1) FIRST STEP - Facilitators need to email a student roster, listing names of those who will be enrolling, to the training center. NEXT, each student must register for Level I training via our automated registration form online. (Level II registrations are emailed to Level I graduates at the appropriate times) The student roster does NOT hold a place for the students in the school beyond the registration closing date.
You may want to forward our short Introduction Video to those who might be interested in this training program. If you would like a DVD of the TBN Interview on our home page, write us at training@inchristsimage.org and request a copy to show your group or congregation.
2) Facilitators need to gather tuition from our students in their group and submit ONE payment to the school.
3) Each student should have their own email address to receive weekly lessons. Free email addresses are available at www.yahoo.com for anyone who may not yet have an email address. Students can share computers if needed, but having their own email address is vital. Sending multiple lessons to the same address causes our mail to appear as spam and our lessons may be filtered out by some Internet providers. Each student will print out their own lessons each week and then review them for discussion at the group meetings.
4.) If you chose CDs as your media preference, please duplicate the CDs for each member enrolled in your group. We encourage you to do this at the very beginning of the series so the students can return to the audios frequently. The pacing of the school is very important and allows the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of our students.
By completing the duplication you allow us to keep the tuition, very, very low. If your group is large you might consider asking for a love offering to help defray costs. It is also important to have the audio materials packaged in a professional and secure manner. You might choose to make CD on your PC. (Please contact us if you are unable to duplicate the CDs). Contact us if you are interested in obtaining images for the CD labels.
If you chose MP3 downloads as your media preference, then we email a link to access the MP3 page and send another email with a password, to each student, so there is nothing to duplicate. You will need to check at each group meeting to be certain everyone is accessing and listening to the audios.
5) Please remember to encourage students to obtain a 3 ring binder. Each week's lesson should be printed and saved, the student is actually creating a "text" book of sorts. This material is the impartation of a life, and we hope to have it presented with excellence.
6) We encourage all groups to meet weekly or at least bi-weekly. Group discussion should stay true to the subject matter. Of course a little straying and/or personalization of truths is fine, but the specific training itself needs to be presented and absorbed by all for our vision to be a success.
7) Classes need to run at least 1 to 2 hours and should include: discussing the material, quotes from audios, sharing and prayer.
8) Students may "audit" the classes if they like by attending without taking the tests or receiving a graduation certificate for Level I. However, auditing students still must be enrolled in the school to complete the 6 month training. (Tuition is the same as for students who are certified).
9) Each first time facilitator is emailed the facilitator guide and the regular student copy. The facilitator guides are for facilitators ONLY. ALL lessons are to be emailed from the training center only. If a student does not receive an expected lesson, they should contact the training center immediately. Facilitators can launch a Level I group with us in January, April, July or October. Level II is offered in February, May, August and November.
10) Groups may meet in your home, a cell group, church or community group.
11) Students may not enroll in the Group or License Plan and then study indepentantly. Students must meet regularly with their group to continue in the Group or License Plan.
12) Only ICIT approved Facilitators are permitted to lead the the group meetings. Facilitating is not a shared responsibility among group members.
13) Please feel free to interact with us. It is helpful to hear your experiences and be able to continually upgrade our effectiveness.
14) Facilitators will need to obtain a pastor's reference when facilitating a Level I group or when enrolling in Level II. Pastors and ministry leaders taking the course should submit a confidential reference from another pastor outside their fellowship. Please email training@inchristsimage.org to request the pdf file for the Confidential Pastoral Reference.
Thank you!
Therese Beck
ICIT Senior Administrator
training@inchristsimage.org
Back to School
By Marla Brenneman - ICIT Class of January '06
Bob and I went "back to school" six months ago. We enrolled in the In Christ's Image Training course online taught by Francis Frangipane. We had two chapters to read and two audio sermons to listen to each week. At the end of each chapter there was a practice test with two essays and eight multiple choice questions for us to complete. At the end of each track, we had a real test to send in online and have it graded. The tests showed how much I could retain from what I read but the real learning took place in everyday life.
The first six weeks were about Christlikeness and having the unoffendable nature of Christ. Situations came up where I could have easily been offended instead of becoming like Jesus. I had to choose not to take up the offense but to forgive, and pray the mercy prayer in each situation. The mercy prayer is saying, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." I had to let them off my "hook" and not hold them responsible for the hurt they caused me. At the same time, I needed to show Christ's love to those who hurt me and pray for God's mercy in their lives. As each situation came, the things I learned came to mind. I know God put each situation in my life as a test. Would I respond like Christ or would I become offended and angry?
The next six weeks were about humility. I had to look at my motives for what I do. Am I doing things for God's glory or for man's? Do I try to please others or am I trying to please God? It was humiliating for me to really see myself as I am and find that I have a lot of pride. Pride is the greatest enemy we have. Francis likes to ask people, "Do you know the name of the most powerful spirit opposing most Christians?" It is Yahweh. God opposes the proud. (See James 4:6.) When we have pride, the Spirit that stands to resist our endeavors is not demonic, it's God.
Francis taught us that the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) are progressive. We need to become poor in spirit, be mournful about how poor we really are, and become meek before we can truly hunger and thirst for righteousness. If we know how poor we are without Christ, we will be at the place where God can use us. When we think we are "something" then God won't let us be "anything!" If we have pride, God will bring situations into our lives where we will become humble. He has a way of breaking our pride and allowing us to come to the place where we know that we can't accomplish anything of value without Him. I want to be able to let God have the glory for all I do.
The third track was about prayer. I learned that God is looking for people who will see situations as opportunities to pray instead of a time to be critical. Why did God tell Abraham what He was going to do with Sodom and Gomorrah? He wanted Abraham to ask for mercy for the people. Abraham didn't look at Sodom and say, "God, it's about time you killed the perverts!" He wasn't angry. He asked God for mercy. A quote from the manual, "God works with man to establish the future and, in the process of determining reality, He always prepares a merciful alternative. Urgent, merciful, redemptive prayer shoots right through the mercy door and enters God's heart."
In Psalm 53:2 it says, "God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God." I want to be the one who understands what God is doing in any given situation and to seek God in and through it. Lord, help me to see through your eyes and to pray Your word and Your will in every situation. "While humility opens our eyes to perceive our need, prayer enables us to appropriate God's answer. Redemptive intercession, allied with divine intervention, can transform the world around us."
The final track was about unity. Unity is vital in the body of Christ. In Psalm 133 it tells us that where brethren dwell together in unity, God commands His eternal blessing. In the book of Acts (1:14 NKJV), the disciples were "with one accord" and then the power of the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1). Unity precedes power. If we want the power of the Holy Spirit, we must work for unity. We must be unified in our warfare and fight as "one man" for our cities and our nation. "Whenever we pray against the spiritual forces of wickedness over a region, our first line of offense is praying for churches to be united in their worship and their warfare. It takes a citywide church to win the citywide war."
I would encourage anyone to take this course. Bob and I will be certified to facilitate a group by the first of the year. It is more cost effective to take it this way than individually online like we did. The Lord willing, we hope to begin a group in our home.
