Part 1. Where do they come from? Some vital but
general comments regarding candidates.
Our
candidates come to us from a variety of different backgrounds.
Several
factors influence decisions to engage in intentional leadership training for
ministry. The following are particularly true for Palangi candidates.
·
Understanding of Church, God, ministry
and ones self
·
Personal skills in ministry
and leadership
·
(Personal) Discernment of
the call of God to particular ministries
In addition,
some cultures emphasize more strongly the call of the community, the wishes of
family members, the social status of the family, and the influence of parents
or grandparents who have also been ordained. For Palangi candidates, these
factors are far less influential.
All candidates come first from our congregations. Parishes and congregations are the primary ‘breeding ground’
for leadership development – lay and ordained – and it is necessary to
recognise the vital importance of the atmosphere of encouragement,
discipleship, and leadership (and leadership development) opportunities
provided by congregations.
Youth groups, bible classes, cell groups, and fellowship groups (and
even committees) all provide an opportunity for a person to grow in their
faith, their understanding of God, the church, ministry (in a general sense),
themselves and therefore their individual and specific role and place in the
church.
*An important
side issue to this is that most people in the church make decisions to become
Christians at a young age, often through intentional or regular Children’s
ministries and / or through the relationships that they have with other
Christians (Parents, family members, other church members, ordained ministers).
Other ‘doors’ to Christian discipleship include evangelism, missional projects,
Music and Movement groups, and friendships.
In this
atmosphere of leadership development - of the possibility of risk and failure,
of the graciousness of opportunity, and of the deepening sense of one’s
relationship with Jesus Christ – a person is able to develop a confidence in
leadership, and a skill and experience base on which to grow their sense of
call to ministry. This leadership development is real (worship leading, parish
council participation, chairing committees) and cannot be seen as simply a
training ground with ‘real ministry’ being done by older or better trained people.
A sense of the
call of God to ministry is also part of the discernment process, and can come
in a variety of ways – the shoulder tap from a church leader, a course through
Trinity College, Laidlaw, Otago University,
or EIDTS, the example
of a presbyter, a sermon, etc.
As with
faith, the call is personal, but never private. The call is affirmed by the community of faith in many
different ways – parish council, ministry experience, candidates discernment
and assessment, etc.
Candidates come from Parishes and congregations, and
are most often encouraged by existing lay and ordained church leaders. Opportunities for ministry development
and exercise are one aspect of strong and vibrant churches.
For Reflection:
o Is my parish / congregation a place that encourages people to engage
in, take risks in and learn about leadership? If so, how? If not, how can we change?
o Do we challenge people to ‘go deeper’ in their faith? How can we do
this better?
Link to Part 2 (Coming 21 September)
Link to Part 3 (Coming 28 September)
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