Courses We Attend Out of Obligation

By Mok Ying Ren

As we move further along in our careers, it often feels as though the list of courses we must attend keeps growing. Communication workshops, ethics modules, refresher trainings—each comes with a familiar refrain among colleagues: “I got arrowed for this one.” Or, “Just need to tick the box.”

It made me pause and wonder: have we lost sight of what these courses were meant to do?

When I compared this with my experience in church, the contrast stood out. Our church, Redemption Hill Church, regularly offers courses on the Christian life—short, rich studies on the Sabbath or on discipleship. Yet no one joins because of position or promotion. Leadership in church is never automatic. No one gets “upgraded” from member to community group leader simply because years have passed. Every role is a personal choice, a deliberate call to serve.

1. The Necessity of Such Courses

It is worth first acknowledging the necessity of professional courses. They are rarely random. Usually an institution observes a recurring gap—rising patient complaints, workplace conflicts, lapses in professional ethics—and responds with education.

Unlike a policing body, an institution cannot directly change a person’s heart. What it can do is raise awareness, teach better practices, and set a shared standard. Seniors are naturally included because they set the tone for juniors. In that sense, these courses are a good and responsible step.

2. Blindness or Pride

Yet in practice, most participants do not come eager to learn. Many are simply fulfilling a requirement. There seem to be two main reasons:

Blindness. They are unaware of their own weaknesses and don’t see the need for change. I once thought my communication skills were fine until marriage revealed blind spots that later courses helped surface.

Pride. Others may know they have weaknesses but simply don’t care, believing they are exempt.

Both attitudes blunt the very purpose of the training.

3. The Limits of Education

Even when a course is well designed, its power is limited. At best it can describe the benefits of kindness and the costs of rudeness. It may illustrate how bullying occurs or how better listening builds trust. But it cannot ensure lasting change.

The human heart naturally bends toward self-interest. Under stress we default to protecting ourselves. A seminar can modify behaviour for a while, but when pressure mounts, the old instincts surface.

Where the Gospel Speaks In

This is where the Christian faith speaks a deeper word. Scripture teaches that real transformation comes only when God opens our eyes and renews our hearts through Jesus Christ.

Education can inform. Only the gospel can reform. Jesus changes not just outward habits but inward motives, enabling us to love others even under stress. The Holy Spirit works from the inside out, creating a new desire to serve rather than to self-protect.

That is why church courses feel different. They are not about ticking boxes but about walking with God and with one another. And that is why, even as I attend mandatory professional trainings, I remember that no program—however necessary—can do what only Christ can do: make a person truly new.