River Training Center
The River Training Center is a carefully constructed process of spiritual leadership development that functions within the larger community of River Community Church. It is designed to be a passage from where you are today to the place where He is calling you. The Training Center supplies a holistic, integrated approach to spiritual leadership formation, focusing on Great Commission character, competency and convictions.
In the context of an accountable, grace-filled spiritual community of ordinary people you can emerge as a mature leader with a passion to know God and make His love known to others, whether you are engaged in disciple making ministry in America or in a cross-cultural setting. The Training Center has been specifically crafted to encourage the formation of:
A vibrant and authentic relationship with God
Personal character traits that reflect the values and heart of Christ
Practical skills oriented toward Great Commission ministry
A biblically informed and culturally relevant worldview
The practice of ministry in the context of team
These traits cannot be learned in the classroom alone — they emerge through attention and care in the context of everyday life and work. The River Training Center integrates accredited graduate-level coursework with a plan of spiritual leadership formation that is carefully crafted for each student. Personal assessment plays a primary role in the Training Center strategy, as each student is annually evaluated in the areas of leadership character, competency, and convictions. Mentoring, accredited seminary coursework, informal learning cohorts, personal assessment, ministry training in the church – these tactics make up the Training Center methodology. If you are interested in finding out how to engage the challenge now, contact us via email at rtc@rivercc.org or jim@rivercc.org.
The River Training Center was founded in 2000 by Jim Presnell as a result of God’s call and activity in his journey and the need he saw for an integrated, Great Commission-oriented leadership development process in the context of the local church. Jim earned a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987 and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Seminary in 2007. At Fuller he learned more deeply the importance of spiritual formation in ministry from Dallas Willard, and his understanding of how God develops spiritual leaders was greatly influenced by studying under Robert Clinton. Jim does not consider himself to be an expert in leadership formation but rather a fellow learner, for one of the traits of a leader is a commitment to lifelong learning. Jim helped plant River in 1990 and has served in pastoral leadership there since.