Many churches would like to have structured leadership training programs. Here are some recommendations from LEADERSHIP readers on how to get started.

"Church members really don't know how to be good church members. They gripe when they should pray. They criticize when they should learn. They nit-pick everything to death. I wish someone would write a training manual on how to be a good church member."

So wrote one of the 172 respondents to a LEADERSHIP reader survey on training lay leadership. Many expressed similar frustrations. Almost 70 percent said they see a need for a structured training program but don't have one because they don't have the time, feel unqualified to train, or simply don't know how to go about it.

The frustration is particularly acute, because many expressed admiration for training programs run by other churches or secular organizations. One pastor wrote: "I know good training works. A cable television company conducted an eight-week course for some of our members on ...