Why an SYIS for the local church?
Few things glorify God more than living together in a spirit of unity...and few things are more destructive than not doing so. Not just on the mission field, but in local congregations as well. So we have taken this long-time missionary tool and reformatted it to meet the needs of the local church!

Even within the church, one of the most significant challenges we face on a day-to-day basis is living, working, and dealing with others. People come from different backgrounds and with different personalities–and learning to love with Jesus’ love is tough! Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills Workshops are designed to enhance the believer’s knowledge, attitudes and skills in how we relate to family, friends, co-workers, as well as those within our church families. SYIS is ideal for church leaders as well as members of the congregation.

How is a church-based SYIS encounter different?
Many of the components in the encounters are similar to the week-long format of our regular SYIS workshop. They have been reformatted into weekend encounters that are more flexible to meet the specific needs of the congregation. Here are some of the aspects of these encounters:

• Serve the local church by making training in interpersonal skills available in relevant and effective ways leading to life change in individuals and resulting in strengthened local church communities.
• Learn Biblical foundations: John 13:34-35, Colossians 3:12-14, “One another” passages problems.
• Entire SYIS workshop offered in four encounters, if desired. Phase 1 is the starting place in the sequence and foundational for the others phases. Phases 2 through 4 may be done in any sequence following Phase 1.
• Each encounter will be facilitated by mixed-gender teams of at least two ITP-qualified facilitators.
• Flexibility of format and schedule allows facilitators to design each encounter to meet the needs of each church context.
• SYIS encounters may be hosted in a retreat setting or at the church facility and can be weeks or even months apart with an ideal group size between 12-24 people.
• High-value learning provided at low cost to local churches. Contact ITP for participant/package fees.

Additional info:

For a more detailed explanation of the topics covered and the specifics involved in a church-based SYIS, download our SYIS Church Flyer, or contact ITP and we will happily email a copy to you.