The Need for Biblical Interpretation I became a believer in 1970 while a freshman at the University of Illinois. The early 70’s were a time of a great spiritual harvest on the college campuses across the country, and God, in his great mercy, included me. A few months later, I began to receive postcards from Chuck, a young man who had lived with us. My mother was a high school English teacher with a huge heart. She ended up welcoming troubled high schoolers into our home….sometimes for a few days or, as in the case of Chuck, for several months. […]
Editors Note: This article appeared originally on the Lausanne Movement website and was featured previously on Christianity Today. In this article, I consider the strategic priority of pastoral training for intentional global ministry and missions partnerships. I also propose practical considerations for both strategists and practitioners in pastoral training—whether individuals or churches, but especially for formal and institutional programs as well as non-formal organizational initiatives. Examples around the world: the need for pastoral training Recently, the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostals informally contacted the Kampala (Uganda) Evangelical School of Theology to help with basic training for their pastors—30,000 of them. Is […]
Why biblical teaching matters Over ten years ago I was in Ghana, helping to equip a group of pastors from West Africa. My most vivid memory from that time was etched in my mind during a particular lunch break. The host pastor invited us into his home and while we were eating he turned the television on. Behold, a pastor from Texas was preaching up a storm! Unfortunately, he was railing for (or against?) a federal “flat tax.” At the time, one of our country’s political debates was whether the graduated federal income tax should be changed to a single […]
Author, Chuck Gianotti, echoes the apostle Paul’s word of warning, “Beware…” This post is a sobering caution to those that are on the other side of the pulpit to hold teachers accountable. For those that are pastors and trainers of pastors, a warning to be sure they hold themselves and their co-laborers to the standard and truth of the Word of God. Reposted with kind permission of the author, appearing originally via Bible-equip.org. Also included in Mr. Gianotti’s book, Day by Day in the Prison Epistles. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, […]
Sharing exciting news from Lausanne and Operation world below as they work together to better mobilise Christians to prayer around the world. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 25 July 2017—The Lausanne Movement and Operation World announced today that they are entering into a unique partnership to mobilise prayer for the nations and world evangelisation. Lausanne and Operation World (OW) share a longstanding commitment to prayer and mission, as well as a strong conviction that Christians worldwide must have more opportunities—in more languages and in more forms of media—to join in prayer for the nations. The two organizations have been exploring partnership for a number […]
Meet the author writing Bible curriculum for rural pastors Part pastoral trainer, part curriculum developer, Ms. L has authored Bible courses for rural pastors over the last 30 years of her full-time missionary work. With a lifelong training background that originated from twelve years teaching high school to then teaching aspiring pastors and leaders at a Bible college, she now uses her skills and training to draft easy to understand and distribute Bible courses. Australia serves as the home base for this roving missionary. Her curriculum has traveled across most continents and been used in about 15 countries. Now she […]
Transformation on the ground Our first training session in an eastern Asian country was about to begin, in the foothills of the Himalayas. We were waiting for one more pastor to arrive. As I walked up the footpath to the training center, I saw a man trudging up the road towards me. I stopped, thinking: this is probably him. I greeted him with one of the few words I knew in his language. Switching quickly to English, I said ,“we’re ready to begin!” In spite of the language barrier, I persuaded him to follow me. During that first training session, the pastor, Tham, […]
Do you: Spend more time doing the ministry instead of spending time with your wife? Find a huge percentage of your conversation with your wife to be about ministry? Retire to bed with ministry on your mind, and wake up with it still lingering? Are you more concerned with the problems of your church members, more than the problems ailing your family? find more satisfaction with your involvement at church so much so that you’d rather spend time there than with your wife and kids? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may be at risk […]
Watch Video Interview Here!!! “We were made for community. It’s not a defect,” Pastor D shares candidly as he reflects on his own personal struggles with discouragement and depression. Do you remember when God first called you to train pastors? For some, it may have been a Damascus Road encounter … for others, it may have been a real need you experienced personally, as it was for Pastor D. In the painful desert seasons, Pastor D was surrounded by fellow pastors who took the time to walk alongside him in the healing process as he endured years of depression. Today, […]
Preaching the content of the Bible is not enough. Content must lead to intent. The Scriptures are purposeful…they were written to a particular group of people with the intention of bringing about a necessary (from God’s perspective) change. Our noble task, as teachers and preachers of God’s Word, is to discern the original aim of the text. Of course, this requires a careful reading of both the text and the context. Once grasped, the original aim or the shepherding intent of the text leads us to a biblically-driven application for today. God’s aim then fuels our application. Unfortunately, we might miss God’s aim […]