As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
By Paul Barreca. Read Part 1.
Seek Seekers
In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul instructed Timothy to entrust the truths that had been taught by Paul and other spiritual leaders to “faithful men.” Finding these men is a vital part of an intentional plan to train men for ministry. Which men are to be trained? Jesus and Paul provide an example.
By Paul Barreca
“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2Ti 2:2)
How does the church train the “faithful men” destined to be the next generation of pastors, evangelists, elders, deacons, and ministry leaders? It will require more than asking men to attend church services. There must be intentionality if church leaders want to see new generations of godly leaders equipped for ministry.
“One pastor had a group of people circulate a petition to get him fired. They tried to get signatures in the foyer as members walked into church for Sunday services. Another pastor experienced the creation of a Facebook page dedicated to criticizing every aspect of his preaching and leadership.” - Church Answers
“1. The trajectory of Tocqueville… ‘expressive individualism’….2. The segmentation of the body from the soul…. 3. The perception that historical Christianity is bigoted…. 4. The omni-channel reality… the implications of technology” - Eric Geiger
A night club, a recording studio, an apartment complex, a tae-kwon-do facility. No, these are not answers to the questions from the winner’s circle of the $25,000 Pyramid gameshow. This is the reality for many church buildings in America. Places that once boasted the gathering of worshipers for Jesus Christ, are now lamented as monuments to “empires” of the past. Some were edifices built not for the King, but for a king!
“1. Wait until disclosure occurs to prepare. If you wait for a crisis to prepare for a crisis, you will not be prepared.” - Lifeway
“As a pastor, I must convince, not command…. If a member does what I ask, just because I ask it, but not because they are convinced that what I am asking is truly God’s will and truly scripturally supportable, then I am running a cult, not a church” - P&D
“7. He demands unquestioned loyalty. Even the slightest sign of disagreement is considered rebellion…. 14. He regularly tears down others who lead effective ministries.” - Chuck Lawless
“there’s another type of professionalism that is manifestly not what Piper intended to criticize—that is, professionalism as the day-to-day pursuit of excellence in ministry.” - 9 Marks
Discussion