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Pastors: How Seriously do you take the Training of Young Ministers?
Okay folks... in the midst of so many substance defunct threads let's try something significant to all those precious Saints that feel a call of God on their lives.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not against Bible College. I've spoken in all but one of our colleges and have no axes to grind with those that have, are or will be attending Bible College. Having said that I have to admit that one of my greatest pet peeves is to see young men come to their Pastors feeling a call to preach only to be told "Okay, go to Bible College". Again, I'm not against Bible College but I think many Pastors see Bible College as an easy way to get out of the effort it requires to train young ministers. I have 19 preachers who are (a) in training in my Church, (b) Pastoring, (c) Evangelizing, (d) full time Assistant Pastors and (e) retired Pastors who call me 'Pastor'. Obviously this means that I have spent serious time dealing with them, training them and opening doors for them to be around other viable ministries that come through our Church. I tread softly here because I don't want to be perceived as attacking the role of a Pastor. I cherish my own Pastor and hold in the highest regard those precious Patriarchs that walk in Apostolic ministry and hold the Apostolic message as sacred. However, I'm literally shocked by the number of Pastors who feel absolutely no responsibility to work with young ministers in their Churches. In my travels I have heard such things as: > "I came up the hard way and if they are going to be tough they need to come up the hard way, too!" > "He came to me and told me he was called to preach so I told him to get a trailer he could evangelize in and get out of here!" > "I was called to preach to Saints... not babysit immature preachers." QUESTION A / PASTORS: How many of you Pastors take mentoring young ministers seriously and what are some of the things you do to teach and train them. QUESTION B / MINISTERS: What things did your Pastor do that seemed to help you the most as you were maturing in ministry? |
You don't wanna know what I think...
Well, I'll tell you anyway. There are a few different schools of thought or pastors...if you will. There are those pastors who do not feel training ministers in their church is their calling. 2. Pastors who feel it is necessary to duplicate themselves and their ministry by cultivating ministers in their church. 3. Ministers who call men themselves to the ministry even though God is calling them only to faithfulness. I know one pastor where most every single minister to my knowledge from that church has gone on to positive ministries. One pastor who came from this man is duplicating this and has planted at least 3-4 QUALITY men as pastors of burgeoning churches in the NORCAL area. I know of another pastor that over a 20 year period, every single assistant pastor, associate pastor, and music director (save TWO, and one being his son-in-law), has left or been run out of town with a black cloud over their heads, and NOT ONE SINGLE ONE became a pastor or evangelist somewhere else in or out of the city. Most, in fact have left the church period... I know yet of another who put men in positions to preach and they had absolutely no calling whatsoever. I have seen these men leave jobs to start churches and end up emotionally and spiritually damaged. I think it depends on the pastor, if I were certain of a calling, I would leave running and screaming from some places. |
On another note, it could be that there are pastors who do not cultivate ministers in their church because they are a little self conscience that the preacher may end up being a little more effective than they are/were...thus influencing people to leave their church?
Just a guess... |
Steadfast, what about those Pastor's out there who do not believe in sending their young men to Bible College, but then still do very little to help develop or mentor them? For instance, there have been many who have felt the call to preach come through our church only to leave and get their license elsewhere because the pastor did not feel this person is called. Also, is it the pastor who should feel the calling upon a young man, or the man himself? There are only a few who the pastor felt was called, but to this day they are still not really doing much for God...they are still doing the same things they did 20 years ago. Is this the norm?
Frustrated! |
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My greatest desire is that every preacher from under my ministry is twice the preacher I am. In fact, I think some of them probably are now. |
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As to who 'feels' the call? I can honestly tell you that those who have genuinely been called from among our congregation were recognized by (1) myself, (2) many in the congregation and (3) eventually themselves. That is the beauty of a real call... people usually see it before you do. I do know, however, that I have been very mindful that I never eliminate someone from potentially having a call because of a bad homelife, an inferior potential or a less than perfect past. |
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"I think I'm called into the ministry." is always met with "we will pray about it together." The man is encouraged to be involved in other areas of ministry, sunday school.. etc. |
Steadfast, I obviously am not a pastor, but I must say that you are a true leader. True leaders make an art out of developing other people. I wish all pastors were like you! :)
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Berkeley, I hate to bring you to 'my' reality but I tell many people when they come to me feeling a call to preach that "We will pray about it... get involved in other areas of ministry like Sunday School, Outreach, etc... and let's see if that satisfies the desire you have to be used of God." If that satisfies them then they obviously aren't called of God to preach. It's those that are faithful in those 'other' areas and still have a passion to do more for God are usually the ones who are genuinely called to preach. ANOTHER KEY MISTAKE I feel that we Pastors make is that we fail to teach that there are other viable, valuable ministries that have nothing to do with a pulpit or getting up in front of people! Because there are some that think that the preacher's role is a 'cure all' for every need they, by their silence about other ministries, promote the idea that the pulpit is the only place to be used of God. What an incredibly sad mistake! As sad as it is that there are people who are genuinely called that never get training it's equally as sad that there are people in pulpits that should never have been taken there by a Pastor. They just put them there because they, themselves, don't understand how important other ministries are. :dunno |
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I expected this was the way you felt... but wanted to clarify it in a post so that others would know that we weren't shooting at your - or anybody else's - Pastor. :highfive Thanks for the compliment. |
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I personally learned more from Hospital and Funeral Home visits than any other aspect of the ministry. This is an interesting thread.
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Pastors: How Seriously do you take the Training of Young Ministers?
Let me put a twist in this thread and asked a very sincere question.
What do you do with those older ministers that seemed to have fallen through the cracks in being trained? Those that attended churches where they were not cultivated and helped. Those that did not attend bible school. What do those older ministries do now that they have lost much of their youth, and have become discouraged in the fight? |
Bumping this back to the first page... so that StMatt's question can be answered without this thread being lost
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Some pastors have made the church their business, not the house of God. This how we get these problems and family runned churches and passing the church unto their sons.
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I've seen the unfortunate truth of a young man that was greatly used of God and would have developed into a priceless minister make bad decisions. First, he met a woman and fell in love... and stopped praying. Secondly, he - by his own admission - put ministry on the back shelf until he got married... and had no time to invest in ministry. Thirdly, he became confused and disallusioned by those young men who had surrounded him becoming strong, stable ministers and wondered why he was left behind. I guess he forgot about #1 and #2... Today I've salvaged him to be a solid Saint with a great heart. The problem is that much of what he needed to develop was lost in the 'interim' period where he put what was important on a back shelf. Could he come on now and be used of God? Absolutely. To the exent his once could have? We may never know because he's too 'wrapped up' in his world to seek God's world. As for being in a situation where the time is not taken to develop and train a young minister? Well, that's a whole new post for sure. I would surely seek God to give me someone willing to mentory me in those critical areas that young ministers need it most. By way of dealing with 'lost time' and questioning the will of God I would suggest a message I preached called "The Will is Lost but the Way I Know". Perhaps more later. |
Bump for the "more later"
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I think there is no Pastor nor no Bible College that can totally prepare a young man for ministry on their own. It takes many working together.
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I miss the Posse days...................:drawguns (Guaranteed to get a negative remark or two!) :tease |
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I am determined to not be in the Top 10 Posters on this Forum. Ever. |
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Chicken........................................... ......................... Ain't never known you to be skeered, rrford! :tease |
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Ok, now we have determined rrford is chicken, what about Matt's question?
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bumping this. I really would like to hear more on this.
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both my pastors (past and present) have had leadership classes for leaders in the church.... I think that is important, even if a person doesn't feel called to preach and helps in other ministry areas....
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My pastor died within a matter of short months after I acknowledged any calling....
I had to take on a lot of roles that were a matter of pure sink or swim. It ain't always easy bein' cheesy. |
My husband has helped mentor several young men. Most of them are pastoring today. One is pastoring the church we left a few years back and doing a great job!
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:bumpsign
Got to bump this thread up again as the whole Ministry Training thing has been premiere in my spirit lately. I just finished preaching two Minister's Conferences in the last few months and, while many are well prepared for ministry demands, I'm amazed at how many are severely lacking in areas vital to a successful ministry. I'd still like to hear some answers to the initial questions this thread posed: QUESTION A / PASTORS: How many of you Pastors take mentoring young ministers seriously and what are some of the things you do to teach and train them. QUESTION B / MINISTERS: What things did your Pastor do that seemed to help you the most as you were maturing in ministry? |
Bro. Steadfast do you ever preach in Texas?
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I Pastor in Texas... and preach there every now and then! |
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I searched for many years for someone that would actually take an interest in me and help me. I sat under some big name preachers that never lifted a finger to help me or any other preacher in their church. I think that the mentality of too some pastors is - come and help me build my kingdom. Be sure to pay tithes and let me have a body count so that I can show people that I'm growing, etc. If a pastor doesn't want to help young preachers that should send them to someone that will. But again far too many won't do that because they want the tithes and the body count. |
Rev,
While that's unfortunate... and hopefully an experience pertaining to the minority of Pastors... I have to admit that there are FAR too few that really strive to help equip young preachers. I have classes from time to time but spend a lot of time 'one on one' with my young preachers. I do a lot of traveling for speaking engagements and often, if it's within my capability, will take young preachers with me to those engagments. It helps them see things not only from a 'Pastoral' viewpoint but they see me in the 'Evangelist' role and learn from that as well. Let's be more specific... PASTORS: * Do any of you Pastors give your young preachers tips for reading materials? * Do any of you Pastors have a 'rotation' schedule giving young men a chance to preach and develop their calling? * Do any of you Pastors include your young ministers in the 'fellowship' with visiting ministers after Church? And what is your criteria for doing so... Reaching a certain stage of development? Length of time preaching? According to what that visiting minister has to offer them? YOUNG MINISTERS: * What are the kinds of things that you want to be trained in from the Pastor / Elders in your life? * What area do you, personally, feel unfulfilled in and perceive as needing specific help? * Would you prefer a regular class for training (like on Sunday Mornings) or sporatic meetings with the Pastor as he feels led to speak to you about something? Anxious to see some answers! |
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