Training For The Future
This week in church we launched our Ministry Training Appeal.
At Christ Church St Ives, we are passionate about ministry training so we take a deliberate and structured approach to help people of all ages discern whether full-time vocational ministry is for them. As a church, we have been doing this for decades; training ministry apprentices, sending men and women to Moore College & Youthworks College to be prepared for ministry and continuing their practical ministry training while they are there.
We must continue this work, for, as Jesus said, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!
There are people of all ages in our church who are thinking about full-time ministry. Our staff regularly have conversations with people who are considering their future ministry training options and the best ways to utilise the gifts God has given them. Together, we need to utilise the size, strength and diversity of our church to be sending all sorts of people out to serve the gospel of Jesus in all sorts of ways for the Glory of God.
I did an MTS Apprenticeship in the late 90s with Rob Smith and John Woodhouse, spending two years reading the Bible, growing in my understanding of and competence in ministry and having a go at just about anything I could get my hands on. I have so many great memories of those years and still utilise the skills and wisdom I learnt every week.
We have a great history of sending people like me out to serve the Kingdom of God and I am urging you to continue this commitment by giving expression to your passion to train and encourage men and women by giving to this work.
We are seeking to raise $100,000 to cover the cost of training our 2023 students and trainees.
Our goal is for each of our full-time ministry staff to have an MTS apprentice and for us to be training student ministers as well—not next year and probably not the year after; but soon, we want to be intentionally gathering and guiding lots of people of all ages in their thinking about full time ministry in the context of parish ministry.
It is an exciting prospect and one that needs your help prayerfully and financially. Pray that we can all capture the commitment and passion to train and encourage men and women for a lifetime of ministry. And then, please give financially.
Give to support our current trainees in 2023. We are asking you to give in addition to your regular giving to support this project that seeks to send people who know the gospel and love Jesus out from Christ Church St Ives with clarity, competence, conviction and Christ-like character.
Jump on board the appeal and together, let’s prepare people to change the world with the Gospel of Jesus.
