The Miracle of 'And': Why Your Ministry Needs Both Education and Training

As leaders, we often face a seeming conflict between two crucial elements of growth: education and training. In my decades of leadership, I've seen this tension in my own life and in the lives of those I've led. We are often pushed to make a false "either/or" choice, but the truth is that effective leadership requires the "miracle of and."

To build a healthy church, family, or organization, we must embrace both. Let's explore why this is not a conflict to be managed, but a synergy to be unleashed.

The False Choice: Education vs. Training

First, let's define our terms.

• Education is about equipping learners with knowledge and tools to see the world broadly. It broadens, deepens, and removes barriers to understanding. In many ways, education is like grace —it enlarges our perspective and helps us understand the "why."
• Training is about mastery and proficiency in a specific skill. It develops, sharpens, and refines our ability to execute. In this sense, training is like truth —it equips us with the "how" and has a reproductive capacity built into its discipline.

At times, my own education felt broad and unfocused, while my early training felt too narrow. The key is learning to navigate the tension and harness the power of both.

The Crisis of Discipleship

The need for both education and training is most evident in the area of discipleship. When pastors are surveyed about whether they are making reproducing disciples, a shocking 99% say NO. This is a crisis of epidemic proportions in the American Church.

I believe this crisis stems from separating content from conduct. We produce followers who are either full of grace with little truth, or full of truth with little grace. But healthy disciples, like Jesus Himself, are full of both grace and truth (John 1:14).

The Role of Education in Spiritual Formation

Discipleship begins with the spiritual transformation of the mind (Romans 12:1-2). This is the "education" component. It's about building a strong foundation of belief and understanding.

This doesn't happen by accident. It requires systematic, reflective, and relationally mentored "truth streams" in our churches. While there is no single workbook that can do this, it is certain that baby Christians do not become mature disciples without learning from spiritual "fathers and mothers" who can teach them the content of our faith.

The Role of Training in Spiritual Formation

Discipleship is also about forming Christ in a believer through the continual surrender of their will (Colossians 2:6-7). This is the "training" component. As Proverbs 22:6 says, we must "train a child in the way he should go." The word "train" here implies making the path narrow and clear.

This training involves cultivating surrender to the Holy Spirit and learning to follow God with our minds, hearts, and feet. This rarely happens in an environment of anonymity. It requires genuine, grace-filled accountability where others are permitted to speak truth into our lives. We must move people from the crowd into a community where they can be truly trained in righteousness.

The End Result: Healthy, Reproducing Disciples

Your church, your family, and your organization need both fantastic education and fantastic training.

• Education will deepen the people you lead, teaching them to think well, believe well, and discern truth from error.
• Training will equip them, helping them master the skills and applications needed to reproduce life and health in others.

When we think like Jesus (education) and act like Jesus (training) as the result of healthy, organic relationships, we will reproduce health in the lives of those we impact. My prayer is that you experience the "miracle of and" in your ministry, so that those you love and lead will be both educated and trained for a life of fruitfulness.