Personal Note to Pastors
As an extension ministry of ACTS, The Journey wants to be an agency of leadership development for the cause of Christ. Yet, I am persuaded that the local church, especially her pastoral leadership is key to surfacing and serving those who God has already prepared. Recently, I was reflecting on a way of seeing what I believe must be a part of each church’s mission – it is to develop a “culture of calling.”
In effect the concept urges us as pastors to ask – “How can we develop in our church community a culture in which God can speak freely and call those He will from among us into His service?” Obviously, Eli of long ago did it imperfectly, yet he had the understanding that God does call leaders into His service, and he gave the encouragement Samuel needed to heed God’s call, as well as the faithfulness required in teaching and mentoring that emerging leader in the ways of the Lord. How can we as pastors surface and serve those “Samuels” among us whom God is calling to great things, so that we not only “hand on the torch,” but indeed “multiply torches” to carry forward the cause of Christ?
May God bless and multiply your ministry,
Ed
