EN LA TOMA DE DECISIONES Y ACCESO A LA JUSTICIA EN MATERIA

4.4.2.1 Semi-Structured Interviews with Founding Leaders

Interviews were conducted with three founding leaders who were ‘father-figures’ active in pastoral ministry and ministry training in the 1960s and 1970s, colleagues of CRC founder Leo Harris, and representative of formation for the first generation after the movement was constituted nationally in 1958. Furthermore, these leaders influenced the development of the very training experiences reflected upon by some more experienced current leaders in the main sample of semi-structured interviews. The purpose of these interviews was to gain an overview of some of the cultural, formational and theological reference points for training in the past. These served, therefore, as markers of comparison, illustrated by several quotations, in establishing recent continuity with the mission for which ministers were formed.

These respondents affirmed the value of accredited training for credibility, but only insofar as it upheld the verbal-plenary inspiration of Scripture. They sought training that would ensure accountability, whilst keeping people in their best “working zone,” and believed that their own use of unaccredited training allowed better control over course material. Little difference was perceived between accredited and unaccredited training in its effectiveness as a formative vehicle, although the assessment in accredited courses was felt to constrain and limit their content.

Ministry was undertaken by these interviewees in an era where credentialing was only offered to ministers already leading churches successfully. Training was therefore directed to this end, shaped by the experience of practitioners so that trainers would be “larger church leaders and not failed pastors teaching pastors.” Nevertheless, training of ministers was seen primarily to be the responsibility of the local church. The Crusade College of Ministry was therefore provided in 1959 simply to offer specialised formation assistance to churches since “the first Billy Adams crusade [brought] hundreds of converts and people clamouring for more training.”

The emphasis was on a “total commitment to the Word of God as the sole and single and absolute authority in all matters,” and little focus was given to the teaching of practical skills unless directly connected to Scripture and theology. Effectiveness in ministry was believed to be centred on “finding” and “doing” the will of God, but this would also necessitate ideally recognising the “call, gifting, and anointing,” before undergoing training. Formation therefore commenced in local churches and simply progressed to formal training courses which resembled a finishing school for shaping ministry readiness. Such an understanding of

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effectiveness was derived from formation experiences pre-dating the use of competency standards and interviewees showed little awareness of their existence or content, notwithstanding the fact that their own comments affirmed practices sometimes addressed within them.

Students involved within their formation programs were believed to be passionately committed to training which was felt to be superior to contemporary options, despite a clear lack of understanding of present course content and emphases. This may have been connected to a priority of Spirit baptism perceived to be more strongly adhered to in the past and by which enthusiasm for ministry training was engendered when the strong desire for ministry often accompanied its occurrence.

4.4.2.2 Semi-Structured Interviews: Initial Findings

Prior to the categorising and coding of interview data, some general patterns were noted. Although it was hoped that the number of ministers from each credential category would resemble the proportions seen in the CRC’s total ministry population, the available pool of twenty-five ministers showed a higher category of the more experienced, Nationally Credentialed ministers and a correspondingly lower number of state-based, fully ordained ‘Ministers,’ despite the number of Trainee Ministers being comparable. This was judged to be of minimal concern, given that the observations of more experienced ministers would allow deeper analysis of comparisons between past and present approaches to ministry formation, thus drawing from a wider range of ministry experiences. To this end, initial plans to interview ministers in selected churches was replaced in favour of a wider representative sample. Furthermore, the number of ministers selected from each state approximated the spread of ministry representation in the overall database. This ensured that historically-significant state- based differences were reflected in the data.29 Although survey respondents remained anonymous throughout the data collection process, interview participants were personally approached to intentionally select ministers from different ministry contexts and states within Australia.

29 _{The significantly larger number of ministers in the states of Victoria and South Australia was representative of}

membership patterns observed since the earliest beginnings of the CRC in these states. Although the

precursory Churches of God movement was originally formed in the state of Queensland, its congregations

were not regarded as part of the CRC movement, as evidenced in notification heralding the adopting of a united constitution for the Victorian and South Australian churches in 1958. See: Author Unknown,

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Overall findings included the observation that a call to ministry was believed by half the interviewees to result from a personal encounter with God. Half the interviewees, including some of those valuing a divine encounter, also believed their call to emanate from opportunities to serve within a local church. A majority saw a senior leader in their church as an instrument for the articulation of their call, whether by means of a prophetic utterance, personalised encouragement or recommendation of specific next steps. Furthermore, there was some evidence of a call to ministry being interpreted in the light of one’s current frame of reference, perhaps underscoring the value of ministry service and volunteerism as a context for its development. The subsequent fulfilment of a call was rarely equated with the receipt of a formal credential. Rather, its authority was defined in terms of fruitfulness and producing an impact upon, and change within, people. Theology and/or Scripture was seen by most ministers as a vital component of formation in response to such a call, typically ascertaining the need for a formal training program which would, in turn, produce necessary growth in ministry competence.

Coaching was, however, identified as a clear need for shaping formation in response to a call to ministry by the majority of interviewees, with live or online training believed by some to be a preferable mode of formation only if complemented by a local church coaching arrangement. This highlighted the evident importance of guidance by leaders in optimising training. Significantly, a key finding of the survey was reinforced regarding the importance of experiences in those subsequently training others, with several comments, as articulated below, clearly indicating the importance of ministry quality, giftedness and experience in forming new ministers.

Fourteen of the twenty-five interviewees referred specifically to credibility in affirming the value of accredited training, although unaccredited training was also highly valued within structured ministry formation, with some stating their belief that formal training offered greater credibility with those being ministered to. Unaccredited training was deemed satisfactory for some ministers by several interviewees, with others believing it to offer a foundational prerequisite for the development of greater depth through accredited training, in time. CRC training was explicitly believed to offer important access to the movement’s values and history so that current formation processes were more widely valued in this regard than those used in the past. Training effectiveness was variously believed through a minority of comments to be enhanced through the provision of targeted resources, minimised assessment and administrative support. Although these were perhaps thought to address elements of CRC-

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defined competency, and alluded to expectations outlined in such documented standards, this was not expressly stated by most ministers. Similarly, the value of Spirit baptism in formation was less evident in these interviews when compared with the survey data, although its potential importance was not specifically verbalised in the questions posed. Several comments volunteered by participants, as described in the coding below, revealed its significance in authorising and empowering ministry within the CRC.

As found in the survey responses, several interviewees revealed an ignorance of many of the present approaches to, and content of, training. Whilst this clouded a true appreciation of formation needs in the field, it highlighted the importance of clear and coordinated marketing of training programs to ministers, and not only students. This was especially important given their vital roles as ministry coaches and promoters of formation. This finding will be considered in subsequent discussion of the implications of this research in regard to the accessibility of training and its relationship to the need for church proactivity in ministry formation.