04/03/2022
"Dear fellow-workers in ministry,
We face a pressing concern. In twenty years’ time, who will be the ministers of our churches or leading youth and children’s ministries? Who will be serving overseas as missionaries? Who will be our chaplains in schools, hospitals, prisons, universities, defence force, aged care, and sporting bodies? Who will be our church planters, here or abroad?
We need to be increasingly intentional and proactive, identifying individuals who are competent and godly, open to learning and willing to bear the cost.
There is a clear answer: all those roles will be filled by men, women, young people from your congregation or who are involved in your ministries. They will be people whom you have prayed for, trained, nurtured and encouraged towards full-time Gospel ministry. There are so many different types of gospel ministry that we need to be helping to raise-up, including:
ordained church ministry;
youth work;
families and children’s work;
evangelism;
church planting;
Bible translation;
theological education;
university chaplaincy;
leaders of … denominations / church planting movements / Bible and theological colleges /church and missionary organisations;
mentoring and supervision;
coaching in ministry skills;
enabling lay ministry;
global missions advocacy;
doing cross-cultural ministry in Australia or overseas;
working in gospel-poor communities;
serving in rural ministry or outback ministry in Australia or overseas.
To do this we need to be increasingly intentional and proactive, identifying individuals who are competent and godly, open to learning and willing to bear the cost. We need to pray for them and nurture them. We will also need to change the culture of our churches and ministries in order to celebrate and further God’s global gospel plan. The banner of 2 Timothy 2:2 must be lifted high!" "
Read more from Peter Adam on growing the next generation of gospel workers here:
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:37,38). All authority in heaven...
