Calling #3: Train ‘Em Up
November 7, 2024 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
For the last couple of weeks, I have been sharing about my sense of God’s calling on my life. The first is to shepherd the flock of Oak Hills to faithfully follow Christ and live for his kingdom. The second is to proclaim the riches of God’s grace, especially to those unfamiliar with the concept of grace. For the kingdom. Get the Word out.
These reflections are one of the results from my sabbatical. While I was in seminary there was a discussion about longevity in pastoral ministry. One of the professors used an analogy that has stuck with me ever since. He described pastoral ministry as trying to guide people across a swampy, miry lake. On the other side of the lake is eternal life in the presence of Christ. While navigating the lake, there are many obstacles and hinderances that can swallow up people in unbelief. The calling of the pastor is to build gospel platforms in the midst of the lake for people of faith to find refuge from the mire and muck. The struggle for the pastor, however, is that while he labors in the muck and mire, even he can lose sight of the big picture, the goal. The professor pressed the analogy one step further. He said the pastor needs to get out of the lake at regular intervals and rest on the dock. This “dock time” is for reflection and refocus on the callings and aims of pastoral ministry and provides the pastor clarity and strength to persevere in his calling. This sabbatical this summer was “dock time” for me and offered me time to reflect on God’s callings on my life.
My third sense of calling is to be used by God to train up the next generation of gospel ministers. Shorthand: Train ‘Em Up. This calling is personal as well. When I consider my own path to ministry, yes, education was important, but the most significant development came through mentoring relationships with older, wiser ministers. I think of Rick Sisson, my youth pastor, who gave me ministry opportunities even as a teenager. I think of David Livingstone, the pastor for adult discipleship at Bethlehem Baptist Church, with whom I met weekly for two years. I think of David George, who was my senior pastor for seven years while I served on staff, who significantly shaped my understanding of a grace-oriented ministry. There are many others, even lay volunteers serving with the youth group, who mentored me in my walk with Christ. I am who I am today because of how God used so many different people in my life.
I want to be used by God in the training and development of the next generation of ministers. This is how the church grows, ministry expands, and more people are reached with the gospel. There are not enough laborers for the harvest. Yes, we pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. But we also aim to be used by God to train up those laborers. Who will be sent out from among us at Oak Hills?
As was my experience, I believe this is most effective within the context of the local church. I am blessed to enjoy opportunities like the one in Ethiopia this summer, where I get to serve as a small part in the education of ministry workers. I pray that I will continue to have those kinds of opportunities, as I know the need is great. But my desire is to see ministry workers trained up within our church Oak Hills. Both lay ministers and those pursuing vocational ministry. God has made every one of you a minister. He has gifted you and called you to minister in the harvest. “The whole body… when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). I want to be used by God in the discipleship, training, and mentoring of more ministers in the church.
One prayer I have in connection with this calling is to see Oak Hills continue to grow. A growing church has more financial availability to hire staff and interns. This would allow Oak Hills to be an environment to not only train up lay ministers but also mentor those pursuing vocational ministry. As a church family we get the privilege of shaping and equipping the next generation of gospel ministers. I am the product of churches who had the means and opportunities to bring in young men like me, who were not done with their education and unordained, to grow and develop as ministers. I pray that we could do that at Oak Hills as well.
These are my callings that I aim to give myself to. For the kingdom. Get the Word out. And train ‘em up. They shape and guide my ministry at Oak Hills. As we are longing to know and make known the astonishing grace of God, may we live for his kingdom, continue to share the good news, and see more laborers for the harvest sent out from our body.
