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Preparation for Ministry
God’s Call Our Challenge Doing Ministry Together |
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By Jeannette Flynn
Silver Lake Community Church, Leesburg, FL Leadership Focus Program Manager for the Church of God
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. . . when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that [Moses] did
Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them . . . . 1 Samuel 19:20 (NKJV)
. . . Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself . . . . Luke 6:12-13 (NKJV)
. . . Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:26
The need to establish standards, train and equip those we place in leadership, is a thread that runs all the way back to the early pages of the Scripture. In the Old Testament, Jethro taught Moses how to oversee a million people; Moses became the mentor for Joshua and Aaron; in 1 Samuel and 2 Kings we hear about schools or communities of prophets that Samuel, Elijah and others were a part of; into the New Testament where Jesus called 12 disciples to live, eat, sleep and walk with him while he imparted Kingdom leadership to them; Paul mentors and trains young pastors; even to this very day in our own Church of God Movement (CHOG), we value and require mentoring and training for leadership roles. In fact, I would argue strongly that where there is evidence of a lack of intentional and significant leader training, the church and the Kingdom suffer!
In the pursuit of raising up called, gifted and well-equipped leaders who could make significant impact in our congregations and ministries around the globe, the Church of God Movement has endeavored for decades to elect/ratify Credential Committees within each state that would take responsibility for overseeing the nurture and readiness of those responding to the call of God. This vital assignment only increases in need and challenge as the culture we are living in today continues to lose anchor and moorings to anything Biblical, and the challenge to reach, teach and minister in our communities is greater and more complex than ever.
Recognizing the increasing challenge for Biblical preparation and missional equipping, Leadership Focus (LF) was designed to come along side of Credential Committees offering an intense and intentional process designed to empower them as they oversee the holistic equipping of their candidates. Leadership Focus was originally developed in 2011 in collaboration with the Credential Committee leaders from Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and leaders from Healthy Growing Churches. It launched in the fall of 2012 to serve those three states to provide for the candidates a far greater preparation than any one state could provide on its own. Very quickly Michigan, the CDP Assembly and Colorado began using Leadership Focus as well to train their candidates. Other states and regional assemblies began to see Leadership Focus as having great value for their candidates as well.
In 2014 Church of God Ministries (CGM) began hearing and trying to respond to a strongly expressed need articulated by many leaders and pastors across the Movement. Time, evaluation and resources were spent by CGM to investigate options and reasonable alternatives to helping address this need. After a year of canvasing and exploring, CGM leadership determined to step out in faith and purchased the software and all rights to Leadership Focus in 2015 so that they could more easily respond to this growing demand for assistance in the preparation and equipping of credential candidates and began offering LF to all assemblies. Their desire was to add value and support to every credential committee as well as strengthen the Biblical and missional readiness of those seeking credentials in the Church of God Movement. Over the last two years over 40 additional assemblies have determined to utilize Leadership Focus in training their candidates. It is a significant culture change for the Church of God, as assemblies determine to partner together in a unifying effort across the nation to work together as we impact and invest more deeply in those responding to the call to ministry.
The General Assembly (GA) of the CHOG, met in Oklahoma City at the 2015 Convention. A resolution, reflecting the serious felt need across the Movement for identified, stronger, common processes and consistent standards among assemblies was presented and unanimously passed requiring Church of God Ministries to rewrite the national Credentials Manual and ensure that a credential’s training process would be “unifying; consistent; equitable; Biblically-grounded and easily accessible.” A 24-member committee with representatives from our Endorsed Agencies, our Partners in Ministry, our Regional Pastors, pastors and lay leaders from each of the five regions and Canada was elected at that GA meeting to fulfill that assignment. What followed, has been the broadest, most comprehensive approach to creating a unifying system of credentials training in our Movement’s history.
The assignment from the GA started as a one-year project and turned into two years of multiple meetings for the elected 24-member committee; multiple round table and con-ference opportunities to hear from individuals and organizations across the nation; reflection and direction from the Ministries Council of the Church of God; and two national Credential Congress meetings. All that unprecedented effort and sometimes painful collaboration resulted in the 2017 Credentials Manual that was adopted by the Ministries Council of the CHOG, presented in the 2017 General Assembly of the CHOG, and is currently being presented and/or ratified by regional and state assemblies across the Movement.
While there are a number of changes in the 2017 manual, perhaps one of the most significant is the decision to utilize Leadership Focus as the standard for all credential training. What does that mean and what exactly is Leadership Focus? Why would we have a “required” standard? Does that mean local credential committees no longer have authority? These are just a few of the questions that I imagine may rise among us.
“What does it mean that Leadership Focus is the standard for all credential training?” The history of credentialing in our Movement reflects a continued response to expressed need, changing times, and the challenges of the culture around us. An outline of that history can be found in the opening pages of the new Credentials Manual. As early as 1948, we began trying to respond as a Movement in a united way to the disparity and lack of consistency regarding credentialing practices. Almost 70 years ago, we began reasoning together and trying to find practices that would bring cohesiveness. Unlike some other faith groups, our Movement has never required a candidate to hold any specific formal educational degree/s. That has left us with each assembly establishing various requirements.
Leadership Focus offers a “foundation”; a level ground so that regardless of where a person is credentialed in the Church of God, there is at least a basic and consistent training that we can have confidence in. Every assembly still has the right and the responsibility to require additional theological training, counseling, education, experience as that credentials committees deems necessary for that candidate.
“What exactly is Leadership Focus?” Leadership Focus is strictly a training tool that a credentials committee uses to address the growing complex needs in preparing candidates to be effective in the 21st century of mission and ministry. Each credentials committee must still determine the readiness and additional needs of their individual candidates. Leadership Focus has four foundational principles that is woven into every one of the 26 cluster meetings that a candidate is required to attend.
Spiritual Formation: Every cluster meeting is grounded in a passage of scripture that the candidate is required to evaluate and respond to. It is the firm practice of LF that if a candidate does not have a strong, vital, growing relationship with Jesus Christ and a grasp of the Word of God, nothing else that is taught will matter (Philippians 3:7-15).
Competencies: The complexities of today’s challenges in doing ministry and mission are enormous. A variety of assessments and experiences are aimed at helping candidates to know themselves and what God has called them to; to understand others as individuals God loves and values; how to handle conflict; manage change; build teams; understand theological essentials; establish healthy boundaries; live in connectivity with the body of Christ and community they are called to; and how to set goals and implement strategies that will be effective for Kingdom expansion.
Community: Every candidate is placed in a cluster with 4-5 other candidates and an assigned coach in an intentionally diverse environment. They will journey together in cluster meetings, assignments and sharing of their lives’ journeys, experiencing both pain and joy together, while growing, learning, and being discipled in Christ and in their calling. Additionally, each candidate is challenged that we are also called to the Church of God Movement that we are being ordained in, to the mission we have engaged around the world and to the communities that God has set us in. No one should ever be doing ministry alone or lonely!
Missional: While this term became a “fad” for some time, its foundation is Biblical. The Great Commission is the basis of our calling. We are not called to positions; we are not called to roles; we are not called to maintain congregations or satisfy the saints; we are not called to titles; we are called to fulfill the Great Commission—period! We have become “church-centric” instead of “Christ-centric.” It is the goal of LF to ingrain each candidate with the alertness that we are called to lead our churches to be deployed—not to be safely gathered; to be on mission—not to be “the” mission; to be individuals who see their calling to share Christ anywhere, all the time, in every setting not just on Sunday morning and during Bible study. We ask our candidates regularly, “Who have you shared Christ with recently, OUTSIDE of your ministry assignment?” Perhaps that’s a question we should start asking ourselves and our congregations.
Leadership Focus is a 2-and-a-half-year training program. A candidate will move through the program experiencing six “modules” (focused units of study consisting usually of 4-5 monthly meetings). Each cluster has a coach assigned to that cluster for that module that meets with them for their cluster meetings, facilitates their conversations, and assists them with all assignments. These coaches come with excellence and proven track record in their assigned areas. Additionally, the coach reports directly to each candidate’s credentials committee at the end of each module. Their credentials committee approves their progress after each module.
Every candidate experiences: Module One—Commencement: Fulfilling all the preparation; references; application; assessments; etc. Cluster meetings focus on: salvation; knowing God; call to ministry; cost of ministry.
Module Two—Character: Cluster meetings focus on: healthy boundaries; the infilling of the Holy Spirit; holiness; ministerial ethics; financial health; family and marriage.
Module Three—Competencies: Cluster meetings focus on: being known by God; knowing others; building teams; managing conflict and change; life cycles.
Module Four—Confessions: Cluster meetings focus on: heritage and history of the Church of God Movement; central doctrines of the Church of God Movement; excellence in communication; authority of the Bible; the Kingdom of God.
Module Five—Connectivity: Cluster meetings focus on: understanding missional ministry; reaching “out” not just “down;” connecting to our communities and our ministries around the world.
Module Six—Celebrations: Cluster meetings focus on: Integrating strengths and goals; refining our calling and response to that calling; developing a L.A.M.P. that incorporates our personal, professional, and public life.
Throughout the process, there are several books that are required, resources that are recommended, articles to read, videos to watch and other assignments. The credentials committees, coaches, and candidates regularly speak into their experience and help with evaluations of how to improve Leadership Focus.
“Why have a ‘required’ standard?” In the Church of God Movement, ordination granted in any of our North American Assemblies is generally accepted by all our assemblies. Some of our assemblies have required a rigorous and prescribed training program while other assemblies have not even met with their candidates on a regular basis. That has caused such wide discrepancy in preparation and competency that at times it has been disruptive and problematic. In addition, with the challenges of living in a litigious society there is the weight of responsibility for ensuring that we have given due diligence in preparing and assessing those whom we would credential and place in authority. Finally, it seems good and right, that in a time when change is so rampant and when in so many ways in the Church of God we no longer have unifying factors, that we as a Movement would be courageous and intentional in finding and securing those important processes and points of agreement that would nurture commonality and unity. Requiring all credentialed individuals to experience the same level of training; explore the same theological statements; and build relationships with one another and with CHOG coaches and mentors would seem to strengthen the fabric our Movement and the quality of our leaders.
“Does that mean local credentials committees no longer have authority?” This may be the most important question of all. The answer is nothing could be farther from the truth. LF is strictly training and preparation. All decisions remain with the local assembly and credentials committee. A candidate may not enter LF without the credentials committee’s approval. A candidate may not move forward without the credentials committee’s approval. Completing LF is not a guarantee of ever receiving credentials. A credentials committee is not limited to only requiring LF. They must assure that each candidate receives the guidance and training needed. A credentials committee may choose to assign a mentoring pastor to their candidate above and beyond the coach in Leadership Focus. An essential process in LF is that all materials completed by the candidate, all assignments completed, all reports from coaches about candidates, are all sent directly and immediately to their credentials committee.
In summation, there is no change to the authority of the credentials committee. LF becomes a partner that brings resources and processes to offer that are meant to increase and magnify the experience of credentialing through each of our assemblies.
There are currently over 300 candidates in the Leadership Focus program. These are men and women of all ages and all backgrounds answering the call of God on their life to mission and ministry in the Church of God. Would you join me in praying for them! Not just today. Let us lift them up daily in prayer that God would invade their life, strengthen their commitment, protect their families, and prepare them deeply for the calling that has given them. We really do need each other!
If you have any further questions, suggestions, or recommendations, please feel free to contact me directly at jflynn@chog.org.
Herbert M. Riggle: “How I Preached My First Sermon”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Some have called H.M. Riggle “the Billy Graham of the Movement” because of his success as an evangelist. One of our pioneers, he contributed heavily to our “spiritual DNA” as Movement. Riggle began preaching as a very young man—about 19 or 20 years old—and preached his first sermon in May 1893 in what is now Bellingham, WA, in a Free Methodist meeting. Below is his account of that experience.
That evening we walked silently together to the church. I was trembling from head to feet. When we reached the place, to our surprise the house was crowded to capacity. The minister had spread the announcement that a new preacher from Pennsylvania would address them, and this resulted in a record attendance. When I saw the large congregation, my courage almost failed me. My wife will not be whiter when she lays [sic] in her casket than she was at that moment.
After song and prayer, with lips quivering and my whole frame shaking I managed to walk to the stand in front of the pulpit. I did not feel worthy to enter the pulpit. I opened my Bible, and with stammering tongue read the text. That instant it seemed the windows of heaven were opened, and the Holy Spirit fell upon me. My mouth was opened, my tongue unloosed, and I was changed into another man. For more than one hour the truth went forth like thunder-peals. Soon Wife was on her feet shouting, the Free Methodists were shouting, and gravitation could not keep me down either. I was leaping for joy and gladness. My wife afterwards told me that the language used was most eloquent. It was the Holy Ghost using the vocal organs to please Himself. Praise God for the experience of that hour. I never after doubted my call to the ministry.
--Pioneer Evangelism (Anderson, IN: Gospel Trumpet Co., 1924) 51-52
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