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The Lord Your Healer: 

Discover Him and Find His Healing Touch by Paul J. Bucknell

Newest! The Lord Your Healer

Discover Him and Find His Healing Touch

First step of discipleship
revive devotions
Advanced Discipleship

The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations

Commentaries that specialize on training the teacher!

Overcoming Anxiety: Finding Peace, Discovering God

 

Take Your Next Step Into Ministry

Take Your Next Step Into Ministry

Understanding God’s Training Program
for those in Ministry

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell


The Next Step | God's Goals | Starting Point | Learning from others
Pursuit of Christ | Experience | Evaluation | Spiritual | Training | Relationships

The Pursuit of Christ:

By Following up Agency Connections

Purpose

Following up Agency Connections is part of the Take Your Next Step into Ministry series that suggests various questions to evaluate one's relationship with mission and denominational organizations for an effective ministry.

Proper Mission and Denomination Contacts

Make the proper contacts with a mission or denominational agency and raise the needed prayer, financial and other support.

If one is planning to go into full-time ministry, whether it is on some faraway mission field or near pastorate, there are certain steps to take. If the process is not well understood, and often it is not, then delays often arise.


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Fortunately, mission agencies do well in helping their potential candidates understand this process. Unfortunately, candidates most often do not speak specifically enough or start early enough in the process.

While the process is obvious to some, others, usually due to a poor church background, have no clue to the process. This is the way it was with me when God called me during my freshman year at the University of Maine. God could and did lead me, but it would have been so much easier if someone gave me an overview of the process. Let’s try to do that here.

Steps to Serving Explanations

A call to full-time ministry God gives you an inward sense of call to serve Him. (This of course could be earlier or later on in life). Although it comes about in various ways, it always leaves a sense of burden or drive to guide the person in the direction of ministry.

Affirmation by others

Others will see how God is using you and will encourage you to serve more.

Recognition by church leaders

Church leaders will give you increased responsibilities in the church.

Personal growth and increased service

You will respond to these matters by continually growing closer to the Lord and taking opportunities to serve.

Suggestion for further training

Often (unfortunately) the church will suggest you study at some school for full-time ministry. Ideally they should first train you as much as they can in the local church.

Specialized training

Usually formal seminary or Bible school training is required but other less expensive training programs are possible with proper oversight and deployment.[1]

Link up

Link up with the right mission or ministry organization. Like choosing a spouse, choose carefully.

Internship, first ministry

Serve time in ministry or as an intern with those who can observe and help you grow in your personal life and ministry.

Deputation

Raise support for full-time or specialized ministry. Pay off loans. Confirm home church. Strengthen church relationships. Possible ordination.[2]

Appointment

Discover the designated place to serve with a special ministry in mind.

Here are some more specific questions you can ask yourself to help you better prepare.

Seek home church support and confirmation for this direction

Pay off all loans as soon off as possible

Contact potential mission organizations and seminary trainings

Research potential training programs at a seminary or elsewhere

We recommend that you spend a good bit of time thinking about what you want from a training program. Just a few days ago I talked to another person who said that though they attended a seminary focusing on missions, they never learned to disciple.

Much time and money is spent in this area of life. The goals of the institution are rarely the goals that you personally have. Remember to enhance any formal training with God’s training which always requires shaping of one’s character, knowledge of God through his Word and providing skills and other knowledge.


Next => Evaluating your Church Relationships

[1] In the Western world, if one serves outside his local church, it is almost impossible to proceed without expensive and formal specialized training. On the other hand, world missions requires better, more flexible and far less expensive training programs.

[2] We suggest that ordination should follow a testing of ministry rather than precede it.