The Urgent Need for Trained Pastors and the Great Commission

Is there a de-emphasis of the biblical role of pastor in some mission thinking today, even as church planting movements quickly add new churches and expand the need for pastors?

In an age of Church Planting Movements, has the emphasis been on number of churches at the expensive of the health of those churches?  

The Western importance placed on theologically trained pastors with seminary education may even perpetuate the de-emphasis of the key pastor-teacher role, in some missional thinking. This may be due to the emphasis that such training places on academics rather than reproducible disciple-making, the most recent buzz phrase of modern CPM thinking. 

A 2000 Mission Frontiers article entitled “Nine Obstacles to CPMs” makes the following point: 

“Whenever well-intentioned missionaries, churches or denominational leaders impose requirements for church leaders that exceed those stipulated by the New Testament, a Church Planting Movement is impeded.

New Testament models are found in Christ's selection of the twelve disciples (Matt. 4:18-22) and Paul's criteria for bishops and deacons (1 Timothy 3). It is striking that moral character and willingness to follow Christ are given much greater weight than theological training or academic degrees.” (source: http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/nine-obstacles-to-cpms) 

But is such a re-emphasis a legitimate concern? Do academics exceed the New Testament standard?

While “moral character and willingness to follow Christ” are primay qualities for all church leaders, education and theological training has been a defining standard for Christianity since God used a theologically trained man with the highest academic letters to write much of the New Testament.  The Apostle Paul certainly went beyond his academics into practical expressions of effective ministry expansion (2 Timothy 2:2), while developing a profound Christology even his colleague Peter thought confusing (2 Peter 3:16). 

The emphasis on theological thought is seen from the beginning of the Church as the Jerusalem Council wrestled with new faith issues (Acts 15). Three centuries later, theologians came together to give us creedal expressions for the faith in the first Council of Nicaea (325AD). 

The point is that de-emphasizing the necessity for sound Biblical and Theological training is in itself unbiblical (1 Timothy 4:8-11) and can only lead to churches that suffer from error or worse heresy. As an example, a pastor in Africa taught his people that to see Jesus they needed to climb a tree, because that is what Zacchaeus did. But any emphasizing of the need for “academic degrees,” as a requirement of pastors, is also unrealistic – socially, economically, and in some cases culturally where any formal learning is unavailable or oral learning is predominant. As in any eco-system, there is a delicate balance to be maintained and valued. 

We must recapture a missions emphasis on well-trained pastors who are able to think, live, preach and lead biblically, especially if our aim is to “finish the task” and complete the Great Commission. 

Theodore Munger made this point over one hundred years ago when he said, "The weak spot in missions today…is not in the field…nor in the administration of the Board, nor in the pews, but it is in the pulpit." Munger was of course writing from a “West to the Rest” mindset and referring to Western pastors. Today, could Munger’s thought not equally apply to the vast number of untrained pastors globally who lack biblical preparation and therefore cannot adequately equip their people for the task of world evangelization? 

When only five out of one-hundred pastors are trained for pastoral ministry, the mission of God is slowed and church health suffers, thereby impeding sustainable church growth. But what if the pastors were better trained to live out their vital Ephesians 4:11 role? How would that affect what we see in terms of Ephesians 4:12 expressions? 

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up"  Ephesians 4:11-12

With the urgent emphasis on local pastors that Munger was calling for over one-hundred years ago, how might this serve the Great Commission today? From a mission strategy perspective, local pastors are on-site, longer term, less expensive and more relevant to their context than a “foreign missionary” can hope to be. That being true, would it then not be most strategic to consider how we might better train pastors globally, especially given the prevailing lack of training worldwide? 

According to a Gordon Conwell mid-2015 study*, there is a structural imbalance of congregations (4.3 million) to ordained clergy and pastors (1.4 million). This does not include the many bi-vocational and un-ordained pastors. How then can churches flourish, experience both growth and health if many churches are without a pastor, and only a small percentage of pastors are trained to lead their congregations effectively? 

The urgent need today, and perhaps one of the most important missions strategy for the 21^st Century, is for more trained pastors. Who better to mobilize the workers and pray-ers for the coming harvest? Who better to prepare and send workers to a nearby “unreached” regions? Who else is charged with the spiritual shepherding of the people of God? If as Theodore Munger told us the weak spot is still in the “pulpit,” now due to lack of training, then how might we collaboratively affect change for God’s global mission and the cause of Christ worldwide? 

Answering those questions is why we are calling pastoral trainers to Bangkok, Thailand in June 2016, for the Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers. The GProCongress is being developed to connect, unite and strengthen trainers of pastors together to improve and deliver more pastoral training to where the church is growing.  

If you train pastors (or aspire to traint them), or are a missions strategist, educational theorist, or resource provider for pastoral training, learn more about GProCongress at www.GProCongress.org. 

As Congress General Convener, Dr. Ramesh Richard, says with respect to the purpose of this historic gathering, “The Congress is not about pastoral training for the sake of pastoral training but pastoral training for the sake of the Great Commission.” 

* Source: http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/1IBMR2015.pdf

Brian Considine serves as the mobilization director for the GProCongress. Write him at Brian@rreach.org.

Same-Sex vs the Bible - Part II - What Would Jesus do About the Cake?

(Read the first post in this series here.)
 

A gay couple walks into a local bakery and wants to buy a cake for their upcoming nuptials. You are the owner and a Christian. What would you do?

This scene has played out across the U.S. at least a few times over recent years, as a reality in our 21st Century post-marriage culture.

That I know of, these few incidents involved Christian business-owners who objected, for reasons of moral conscience, to doing business with the couple. At least one at a heavy price to their business. 

In a free nation, no one should be compelled against their will to provide services to others, especially by the government. "Free enterprise" should include the freedom to choose with whom we do business. It should not cost an owner their livelihood to decline business they have a religious objection to. It may tag them a racist or bigot to do so but that is their right too. Hopefully, very few business-owners fit those categories and shame on those who do. 

The above is just my opinion, not any legal advice, so if you are in business you should check the State laws in which you operate. Many have anti-discrimination laws now and as Christians we’re required to follow the law of the land (Romans 13:1), right?

And, things are changing rapidly as the U.S. Supreme Court renders what looks to be an historic decision on same-sex marriage this month. How do we live in response to this decision and the cultural changes shaping our nation? In this post, let's talk about the cake, in the next we'll talk about the marriage itself.

For Living Sent Today this is not a matter of sexual-orientation, SCOTUS decision or business practice. Rather, is it a matter of Christ-like witness that is of first importance, especially for any business representing itself as a “Christian business.”

It's really as simple as this, if you are a Christian business-owner, God has placed you there to be a witness first. By refusing to bake the cake, Christian business-owners place their own moral convictions above their first call to be a good witness. Biblically, it matters little what our personal convictions might tell us^__ Jonah found that out the hard way. What matters is what we place as our first priority when we represent ourselves as Christ followers, so I am asking, "What would Jesus do about the cake?"

REASONS JESUS WOULD BAKE THE CAKE

 Recently, I posted the following on Facebook…

Note: Andy is Andy Stanley.

How could I make such a statement as, " Jesus would bake the cake as an unselfish act of love and a witness to who who he is"?  Obviously, we cannot really know what Jesus would do in our 21st Century context but we do need to consider his example. Let me suggest some reasons Jesus would bake the cake. Please consider:

1)  Jesus understood his mission priority

John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus’ mission was clear and his priority was single-minded. He came to tear down barriers that kept people from God, not erect them. He did not come to condemn but to connect God with people and people with God. Jesus came as a witness, and set the example by his sacrificial life. His first priority was to "save the world" which informed how he lived to serve others. 

2)  Jesus did not come for the moral  

Mark 2:17: “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Jesus understood all too well the immoral condition of the human heart. It was the very reason he came into the world, to reach the sinner...like me. As a doctor would not place obstacles to healing before the sick, Jesus would not place obstacles to coming to him, especially before those living less than morally righteous lives...and aren’t we glad?

3) Jesus crossed cultural lines without hesitation

John 4:10: “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” Jesus crossed beyond the socially acceptable, religiously imposed, norms of his time to minister to those in need. In this account, Jesus conducted “business” with an adulterous woman who was scorned by her community, embarrassed by her lifestyle, and forced to come to the well at the hottest part of the day. The reaction of even his disciples tell us the distance Jesus traveled to connect with those in need of his gift. He did not hesitate to engage the lost world knowing what he had come to do.

4)    Jesus was known to enjoy the company of sinners

Luke 7:34: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'” Jesus was unconcerned with what others thought of his associations with sinners. Rather, he was deliberate in his efforts to connect with the broken, outcast and marginalized, seeking relationships that would lead them to discover who he was for them. Immediately following this statement, Jesus goes to Simon's house and does the unthinkable and blesses a sinful woman. 

5)      Jesus did not condemn the immoral for their lifestyle

John 8:11: "’No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” Jesus came to set people free from the bondage of sin, he did not condemn the human condition - even the worst harlot in town. Rather, he purposed to make a way for all humanity to experience a life free to worship God. Where the religious leaders wanted to condemn the human condition, Jesus say “go now” and live an abundant life...in Him. While Jesus preached repentance it was for the purpose of entering into the fullness of life he wants for each of us. 

6)      Jesus was opposed to the moral opinions of the religious right

Matthew 23:13: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it^__ in himself. His opposition to the teaching of the Pharisees was not a correction of the law but the religious leaders interpretation of it. He was zealously opposed to shutting the door to his Kingdom life, to anyone for any reason, based on human understanding. He made a matchless effort to assure anyone, even a condemned sinner, could enter the Kingdom by removing religiously imposed constraints.

7)      Jesus offered his life for all

John 10:18: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Jesus freely gave his life so that all who would believe would experience the fullness of life he proposes. That is not a life without struggles and hardship, but a life of forgiveness and acceptance. If he was so willing, joyfully, to endure the worst human torture ever conceived, to think he would not bake a simple cake for a gay couple brings his unconditional love, and God's grace, into question.
 

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BAKE THE CAKE

I asked a Facebook friend, who took exception to my FB post above, on what biblical basis would Jesus not bake the cake? No real answer was offered. Before you start throwing stones, verbally or otherwise, I ask you to consider the same question. If you cannot articulate a clearly biblical rationale for your position, then may I encourage you to do some rethinking about it. Knowing my own human frailty, I am always willing to rethink my own ideas but I do look to the Bible for answers. 

Now some might argue, “By baking the cake we would be blessing a same-sex marriage” and Jesus would never do that! Really? An eighth and maybe the most compelling reason Jesus would bake the cake is because he commanded us to bless our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Crazy, I know. But Jesus removed any socially imposed limitation on whom we, as Christ-followers, are to 'bless' and to whom we should show his love.

Turning away a gay couple because of a disagreement with their lifestyle  closes any opportunity for the business-owner to be used by God as a witness. Baking the cake does not bring us into agreement with their behavior but it does bring us into obedience with Jesus’ example and mission. What if by doing so it opens a door to a relationship that demonstrates his love and kindness, which leads to repentance (Romans 2:4)?

You should have the freedom to do what your conscience dictates. You should have the freedom to not bake the cake. Just please do not use Jesus as an excuse not to be Christ-like when such an opportunity presents itself.


This will be a developing series on one of the most important cultural challenges of Living Sent Today. Like us on Facebook at -  Living Sent Today - to follow the series. 

The Global Priority of Pastoral Training and the GProCongress

Uganda was dedicated to Christ at the turn of the Millennium. This was after decades of struggle with brutal corrupt dictators and the AIDS pandemic. Now after all the evangelism and church planting that has taken place, Ugandan pastors are in dire need of training. 

Recently, a Ugandan church leader came to a small school of theology in the capital city to inquire if his pastors could be trained. When asked how many pastors needed training, the response was “30,000!” For this small seminary, this is an impossible task – they formally train about 20 students a year. This pastoral training deficit adversely affects the health of the church in Uganda, as well as the future of this small nation in Eastern Africa. 

The Uganda story is not isolated however. Globally there are more than 2.2 million pastors, but less than 5% have any formal training to serve as a pastor. Over 90% of currently serving pastors are considered under-trained. 

Think about the priority and necessity of training. Would you or I board an airplane with an under-trained pilot or visit a doctor who does not have basic medical training? Of course not. We trust our physical lives into the hands of well-trained men and women who are called to such critical professions.

How much more important is the spiritual health of billions of people? Often unaware and every week, many millions of Christians around the world trust their life-journeys into the hands of under-trained and isolated pastors. 

Pastors who are not taught to think, live, preach and lead biblically cannot be as impactful in their calling as they should be. The challenge is not that these pastors do not want training. Most of them eagerly pursue whatever training is offered anywhere. The problem is that better training is either too expensive or inaccessible for the vast majority of pastoral leaders. 

Also increasing the cause to make pastoral training a priority is the number of new believers every day. An estimate of 50,000 new believers are added to the Church daily driving the need for pastoral training exponentially, placing a greater demand on training initiatives for better training for more pastors. 

How can Christian leaders begin to address this global challenge and opportunity of the 21^st Century? Together. Together, we begin to think well about the priority of pastoral training and implement the systemic and collaborative delivery of pastoral training initiatives—from both formal and non-formal sectors. 

According to a 2012 research project commissioned by RREACH, a Dallas based ministry focused on church health, there are presently over 7,600 pastoral training organizations with some presence on the internet. These organizations and institutions of various sizes represent both the formal (degree granting) and non-formal (skills and tools training) sectors of what can be called the pastoral training “industry.” 

For the first time in Christian history, pastoral trainers are coming together for the Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers. RREACH is seeking to raise the missions profile and global platform of pastoral training. Significant advocates for the GProCongress include globally respected partners like the World Evangelical Alliance and Lausanne Movement. This event, with a four year follow-up process, aims to connect, unite and strengthen pastoral trainers to improve pastoral training especially where Christ’s Church is growing fastest - Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers is a once-in-a-generation gathering of up to 5,000 pastoral trainers being held in Bangkok, Thailand, June 15-22, 2016. 

Pastoral training, as a missional priority of the 21^st Century, requires recalibration around the urgent need to see pastors trained for accelerating Church health worldwide and the advance of our Lord’s Global Proclamation Commission. 

To learn more and apply as a delegate please visit www.GProCongress.org.