Bethel Life in western PA is a church of 500 in a town of 5,000 people. The area has been hit hard economically, but the church is vibrant and active in reaching their community. Bethel Life has run the LTI program since 2011, and has graduated three groups, totaling 72 people. They started their 4th cycle in August 2020.
They teach the 12 LTI modules on a quarterly basis over a three year cycle. Senior Pastor Kent Bell and Associate Pastor Jim Fleck have done most of the teaching to date. However, Jim Fleck just became a Mobile Advanced Trainer and will help certify 2-3 new instructors soon.
We visited Bethel and observed their class and interviewed the pastors and some of their graduates. Sr. Pastor Kent Bell stated, “The LTI program has greatly impacted our members and helped them at church and on their jobs. We are starting our 4th cycle in the midst of Covid-19 by combining live training and people connecting via zoom. We love this this program and will sponsor its use in both Ecuador and Tanzania next year.”
Graduate Brian Heckman shared how the LTI program helped him on his job as a school teacher and to become a better leader at church as an elder, worship leader, and advisor. He felt his leadership ability had grown significantly. Also, Linda Reader shared how she learned to become an effective mentor to many other women as she used the skills and principles very frequently.
Bethel loves for their instructors to use the visual aids, props, group activities, and interactive techniques taught by LTI.
During each training session, Bethel delivers the leadership content through a mix of lecture and small group breakouts. Then, each learner completes five measurements for the module.