There is an important difference between training at a Training Center and equipping people in your own church.
At a Training Center, you may train people for 12 weeks. These are people who have come from outside churches to learn the PACE ministry. The longer program gives them time to understand the philosophy, principles, and practical skills of the ministry.
However, equipping your own church is completely different. It should not take 12 weeks. Instead, it should be completed in three weeks or three sessions:
Session 1: Chapters 1–4
Session 2: Chapters 5–8
Session 3: Chapters 9–12
The reason is simple: equipping is different from education or training.
The primary purpose of an equipping seminar is not to provide extensive information. It is to bring about a paradigm shift and create strong motivation.
Lay ministers must clearly understand that they are fully called by God for the PACE ministry—not “half-called,” but genuinely called, just as a senior pastor is called to pastoral ministry. They are no longer simply church members; they become lay ministers serving God’s people.
On the other hand, a Training Center can provide a 12-week course for senior pastors, preparing them to become effective equippers in their own churches.
If you use a 12-week course for your own congregation, you may finish all the lessons, but nothing significant may happen. Many lay people will simply think they have attended another Bible class or training course. They may say, “It was a good course,” but there will be no real paradigm shift, no deep motivation, and no ministry launched.
Lay Pastors Ministry is action-oriented. The goal is not simply to complete lessons but to commission lay ministers and begin ministry immediately.
Yes, completing the material in three weeks and commissioning lay ministers will be challenging. However, you will see real results, real effectiveness, and real ministry.
Do not be afraid to try it. Even if you make mistakes the first time, those mistakes will become valuable lessons. As the ministry grows, problems will be corrected naturally, and the process will continue to improve.
The goal is not perfection before beginning. The goal is to begin the ministry and allow God to work through faithful lay ministers.
Key idea to emphasize
Training Center → education and preparation
Local church equipping → paradigm shift, motivation, commissioning, and action
A particularly strong sentence could be:
The goal of equipping is not to finish twelve chapters; it is to begin a ministry.
The final paragraph is also excellent because it captures the practical philosophy of PACE: start faithfully, learn from experience, and improve as you go.