About Saturday Training
Saturday Training began on a Saturday in April 2003, and it is where LDI discipleship training first started in Korea. It still begins at 10 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m., and in the afternoon each team heads out to its campus for evangelism training.
“As of 2014,” in the words of the original account, about 180 young adults gathered every Saturday for this training. Working adults, graduate students and undergraduates alike, they are growing into disciples of Jesus who share the gospel and raise others up right where they live.
The aim of the training — Matthew 28:19–20
Through a practical leadership development curriculum grounded in Scripture and in the theory and methods of leadership scholars, this course helps you develop your own leadership first, and then develop the leadership of others effectively in the field.
“Make disciples of all nations” in particular is the Great Commission Jesus left as he ascended. It means developing every people group into disciples of Jesus — Christian leaders who influence the world as salt and light. That is Christian leadership development.
So on the mission field we develop local believers into disciples, that is, into leaders; and we encourage those local leaders to go back to their own people to preach the gospel, raise up leaders, plant churches, and join in the worldwide mission of making disciples of all nations.
How we come to the training
First, train yourself. “Train yourself to be godly” means exactly that — the training is yours to do. However good the coach, nothing happens if the athlete has no will to train. A disciple of Christ practices godliness where others can see and where no one can.
Second, keep at it. Leadership development is not built in a day. It is not a sprint but a lifelong race. Fruit comes when we hold on to biblical conviction and obey today and tomorrow without breaking stride.
Registration
Registration is held once a month, on the first Saturday.
Tuition is 50,000 won, with scholarships so that more people can take the training: 30,000 won for pastors’ wives and full-time ministry staff, and 20,000 won for undergraduates, graduate students and education ministers.
Training guidelines
To keep the training effective, LDI uses a small-fine system. Every won collected goes only toward mission — building people and raising workers — and LDI would far rather trainees take part faithfully and pay nothing at all.
Absence and lateness: neither is expected. Lateness costs 100 won per minute (up to 3,000 won); an absence without talking to your mentor costs 5,000 won.
Coursework: preparation for the lesson and the Bible study is required before each session. You are expected to look up and write out the passages in the workbook beforehand; coming unprepared costs 1,000 won.
The victorious life of godliness (the wheel): we check quiet time, Bible reading, Scripture memory and evangelism. Quiet time means meditating on the set passage daily and writing it down (1,000 won per missed day); Bible reading follows the reading plan day by day (500 won per missed day). Scripture memory covers four verses a week by theme, checked by written test before Saturday’s Word training (100 won per character, up to 500 won per verse), and evangelism means sharing the gospel with two people each week (1,000 won per person missed).
