Gordon - Not sure if the question is about training/commissioning/ordination in general or about residential training in particular. For what they are worth, here are my thoughts:
1. Obedience in response to call. As I sit in our very busy hall listening to the work other people are doing next door helping to build bridges into this community and being agents of the Kingdom even if they don't know it, I reflect on what my contribution needs to be here. Right now, the answer to that is leadership. I could be next door doing the stuff and will probably go and do so in a minute, and thoroughly enjoy it - but I've been in the office giving direction on something strategic. We've only been here a couple of weeks but already we have a sense that people need to know that someone is at the helm, and that all our various mission expressions are working together.
2. I've been asked if I've used anything that I learned at college yet. The answer: yes and no. Mainly no, if I think about particular lectures or material; but very definitely yes when I wonder if I could successfully deal with some of the things we need to deal with if I hadn't had two very formative years at college.
3. Accountabilty - Being trained, commissioned, ordained alongside like minded people breeds accountability - vertically, to the larger entity of which we are part, as well as horizontally to one another. It's easy to serve God in ways we enjoy with people we like, we can all follow God on our own terms, not his. It's a personal thing, I guess - God has called me and, after a 13-year struggle here I am. Today I have represented the Salvation Army, albeit in a small way, but people have listened to me because the Salvation Army has placed me in leadership here. Lynley has been stopped in the street this morning and asked something about what we are doing because people know she is the person to ask! That doesn't have a great deal to do with the people we are because people don't know us well as individuals yet, but people know something of what we represent, I guess.
If the real question is about why people aren't offering for ordained ministry then maybe the answer is because we don't do enough to encourage them to.Helping peope discover God's will for their lives is part of of discipleship after all.
I've only been here a couple of weeks but this is a fantastic job - why wouldn't anyone want to do this?
(1) Never been to college until officer training process (at age 30) happened after hearing the call and my response was in obedience after a period of rebellion and sinfulness - Jesus said: 'Come follow me' and 'Go...' - college was the link on that journey and call, so I responded
(2) I couldn't have done without the experience even though there were many struggles academically due to non-college experience in past and the rest of college life for me spiritually too - well...not enough space to tell you the rest of the positives,
(3) There was another party for these reasons - my wife, Debbie, we responded, followed and were called together and with God's help, we could help each other fulfill God's call in all that college meant.
Hope this is helpful.
Yours in Christ, Captain Matthew Bennett (Peterhead Corps)
Conversely - again stay anon if you want - but how about three reasons why...?
4 comments:
I am covenanted as a soldier, why not be covenanted as an officer.
There are needs in the world and being an officer will help address those needs more than not being an officer.
I will be less distracted by ambition and worldliness.
Gordon - Not sure if the question is about training/commissioning/ordination in general or about residential training in particular. For what they are worth, here are my thoughts:
1. Obedience in response to call. As I sit in our very busy hall listening to the work other people are doing next door helping to build bridges into this community and being agents of the Kingdom even if they don't know it, I reflect on what my contribution needs to be here. Right now, the answer to that is leadership. I could be next door doing the stuff and will probably go and do so in a minute, and thoroughly enjoy it - but I've been in the office giving direction on something strategic. We've only been here a couple of weeks but already we have a sense that people need to know that someone is at the helm, and that all our various mission expressions are working together.
2. I've been asked if I've used anything that I learned at college yet. The answer: yes and no. Mainly no, if I think about particular lectures or material; but very definitely yes when I wonder if I could successfully deal with some of the things we need to deal with if I hadn't had two very formative years at college.
3. Accountabilty - Being trained, commissioned, ordained alongside like minded people breeds accountability - vertically, to the larger entity of which we are part, as well as horizontally to one another. It's easy to serve God in ways we enjoy with people we like, we can all follow God on our own terms, not his. It's a personal thing, I guess - God has called me and, after a 13-year struggle here I am. Today I have represented the Salvation Army, albeit in a small way, but people have listened to me because the Salvation Army has placed me in leadership here. Lynley has been stopped in the street this morning and asked something about what we are doing because people know she is the person to ask! That doesn't have a great deal to do with the people we are because people don't know us well as individuals yet, but people know something of what we represent, I guess.
If the real question is about why people aren't offering for ordained ministry then maybe the answer is because we don't do enough to encourage them to.Helping peope discover God's will for their lives is part of of discipleship after all.
I've only been here a couple of weeks but this is a fantastic job - why wouldn't anyone want to do this?
Hope Cornwall is fun.
Three reasons why for me:
(1) Never been to college until officer training process (at age 30) happened after hearing the call and my response was in obedience after a period of rebellion and sinfulness - Jesus said: 'Come follow me' and 'Go...' - college was the link on that journey and call, so I responded
(2) I couldn't have done without the experience even though there were many struggles academically due to non-college experience in past and the rest of college life for me spiritually too - well...not enough space to tell you the rest of the positives,
(3) There was another party for these reasons - my wife, Debbie, we responded, followed and were called together and with God's help, we could help each other fulfill God's call in all that college meant.
Hope this is helpful.
Yours in Christ,
Captain Matthew Bennett (Peterhead Corps)
I don't have three reasons. Maybe when I'm there I'll have more:
my one and only reason: God has called me and it is His plan for my life!
(but I could say thats three reasons... Father, Son and Holy Sprirt!)
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