[ Home ] [ Site Map ] [ Catalog of Materials ] [ Where to Start ] [ Lamad Method ] [ 4 Keys to Hearing God ] [ Settings for Curriculum ] [ Personal Spiritual Trainer ] [ College Courses ] [ Mark & Patti Virkler ] [ Mark Virkler's Itinerary ] [ Endorsements ] [ Make A Donation ] [ Outstanding Links ] [ Licensing and Ordination ] [ Community ] [ Free Books & Articles ]

Overview  |  Frequently Asked Questions  |  Testimonies  |  90+ Training Modules  |  Sign up

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. A Personal Spiritual Trainer is someone who has already completed the Communion With God Ministries Lamad training module that you are contemplating and is committed to helping you glean all you can from your studies. They will meet with you every week, for the duration of the 90-day module, to guide and encourage you as you tackle that module’s material. Your trainer will be your sounding board to support, motivate and stand with you through the process. He or she will not grade your work or do the work for you, judge you, make demands or nag. The decision, responsibility and benefits are yours. Your trainer is there to be a voice of experience to help you accomplish your goals.

Your consultations with your PST may be by phone, email or VOIP (voice over internet protocol, e.g. Skype). Both trainee and PST indicate their preferred medium and we factor this into matching you up.

Personal Spiritual Trainers are also assigned based on gender and geographic proximity. We recommend the Personal Spiritual Trainer be the same gender as the trainee. The geographic element is in consideration of long distance charges and time zones – there is no expectation that the trainee and PST meet face to face.

The PST relationship is specific to the module you are working on. When you go on to another module, we may assign the same PST or a different one, depending in part on whether they have completed that module themselves. We want to make sure that your PST is prepared to give you a hand up when you need it. We will consider requests for specific PSTs, in which case, the PST’s preferred form of communication takes precedence.

If you are not comfortable with the Personal Spiritual Trainer you are assigned after your first communication, you may ask to be re-assigned (limit of 3 tries per module).

Q. Why should I invest in a Personal Spiritual Trainer rather than just learning on my own?

A. Jesus, the greatest Teacher of all time, demonstrated that the absolute best method of learning available is to disciple people. There is no faster way for you to achieve breakthroughs in your life in area after area after area than to commit yourself to ongoing modeling from others who are ahead of you in the area you are seeking to develop.

Q. What will happen in my weekly consultation with my Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. After we introduce you to each other, it’ll be up to you to be in touch with each other on a weekly basis to…

1. Confirm that you have completed the week’s assignments. 
   
   

2. Ask questions about the material. 
   
   

3. Share what the Lord is speaking to you about the week’s assignment. 
   
   

4. Discuss your progress in light of your goals. 
   
   

5. Pray together.

The norm is a 15-20 minute appointment each week, either by email or phone.

Q. Do I turn in my assignments to my Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. You are simply required to do the work, but not turn it in, unless you are either seeking college credit for the training, or wanting to become a PST for this particular training module (see below for more details).

Q. Is there an online community I can join and can I access chat sessions with others who are part of the Personal Spiritual Trainer program?

A. You will be given access to both an online Christian community and online chat sessions with others who are part of the Personal Spiritual Trainer program. In these forums you will build friendships with others around the world who are growing in the same areas you are training in. These services provide you with priceless friendships.

Q. I already have the books and videos, I just need the Personal Spiritual Trainer to help me stay on top of my work.

A. Great! You do not need to purchase any materials you already have. When you place your order, let us know what supplies you already have and we will deduct them from your order. (There is a note box on the order form where you can provide this information.)

Q. Why should I focus three entire months on just one topic?

A. We need breakthroughs in our lives – dabbling in an area does not lead to breakthrough. It takes time to receive and process revelation on a new way of living, and time to practice until it is a natural, integrated part of your life. Three months or 12 weeks or 90 days of consistent effort, coupled with Spirit-anointed training materials and a good Personal Spiritual Trainer, will give you a breakthrough in your life in the area you have focused on!

Laser light is intensely focused and can have the power to cut through steel. Focusing your attention daily for 12 weeks will give you the power to cut through barriers in your life and free you in Christ, especially when you are using outstanding Lamad Training Modules, and working with a Personal Spiritual Trainer who has already had a breakthrough in this very area.

There’s a saying, “Whatever you fix your eyes upon grows within you, and whatever grows within you, you become.” Why not see what a 90-day focus will do in you?  

(Click here to read Mark Virkler's article on the vital importance of laser-like focus.)

Q. What are the advantages to a three-month training experience?

A.

Q. Can I complete a module in less than 90 days?

A. Yes! You may go at your own pace and finish as quickly as you would like.

Q. What if I need an extension of time?

A. You may request an extension via your Personal Spiritual Trainer if there are extenuating circumstances. Otherwise, part of being discipled is to learn consistency, so you’re normally required to complete the module in the allotted 12 weeks. You are hiring your Personal Spiritual Trainer for a three-month period so an extension impinges on their time and commitment, too. Your goal completion date is actually 14 weeks from the date we send out the module materials, to allow time for product delivery and contact to be made between the client and PST. (Clients outside the U.S. are given 18 weeks to account for the extra travel time of their work.)

Q. Are there any prerequisites?

A. There are two core Lamad modules for all of our trainees. We require everyone to start their training with “Communion With God” as it teaches you to clearly hear God’s voice, to see vision and to do two-way journaling. These skills will revolutionize your devotional life and are used in every subsequent training module.

We also encourage those trying to discover their gift mix and ministry/vocational calling to make their second training module “Gifted to Succeed”, which takes them through about a dozen personal profiles, helping to uncover the gifts and talents God has placed within them.

Q. Can I do more than one module at a time?

A. Certainly! You are welcome to order as many modules as you would like.

Q. Can I contact you for guidance about what might be the best module for me to take next?

A. Absolutely! You can email Mark Virkler at mark@cluonline.com or call 716-681-4896 (toll-free within the United States at 1-800-466-6961) and share the spiritual hunger you have. He will give you his best recommendation as to where you could begin. Click here to view the list of training modules available to be ordered in these coaching experiences.

And as you complete each three-month coaching experience, you may contact him as needed for Spirit-led counsel. Mark is also training others to provide counsel as to which training modules may be best for the desired breakthrough.

Q. What are some of the common needs in people’s lives, and what training modules can best meet these needs?

Q. What do I receive when I have successfully completed a three-month training module?

A. We will issue you a certificate showing successful completion of the training module suitable for framing.

Q. What do I receive when I have successfully completed an entire series of 10 training modules with a particular focus?

A. You will receive a diploma indicating your completion of the series, which is suitable for framing and display.

Q. How much should I expect to pay for training materials?

A. The price of each module includes both the materials and your sessions with your Personal Spiritual Trainer, including…

Rather than a standard fee, we charge for the actual material cost of the modules, so they vary slightly in price – an average material price being in the neighborhood of $75-100 per training module.  

So when you combine the materials cost with the $99 cost of your Personal Spiritual Trainer, your final cost for three months of guided learning is only about $2 per day!

What a steal, considering you could experience four life-changing breakthroughs by this time next year!

Let’s compare the cost of a Lamad Center training module + Personal Spiritual Trainer with other things we spend money on:

Q. Why pay for a trainer and not just the material?

A. It’s all about momentum and follow-through. If this has been an issue in your self-guided study, the accountability of a Personal Spiritual Trainer should keep you on track.

We are convinced and confident that a reasonable commitment of time and money, even in such small increments as just 50 minutes + $2 a day, can make a huge, lasting difference in your spiritual growth.

Q. What are my payment options for the Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. Given the low cost of the modules, our preferred method is for you to pay the $99 three-month Personal Spiritual Trainer fee and material cost up front. If you use a credit card, you may split the $99 coaching fee into three equal monthly payments – however, the materials cost is still due with the first month’s coaching fee.

Q. If a second family member takes a training module with me, can we share some of the materials?

A. Yes, you can request to “share all possible materials.” The second family member would receive their own Student Notebook and any workbooks, and share the CD/DVDs and supplemental books with you. When ordering online, you may state your desire to “share all possible materials” or you may want to call us and talk this through. Each person who wants individual coaching will pay the full fee for a Personal Spiritual Trainer.

Q. What is your 30-day guarantee?

A. If you’re not satisfied with the value of the curriculum, supplemental materials and weekly input from your Personal Spiritual Trainer for as little as about $2 a day, then notify us within 30 days of beginning your module, return the materials in re-saleable condition, and we will refund both your supplies cost and PST fee. No risk, no regrets!

Q. Can my work be applied toward a degree?

A. These training modules have a lot in common with Christian Leadership University's distance learning curriculum. If you’re interested in college credit, we invite you to visit our website at www.CLUonline.com and enroll as a student.

Q. Can I become a Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. You sure can, and we hope you do! Once you have mastered a training module with the guidance of a PST, we would love for you to turn around and begin coaching others into breakthroughs of their own.

Click here to see the procedure for becoming a Communion with God Ministries Personal Spiritual Trainer.

Q. What qualities make one a good Personal Spiritual Trainer?

A. They are caring, at ease with people, naturally perceptive and intuitive, able to engage comfortably in the give-and-take of ideas, information, feelings, values and priorities. They have the “divine spark”. They are willing to learn the skill of being a good trainer, they are inspiring models whose lives demonstrate their talk and their belief, and they don’t use hard-selling methods to acquire trainees. They are humble and willing to learn from their clients.

Overview  |  Frequently Asked Questions  |  Testimonies  |  90+ Training Modules  |  Sign up

©2008 Communion with God Ministries.  All rights reserved.