There is a shortage of biblically qualified men and women entering the ministry of full-time vocations in the UK. There are many churches without pastors and few evangelical churches that actively train women. Biblical schools are not the answer to these failures. the church is the solution. Those of us who guide us have a responsibility to recruit and train the next generation of Christian leaders. Here are some ways we can act now.
1. Make sure you prioritize the time you spend with people. Many pastors (rightly) tend to be inclined to study hard, but there is a real danger of hiding in an office (which many do) at the expense of relationships with people. I was impressed by Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington. Every time I see him, his studio is full of trained young people and interacting with him. Similarly, church implanters, especially if they want to train future leaders, should take the time. investing in key people for leadership growth.
- We must make sure that we contextualize any training model we choose to follow The fact that someone is writing a best-selling book for an American context.
- For example.
- Does not necessarily mean that the book is literally transferable to the UK.
- To develop leadership training models that best suit our own people.
- Our particular situation.
- What works well in a middle-class church often doesn’t work in a housing/suburban ministry (and vice versa).
- Discover materials and resources.
- There are many good (and bad) things available.
3. Develop various roles and leaders that fall into different categories. I like to choose a person for my team and build a ministry around them, rather than trying to force them into a pre-structured job description. Do traditional churches thrive through this approach? and choosing a candidate who fits a particular role. Of course, there is common sense in this, but church planters must be able to see the potential to allow people to grow and function for themselves based on their inherent gifts.
4. We need to take a flexible approach to training. Some people may be suitable for biblical universities, but most people trained in building homes are not. For example, some will be good readers and some will not; some will understand quickly and others will not. Therefore, we need to develop training and mentoring systems that manage this flexibly and adapt satisfactorily. We should not take the one-size-fits-all approach.
5. Accept risk and failure. That’s why sometimes it’s better to plant than revitalize. We have to take risks with people and keep our hands up when it doesn’t work. Many traditional churches do not like failure and therefore run fewer risks as they are established. Sometimes, when we fail, do we do more, to limit the loss?and make sure he doesn’t do it again. While there is wisdom in this, this kind of conservative approach may be the death of a church. initiative, as it tends to inhibit ideas and potential growth.
Good accountability is essential when developing new leaders We take a mentoring approach at Niddrie Community Church that ensures adequate feedback, challenges, and space for prayer, discussion, and spiritual growth in all forms. There are all kinds of tools for this, including the Gospel Coach, which, although not new to us, offers excellent online tools in this area.
Church implanters must delegate. That’s a fundamental point. Control addicts kill the ministry and kill development. To offer people the opportunity to serve and develop their skills in the field, otherwise the department will only grow at a certain level and then the work will stall. personal sacrifice in terms of abandoning the things he likes to do and also a temporary decline in the quality of some departments, while people learn through practice. Make sure that the reason people don’t come near you isn’t YOU.
8. We need to understand that training is a process of continuous development, some things will work for a while, then we will have to adapt and discover new and better material, leaders must continually improve their own gifts and remain humble and open to continue. spiritual growth and personal development.
I’m sure there’s more to say, but these 8 points are definitely a good start for us.