Guy Duininck: Prepared Unto Every Good Work ?
Have our churches and our Training Institutions done a good job of helping to prepare those Christians who believe they are called to labor full time in one of the five spiritual leadership offices in the church? I really don’t think so.
My oldest daughter is now in her second year of Residency Training as she works toward her goal of being an OBGYN / Oncology physician. Following these 4 years of Residency Training working under the supervision of excellent physicians, which follows 4 years of Medical School at a very good school, which follow 4 years of Undergrad Education at a very good University, she will still have to do 3 years of Supervised Training in an OncologyFellowship.
She started her training at 5 years old and will only be ready to start in her own practice when she is 32 years old. That 27 years of Training !! And she is going to be stellar as a physician in her special field because she has gone to top flight schools and top flight training programs.
In the modern church, we have ministers laboring in full time ministry who maybe went part time for a couple years to an unchallenging Bible School here or there somewhere in the world; some of them not very good at all, to be honest. No Academic standards; no personal oversight, no supervised work, etc.
Not to sound too cynical, but I’m not sure what kind of powerful and effectual and fruitful and impacting spiritual leaders we expect to have in the church we can have with these low levels of Personal Preparation.
Personally, I don’t think many ministers are anywhere near properly prepared for the incredibly serious work they are called to in serving the church, teaching believers, Training others for service, setting a standard for others to follow, and basically leading the church forward in strength, brightness, light, and power.
Tell me where I am wrong ....
