1. Why Kairos Training?

 

1.0 KAIROS TRAINING

 

1.1      Why Kairos Training?

 

Training helps us to grow in obedience and to position ourselves to be used in new capacities. Training reminds us who we are, what we are doing, and why we are doing it. It is very easy for us to isolate ourselves, continue doing good work in the name of Kairos, but lose sight of the who, what and why of what we are doing. When we do things without ever knowing why, we lose our way, or at least diminish our effectiveness.

 

Training sessions offer an opportunity:

·       To understand the components of Kairos ministry, some of the reasons for what is done, and the need for benchmark consistency.

·       To engage with the philosophy.

·       To present a holistic overview of the ministry in the Kairos mission field.

·       To identify, discuss, and manage risks or concerns and support that is available.

Meeting together will broaden communication between all active in the ministry – volunteers, Regional Committees, State Councils, PSDG and National Office; provide an awareness of the resources available and reaffirm all Kairos volunteers’ call and service for God.

 

1.2      Leadership Development

 

Uniform training for leaders seems to be the key to success of the program as both prison systems and Kairos experience rapid growth and change. Broader distribution of Kairos makes leadership development more critical to the continued effectiveness of the program.

 

There will always be a need for a standard, a benchmark, for comparison. Habit, inertia and pride can be motivating factors and keeping us but they can block new learning or the ability to recognize when the program has unintentionally slipped into poor non- productive practices. If changes occur gradually, leaders at all levels (State, Regionaland new course leaders) may not even been aware of change happening. Using on-the- job-training, course leaders learn from poor practice and any variation they may occur will continue and possibly increase variation. Without continual exposure to the norm, program drift almost certainly results.

 Variations may occur in Short Courses due to emergencies and unforeseen procedures inside institutions, but the basis values and structure of the short Course program are to remain.

 Volunteers may want to make changes to the way things were done on their fourth day walks or because they feel it would be an improvement. Unless all contingencies have been thought through in advance, received instruction on the purpose and methods of the ministry, there is good chance the response to demands and volunteer suggestions will not be adequately thought out.

 1.3      The Riverbanks Concept

 The Kairos ministry might be described as flowing between the “banks of a river.” Those riverbanks guide the flow of the ministry to where the Board wants. The many, many details involved in implementing the ministry are less important, but those that are very important are delineated by the riverbank. Authority is delegated to each course leader to decide the path down the river that they will go – but they must stay between the riverbanks of the Kairos method. Regardless of which path they take in preparing their team, as long as they stay on the river, they will come out where they are supposed to!

 In some places the river is quite wide, and there is a lot of room for different paths to be taken in that part of the river. However, in some places the river is very narrow – perhaps so narrow there is only one path on the river that is available. Much of the discussion during Advanced Kairos Training will be focused on helping you determine where the riverbanks are.

 No-one wants anyone else in Kairos to fail, whether as Leader or in any other role. God will give you great peace and strength while you are in His service.

 

Full description of Riverbanks can be found in The Silver Program Manual.