Three reasons why not...?

I've been working on a chapter of a book with another member of staff. The book is looking at the concept of Call and Commission and the chapter we were asked to write is on the Institutional Churches response to the falling away of those entering training for ministry.

Stay anon should you wish but if anyone has time to comment by leaving 3 reasons why Colleges is not the route for them to fulfill the sense of God's direction in their life.

Thanks

Comments

lucy ar said…
Hello these are my three why nots... could relate more to what and how officers do when out of training college...
1,Because being paid to be a full time minister sets me a part from others- puts up more barriers to genuinely connecting with people.
2,Perhaps it isn't a sustainable and holistic model of being a Christian for people. More quality Jesus lovers are needed living normal lives that intersect at all points of society.
3,Church should be lead by the community rather than a paid one or two. It promotes the opposite of priesthood of all believers.
8:52 PM
Anonymous said…
I think I basically agree with Lucy, but I don't think her arguments are necessarily reasons not to have officers, rather that their way of serving in the army needs to change. What worries me and what communicates that the training aims may not be relevant to UK context is the lack of recognition of how the way we do church will have to change. We are still training ministers on the assumption they will lead come-to-us programmed churches, which need to have a membership of 50-100 people with a fair proportion in work and tithing in order to support a minister.

But this form of church isn't working in the UK. What is working, apart from a relatively small number of larger traditional churches, are smaller groups doing church in different ways. Those aimed at younger generations in particular are less likely to be able to bring in income to sustain a minister, never mind a building - and the whole emphasis around me seems to be shifting in any case from tithing into the church system in order to prop it up, to giving more directly to social action. So our whole understanding of how to do church, and what professional ministers are there for, needs to change.

I am well aware out here in a predominantly rural area how many small corps are not going to be around for much longer. I want to see leaders being trained for the transition to what comes next, and meeting officers, and hearing the army, directly taking this on board would encourage me that they are offering relevant training and a route to meaningful service.
4:59 AM
Anonymous said…
"...I want to see leaders being trained for the transition to what comes next, and meeting officers, and hearing the army, directly taking this on board would encourage me that they are offering relevant training and a route to meaningful service..."

I think the College has, recently at the least, done this.

Thanks
2:21 PM
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