis on helping pastors to look at this new Biblical paradigm of developing leaders within their contexts effectively," Dayalan states. Leadership development is not just about teaching, he explains, but also about equipping."
Asian Access (A2) has started a very unique and creative leadership training. It has been developed
entirely by Japanese, for Japanese, in Japanese. This will help Asian
Access minister to the pastors more effectively.
"It's very relational, which allows the pastor to also have the freedom to express and question and to wrestle. At the same time, we have developed a very secure, safe community."
12 emerging leaders as carefully selected to take part in this program. "We bring in 15-20 key pastors, who are leaders of leaders, influential pastors. We go through this whole curriculum of eight modules," says Dayalan.
A2 brings in practitioners who can sit with the new leaders and wrestle with them about issues that need to be covered. Dayalan says, "We are trying to help them to be intentional in taking time off and also in their own role as a pastor, to be enlisting in lives of people in the congregation and developing leaders within the congregation."
Pray for new leaders being trained in Japan. Pray that the pastors will use the skills they learned with Asian Access to develop even more new leaders. Ask God to open the hearts of the people who are searching for answers in Japan.
