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Kindle Notes & Highlights
Choosing those who aren’t good at relating to people:
Recruiting in desperation:
Selecting the unteachable:
Choosing ‘yes’ people:
Calling for volunteers:
What we are saying, in effect, is that we should be talent scouts.
What happens between someone showing the potential to be set apart for particular responsibilities in gospel work, and them arriving at that point (as a missionary for example, or an evangelist, or a pastor in a congregation)? The normal answer is ‘seminary’ or ‘theological college’. However, a growing number of churches and ministry candidates are making use of an intermediate step—a ministry traineeship or apprenticeship, which comes before formal theological education, and tests and trains and develops people along the path to full-time ministry.
The basic idea is that ‘people worth watching’ are recruited into a two-year, full-immersion experience of working for a church or other Christian ministry. Their convictions, character and competencies are tested and developed.
Apprentices learn to integrate word, life and ministry practice
Apprentices are tested in character
Apprentices learn that ministry is about people, not programs
Apprentices are well-prepared for formal theological study
Apprentices learn ministry in the real world
Apprentices learn to be trainers of others so that ministry is multiplied
Apprentices learn evangelism and entrepreneurial ministry
Christian ministry is really not very complicated. It is simply the making and nurturing of genuine followers of the Lord Jesus Christ through prayerful, Spirit-backed proclamation of the word of God. It’s disciple-making.
As we write, the first worrying signs of a swine-flu pandemic are making headlines around the world. Imagine that the pandemic swept through your part of the world, and that all public assemblies of more than three people were banned by the government for reasons of public health and safety. And let’s say that due to some catastrophic combination of local circumstances, this ban had to remain in place for 18 months. How would your congregation of 120 members continue to function—with no regular church gatherings of any kind, and no home groups (except for groups of three)?
