Origin of BEST-P

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The first BEST-P group was formed after Ezra ’89 (The FOCUS Annual Bible and Leadership Training Conference) when some of the delegates felt that they wanted to put into practice what they had learnt during the conference that at that time was exclusively for Christian Union CU Leaders. The group was meant to help the members become good Bible expositors through a self training program. It was to provide the necessary challenge to help each other to be better Bible students and to prepare adequately before they presented their expositions. The rest would then evaluate the presenter in order to help them improve during their future presentations. BEST-P groups have since continued to increase in number with several CUs having them within the Campus.

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The BEST-P Concept

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Bible Exposition Self-Training Program focuses on skills of Bible study, bible exposition and preparation of bible study guides. The group is initially trained on inductive Bible Study, principles of bible interpretation and the art of sermon preparation and presentation. The group will then decide on the book(s), passages or themes of the bible to be studying. Each participant will be assigned a study unit. In their personal study, the participants will do a thorough study seeking to apply the skills learnt and organize the study materials into a sermon. After this, every participant will do a presentation with the rest of the group members forming the audience. The group will evaluate the work focusing on the interpretation of the text, the flow and content of the sermon and the manner of presentation. They will make their contributions and comments which the presenter will consider in his final write-up and future presentations. Since evaluation is a key aspect of this training, the group will use a detailed evaluation form.

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Why BEST-P groups

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For any person with a deep commitment to the scriptures, a casual look into the content and manner of presentation of a good number of sermons in different fellowships and media programs would bring grief to the heart. This is because in these, there is blatant misinterpretation of the scriptures, so that God is misrepresented from the pulpit. Whereas sometimes this is the result of wilful twisting to achieve selfish goals, many more times it is the result of sheer incompetence/ lack of know-how on the part of the ministers.

Every year, TAFES produce hundreds of graduates who have gone through discipleship and training meant to equip them for godly impact. Because of their position in society by virtue of their level of education, these graduates largely find themselves in positions of leadership wherever they go, and this includes their local churches. Indeed, some have often insisted that this program should be some form of Bible School. This is because Christian graduates will be expected to know a lot about their faith because they have been to University/College, irregardless of their area of specialisation. When they go back to their local churches, many will be expected to preach. The question is: To what extent do the CUs prepare the members for this role? But even before they have to preach in churches outside, the Christian Union

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General Objectives of BEST-P Training

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Through this training, it is targeted that the participants will at the end be passionately committed to the scriptures through:

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1. Diligent, consistent and thorough study

2. Faithful application in their own lives

3. Faithful and effective preaching

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offers its members multiple opportunities to share God’s Word in such forums as person-to-person evangelism, CU meetings, Evangelistic team/ministry meetings, CU missions etc. It is very crucial that these opportunities be used for maximum impact. BEST-P is an attempt to meet the Church’s need for sound and effective bible teachers by equipping college students with the passion, skills and attitudes required. Even though the CUs, through their regular programs, do a lot to this end, there is need for more conscious effort and an opportunity for those interested to go deeper. BEST-P offers this opportunity.