This program trains the catechist who can teach the faith faithfully and the director who can grow the Church soundly — and it grounds every proven growth framework in one deliberate conviction.
We are Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ፨
Beta Israel by birth, Messianic by prophecy.
That sentence is the engine, not the slogan. Most growth programs must manufacture relevance; ours reveals a heritage the Caribbean already feels — the Zion imagination, the Solomonic story, the pull toward Africa as spiritual homeland. The trained catechist does not import a foreign religion. They name something the hearer already half-recognizes, and show where it leads: to the unbroken Hebraic-Christian communion that never set aside the covenant and confesses the Messiah the prophets foretold.
Church growth is not a marketing problem with a numerical surface. It is a discipleship problem with a measurable one. We refuse the false choice between depth and growth: the ancient catechumenate is itself the most durable growth engine ever built, and the Mahaberat auxiliaries are a retention structure most movements would envy. We do not bolt tactics onto an Orthodox body — we recover what the Church already knew and give it instruments.
The frameworks we adaptTier 1 is required of every candidate. Candidates then complete the Catechist stream, the Director stream, or both for the full dual certification.
| Tier | Focus | Modules | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Foundations — identity, doctrine, field (all candidates) | 1–3 | 45 |
| Tier 2 | Catechist stream — teaching the faith | 4–6 | 55 |
| Tier 3 | Director stream — growing the Church | 7–10 | 65 |
| Capstone | Supervised practicum & assessment | — | 35 |
Assessment is competency-based — candidates demonstrate they can do the work, not merely recall it. The capstone is a supervised placement under a mentor and the candidate’s sponsoring clergy: accompany a real inquirer through the pathway, or launch a real entry-point or retention initiative with metrics, then defend a reflective portfolio before a faculty panel.
| Award | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Certificate in Catechesis | Tier 1 (Modules 1–3) + Tier 2 (Modules 4–6) + capstone, catechist track |
| Certificate in Church Growth Direction | Tier 1 (Modules 1–3) + Tier 3 (Modules 7–10) + capstone, director track |
| Catechist & Church Growth Director (full) | All ten modules + both capstone tracks |
Written examinations pass at 75%. Practica and portfolios are assessed against published rubrics. The Ethical Influence Standard is a gating criterion: skill without ethics does not certify.
This program teaches real skill in communication and persuasion. That power is bounded by a standard every certified holder vows to keep — not a constraint on growth, but the condition of growth that lasts. Members brought in by pressure leave by the back door as fast as they came in the front; conviction freely owned is what stays, serves, and recruits others.
“I will teach the faith as the Church holds it, invite as one who has been invited, and never trade a person’s freedom for a result. What I cannot win by truth and love, I will not win.”