Until today I was a pastor by vocation and not by training.

The training that I have just followed is new. It is special. To my understanding, it is really the foundation of Christian life and service for the Lord. It seems that those who prepared the content, that is to say the leaders of TEN-RTF are field agents of the pastoral ministry in Rwanda.

Despite my advanced age (I am 54 years old) in the pastoral ministry, participating for the first time in the TEN training allowed me to understand that:

• I am a simple disciple who knows very little, who needs to learn more from Jesus throughout my life.

• I don't understand the Bible that I teach. I often betray it because I don't have a good training on it.

• The woman serves Jesus on the same level as the man, because she too was created by God in his image, and with the same capacities of service.

This training has opened my mind. Now I understand my shortcomings, my gaps. Training, which I did not think important, I now notice enhances my vocation. I regret the mistakes I made many times while preaching, and I ask God for forgiveness because it was due to ignorance.

From now on, I understand clearly that anyone who preaches the Word of God, must first be trained on the Bible and on homiletics, to be able to help the hearers to grow in faith and to be models for others.

I am returning home with the duty to share this knowledge with my fellow pastors who have not had the chance to have any biblical and theological training. Furthermore, I will fight so that training is one of the priorities of my Church.

I am grateful to TEN for having thought of us who are untrained and for having prepared the contextual teachings that enable those who follow them to become effective servants and capable of building a radiant Church, faithful to the Gospel.

BY MUGABO RURANGIRA, Pastor of the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda (EMLR). I am 54 years old.