Are you/me/he/she/they Really Prepared to serve the Kingdom?

An introductory course on the basics of laying the ground work for apprentice leadership training.

Now, apart from the fact that that is one incredibly poorly written description (see what I did there?), it does get the point across that this is... well.. that this is where you are trained to consider the possibility of someday sticking a toe in the water.  Where the water is 2 inches in a bathtub surrounded by lifeguards and you are wearing no less than 3 flotation devices.

This is largely the direction that training has gone.  In corporations, in schools, in homes, and yes, even (perhaps to the greatest degree even) in churches.
We are going to make absolutely sure, not that someone doesn't mess up, but that they never even have the opportunity to mess up.  This is how we (try) to bring up new people.  This is our preparation.

Now, just a couple of problems with this approach (there are lots) include the fact that if you never face adversity, then you will have no idea how to handle it when you do.  If you never say anything wrong than you wont know that it's possible.  If you never need to take advice then you wont know the value of the abundance of advice all around you.  Often times people rise to the level of opposition with which they are confronted.  People learn through experience.  People learn from their mistakes.  People gain confidence and humility, knowledge, and passion from doing.

Moses clearly never read the manual on how to give an introductory course on the basics of laying the ground work for apprentice leadership training.

Neither did Paul.

Neither did any of the apostles.

Neither did Jesus.

Have we?