Intro Being a third generation Pentecostal Pastor was all the credentials I though I needed to Pastor a church. After all, but my father and grandfather were very successful Pastors. I had it in my blood; it was part of my DNA. Was I ever in for a rude awakening? I quickly found out that coming from a Pastor’s home and being a successful Pastor myself were two galaxies apart. Over the past three years that I have attended Oral Roberts Theological Seminary my life and mind has been radically changed. I like to think of it as “knowledge on fire”; that is knowledge filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. When I began this program in August of 2011, it seemed like just another seminar with lots of other like-minded people. However, from the very …show more content…
When confronted with theological opposition I would feel threatened because I felt exposed and my lack of education made me fearful. I knew I was right, I just didn’t know why I was right. Since attending ORU, I now have the confidence to talk openly and be informed about theological and historical issues that confront my life and the life of my congregation. I am not intimidated, I can speak with confidence knowing that I am in familiar territory. That has been a huge help to my ministry and …show more content…
My understanding and hunger for the Bible has increased and my ability to communicate the truths of the Bible has greatly developed. I have confidence knowing that when questions are asked, I have already dealt with the question in a free through of the seminary classroom with qualified teachers and motivated colleagues. If there is a questions that is asked that I do not know the answer to, I still have the confidence to let the student know that I have never dealt with that question, but I have the resources and tools to help me find the
Just over a year ago my dad was called to be the pastor. God gave him the vision that
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Ministry is messy, filled with many dichotomies that that can sabotage a minister’s effectiveness. Can a minister be entrepreneurial while being a good steward? Can a ministry grow and still be healthy? How does the business of ministry and culture of the church coexist? How do ministries remain ethical while maintain the business of ministry? These are the questions that pastors face and must answer correctly in order to be effective.
With that said, the time has come at OGBC to manage the inevitable transition of welcoming a new pastor. The researcher is an associate minister at OGBC and recognized the need for developing a transition plan to help her church to transition well. Transition is the process of letting go of the ways things used to be and then holding on of the way they subsequently become. William Bridges identifies a place in between the transition process called the “neutral zone”. Bridges suggests that while in the neutral zone people resist the transition because it takes longer (often much longer) than change, and it leaves us in this zone while a replacement reality and a new reality is gradually being formed. The researcher’s church was in the neutral zone for three years until they finally selected a new pastor. The time has come for OGBC to let go of the way things used to be and take hold of the way things have become and then move forward with their new pastor embracing the process for a healthy pastoral transition. Transition is the way that we all come to terms with change. The pastoral transition process does not have to be chaotic thus, this project is develop in the anticipation to make the way smoother for
Pentecostalism is arguably the most important mass religious movement of the twentieth century. Today, this association is the second largest sub-group of global Christianity. It has over 30 million American adherents and a worldwide following of more than 430 million (Anderson, 1992). Pentecostalism’s gloomy beginnings at the turn of the twentieth century make the movement’s growth all the more
In the book The New Guidebook for Pastors, James W. Bryant and Mac Brunson do a magnificent job of identifying and explaining the practical nuts and bolts that make a successful pastorate and a fruitful church.
This course has opened my eyes to faults that I did not know that I was making when it involved evangelism. This has delivered a conviction that has incited my soul and desire to do and be a better witness for my God. When I was
Vos, B. (2012). The spiritual disciplines and Christian ministry. Evangelical Review Of Theology, 36(2), 100-114.
Dear friends, I cannot stress enough how critical it is that we remain diligent in our personal studies of the Word of God. It does not matter who is in the pulpit teaching. It is our own responsibility to make sure that what we are being fed, our spiritual food, which I fondly call "Soul Food"; is supported by the Holy Spirit inspired texts.
When mentioned to the general public, the word “Pentecostalism” generates three diverse responses: confusion, mockery, and tolerance; some people never heard of the word, some people view it as being infamous, and the rest accept it. According to the Oxford dictionary, Pentecostalism “relates to any number of Christian sects emphasizing baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Misconceptions originated from the misunderstanding of the history of Pentecostalism, along with the notion that Pentecostalism is one sect when, in fact, there are many divisions. The largest of these is the teachings of Charismatic’s, which make up the most prevalent part of the denomination and have been the driving force for the assumptions and reputation that Pentecostalism has garnered. To truly understand Pentecostalism, one needs to learn the religions history, the standard beliefs of the various sects, and the contemporary changes that some followers have made in the recent years that have fueled the current fallacy about the belief system.
In ministry it is important to note that the different people involved in your ministry will be at different stages of their spiritual growth. Having an awareness of your own personal theology will be important for how you go about teaching the students who are involved in your youth ministry. One part of personal theology is spiritual formation. Duffy Robbins states that spiritual formation is, “the growing into the likeness of Jesus” (448). Another main part of personal theology is community. Understanding and having an idea of both spiritual formation and community helps with the formation of personal theology of ministry. This paper will share five areas of theology and how they relate to practical theology in youth ministry. The five areas of theology include view of God, view of people, view of sin, view of redemption, and view of scripture.
First and foremost, I will always be focused on the fact that it is my responsibility as a teacher to “cause my students to learn”. I cannot teach my students content unless I have prayed and asked God for illumination and for an “appliers heart”. It is important that I understand the content and application before I teach this to my students which should result in a life change for them. Application is the main reason for God’s revelation and it is my responsibility to share this with my students. My ultimate goal is to illustrate how scripture can be used in daily
I’d like to state the most obvious observation that I’ve made about spiritual formation; that is that I will always need to be seeking for ways to nurture my personal spirituality throughout my life. I know that to most people this may sound like a “duh” statement, but for me it has truly become a reality and one that I must admit I have been struggling to embrace. I was brought up in a church that, like most traditional churches, stayed happy living in the “comfort zone” of their Christianity. They took everything that the Bible said at face value without digging in to find out why they believed what they believed. I had never been challenged to look deeper into the text. In the past few years I have felt the need to tunnel out of this cave of what I feel is best labeled “Christian ignorance”. In the process though, I have had to come to terms with letting go of the things that brought me comfort and provided me with what I thought it took to have a close relationship with God. Some of those things were tangible. Most were not. The things that were the least tangible actually ended up being the hardest to let go of.
Before beginning my first semester here at Vanguard I often found myself questioning why I believe what I believe. I had a hard time understanding the bible and an even harder time finding answers to my questions. It was difficult for me to find the courage to ask questions because I didn’t want to come off as someone who didn’t know everything about the bible. Once I started my freshman year I began understanding that I am not alone, every one has questions or things that they don’t quite understand. Encountering The New Testament broke down parts of the bible and made it much easier for me to understand.
Another aspect of pastoral ministry is that every pastor is unique. God has gifted each pastor differently and with his own style. It is imperative that a pastor use the gifts that he has to bear witness about Christ. It is also important to preach Christ and not self. It is crucial that a pastor understand who he is, accept himself, and to develop the gifts given by God. Too often, preachers compare themselves to others and envy what they do not have. That is dangerous and sinful. One must accept the gifts given by God and to use them for His glory.