Before we discuss how we might organize ourselves for this training, we need to look at some  particulars of this training. First, TPM has been in development since 1995. It will continue to develop and improve for years to come.

Maybe an analogy would help to explain the current state of affairs. It is like building a house. We have blueprints and a basic design in mind. We have ordered much of the building supplies and materials needed to build it. You can see the stacks of lumber, bricks and mortar, nails, screws and bolts, windows and doors as well as the roofing that has been delivered and is s on the vacant lot. But there is no house yet standing. Nonetheless, what you have before you constitutes a house.

Today we have invited you over to see and experience our house “As Is.” We could have waited until we were completely finished before we asked you to come over, but then you would miss out on what is already available and useful. You might say, “What a mess!”  “No, not at all, this is our house and it is basically all here, it has just not yet been fully assembled.” we reply. “When do you think it will be completed?” you ask. “Completed?” Probably not before the Lord comes back,” we say.  “Oh, MY! What can we do?” you ask.  “Come on over and enjoy our house and watch it grow and develop! There is much here that you will find interesting and helpful,” is our reply.

Excuse our mess, and go ahead and work through the different stacks of items and see if you don’t benefit. You may discover that there actually is a house in all of it. Please know that this is a work in progress. It is not well ordered or systematized. However, most articles are written in a “stand alone” format and will be of benefit apart from the overall context. Some are written in a series but this is noted.

Suggested Study Paths to Follow on this Online Website Training

Everything that you need (as far as training information and materials) are all posted on this website. All articles, videos and practice sessions are only a click away. If you desire to print out the articles for those in your study group, this is possible by clicking the “PRINT FRIENDLY” button found at the bottom of each page. Most of the videos are downloadable and can be put on a flash drive or all can be played directly on your computer or projected through your video projector. The study path to follow is laid out clearly, but it also allows for flexibility as well as the option of moving around throughout the training using the many HYPERLINKS found in every article.  Again, the goal is not to “get through”, but to master the information.

You can progress through the training at whatever pace works for your study group. Since the goal is not to get through, but mastery, it really does not matter how long you take in each area. Most articles are less than three pages long, and most videos are less than eight minutes. Once you work through the initial articles explaining the process you can begin practicing the PROCESS with each other. You should allow for practice every time you meet. There is NO hurry to do live sessions with people outside your training group. Practice with each other for as long as needed to do the process well.

•  Everyone Taking the Training Starts with the Introduction.
  All people should begin in the INTRODUCTION section and then are encouraged to follow the suggested path that is allocated, but you are welcome to blaze your own trail and meander throughout. Since no one will ever “complete” the training, the task set before us is simply to enjoy the journey. Even if you have been doing TPM since its beginning in the mid-nineties, you still should begin with the INTRODUCTION. The introduction portion of the training will provide basic building blocks that will orientate you with the basic principles and concepts. Once you have worked through the INTRODUCTION, you will proceed to the main study area. Probably 75% of what you will read will be completely new, and not included in any former training you may have taken in years past. The other 25% of the training will have some refinement and revision.

• Continue on to the FIVE STUDY AREAS.
  After you work through the Introduction section click the link at the bottom of the page that will take you to the MAIN Training Area. You are encouraged to proceed through the five areas of study starting with PROCESS Level One, then proceed to PRINCIPLES Level One and continue with PURPOSE Level One.  After completing Level One in each area move on to Level Two, and then on to Level Three.

• Work through the “Coaching” PRACTICE Sessions as they apply to what you have learned in each level of the PROCESS section. More of these exercises will be added as they are developed.

• Start practicing the PROCESS (in role play) with your team as soon as you have worked through the PROCESS Level One area of study.
  The key word here is PRACTICE. Practice means role-playing a ministry session with someone in your group. There is no need to do live sessions when you first begin. It is more important that you understand the PROCESS and have a good understanding of the intention and purpose of every question than dealing with real life issues. Practice identifying where the person is on the MAP and become keenly aware of a “solution” when it shows up. Over time you will begin to do real sessions with people within your group.

• The SUPPLEMENTS section contains articles and other training items that do not fit in any of the other categories.

• Articles are ordered from LEFT to RIGHT.
  You will notice that the articles are ordered from LEFT to RIGHT on their menu pages. Work your way “left-to-right” down through the menu page. A few of the articles have more than one part and contain a series of related issues. Where this is the case, work through all of the article in that series before moving on to the next article on the main menu.

Always feel free to move about as you choose. However, our suggested order is based upon each level building onto the next. If you find yourself in a place where you lack supportive information you can click any supplied hyper-link or do a site search using the search feature.

There is no need for a “teacher” to be in the room. Everyone is a student traveling together. Having a training leader to implement the training, encourage the trainees, make assignments, and check up on whether homework was completed is good, but no one needs to teach since the training is self-taught.

If you are the training leader, you should avoid taking the materials and trying to re-teach the training. Even the best of the best teachers will be reinterpreting the materials when they become the medium between the primary source of information and the student. No one needs to stand between the training itself and the class. Everyone in the room is a student and the training itself is the teacher. It is fine if the training leader leads in the discussion, but the materials should speak for themselves as well as the videos.

If your particular training group does not speak English, then for now, you will have to do as well as you can. We desire to make this training available in all languages, however, this will require the TPM community to rise up financially to make this happen. If the Lord places it upon your heart to be the one who makes TPM available to a specific language group let us know and we will make it happen.

Also, please consider helping us keep this training free for those who cannot afford to pay anything. We are looking for people who will partner with us for the long haul and become recurring supporters in this journey. These are exciting days that we live in and we are committed to taking TPM to the world, but we genuinely need your help. Click here to learn more.

The Repetition Is Intentional. The Repetition is Intentional.

There is much repetition found throughout the training, but this is intentional. Even as we strongly encourage people to let go of the “completion” mindset, we believe that many will not. They will simply put their heads down, barrel through the training toward the “finish line” and take a breath at the other end. For these “completers”, such repetition will be seen as a hindrance to reaching the goal set before them. However, those who are focused on mastering the material will welcome repetition, knowing that this is the way we learn.

Even though this training is designed in such a manner that you could do it alone, why would you? The better course is to take it with a team of like-minded friends all committed to finding the freedom that God has to offer. The ideal setting is your church group led by an organized gifted leader who will keep the troop on target and who can lead the way by example. There is nothing that a ministry facilitator will do in a TPM session that the person being prayed with cannot learn and do for himself. With this being said, every ministry session is also a training session for the one being prayed with equipping him or her for their journey with God. TPM is an equipping ministry, equipping the church, the whole church. It is our heart’s desire that church leaders would see the potential for dynamic church transformation, should the principles of TPM ever become a part of the fabric or culture of the church. What might it look like if the church body was applying the principles of this ministry as a lifestyle and a way of viewing life’s troubles and crises? What if each member viewed their negative emotion not as something to overcome, but rather as a warning signal that there was a lie afoot, and used their pain as a beacon leading them to the truth? TPM is for all members of the church. T.P.M. is not the “Troubled People’s Ministry” for helping the “walking wounded”, nor is it a pain managing ministry. It is a ministry of mind renewal and transformation designed for all people seeking to know truth that can transform them.  TPM is a means by which ALL members of the Body of Christ can intentionally and purposefully cooperate with God in what He is doing to refine our faith, renew our minds and transform our lives.

Our final encouragement to you is this:

1. Let go of the idea of “completing the training,” since this is impossible to do.
2. Focus on becoming the sharpest tool that you can be in the hand of God. Revisit every article and video over and over again. Learn it well.
3. View each ministry session as an opportunity to further train the mentee, and remove the pressure that comes from attempting to set the person “free.” We each have the rest of our lives for that. It is far better to equip others for their journey with the Holy Spirit as you continue on your own journey with Him.

Loosen your belt and enjoy the buffet. Come back again and again. There will probably be more available each time you come. Eat all you want, as often as you want. Watch for the “OPEN HOUSE” sign to go up before too long. In the meantime, do the best you can with the “lumber” sprawled out across the property. A house is coming soon, and oh, what a house it will be!

Please know that you are always welcome to come and eat from the table for free, however, making this ministry freely available to those who cannot afford it, is not without cost. Will you consider becoming a regular supporter of this mission? We seriously need your continual support to make this happen.

RETURN TO THE INTRODUCTION MENU

We are often asked, “How can we introduce people to Transformation Prayer Ministry?” There are several ways to do this.

First, you can refer them to the video in this INTRODUCTION section titled “Introduction to Transformation Prayer Ministry.” This is a full length video overview of TPM and its history as presented by Dr. Ed Smith (founder).

Secondly, you can have them read the article “The Process, Principles and Purpose of TPM”  that is also located in this INTRODUCTION section. This article will provide the broader scope of TPM. It will explain how TPM is not a pain management ministry, but rather a means to cooperate with what God is doing in refining our faith, renewing our minds and transforming our lives.

Thirdly, you can have them read through the series of short articles entitled, “Preparing for your First Personal Ministry Session.” This series is designed to prepare a person for their first ministry session, but it also provides an excellent overview of some of the basic principles and concepts of this ministry. These articles are brief and easy to read allowing the reader to cover much ground quickly.

If you are a facilitator of ministry, you will want the people with whom you minister, to read this series of article in order to prepare them for their initial prayer ministry sessions. Of course you will also encourage them to take all the training as they proceed down this same road with you making TPM a lifestyle.

Finally, you can have them read the new TPM book “Effortless Forgiveness” that is designed to give a person and introduction into the TPM principles in the context of forgiveness. This is an excellent book to introduce an entire church membership through small groups as well as pastors preaching a series on forgiveness and having the membership read this book as supplemental information.

NOTE: If you are a ministry facilitator praying with others, have those who come to you for ministry to start with the section “FIRST MINISTRY SESSION.” You will find this link on the HOME PAGE Menu. This will provide them a quick overview of some of the central TPM concepts.