Read the stories below from 8 different Walla Walla University Student who participated in the WWU Student Mentoring Program.
This last year of ministry has held much variety and many constructive challenges for me. Besides the usual routine work that is part of the program, such as church member visitation, staff and board meetings, Bible studies, and helping with the Collegiate Sabbath School, I have also been involved in several other ministries as well, including ministering through music in church services and other occasions, occasional preaching, and a youtube ministry. Pastor Jeff Kinne, my mentor has provided me with plenty of pastoral wisdom through our weekly conversations and I believe his mentoring has helped me develop a ministry style that is effective, but suits my personality as well. The Youtube ministry started with a discussion at staff meeting about how we could use more electronic avenues for notifying people about Village Church events and spreading the gospel to a wider range of people. Pastor Kinne assigned me the task of checking into it and, after some networking and meetings, we decided to venture out with this new approach. We have posted both devotional videos and promotional videos for Village Church events on the channel and through the process, I have gained many pointers on how do better handle a Youtube ministry. It has been a learning experience for me and we hope for further development in the future.
Besides this new ministry, I have mostly been engaged in Bible studies, preaching, and visitation. The Bible studies were generated through a mass mail-out of Bible study request cards In Walla Walla. Then Village Church’s Bible Work Coordinator, Jon Jerinette, assigned different people to delivering the studies and asking If people wanted personal Bible studies with church members. I delivered several studies and was able to schedule a couple studies in people’s homes, Meeting people who were interested in finding a deeper bond with Christ and sharing messages from the Bible with them has blessed me spiritually, has sharpened my communication skills, and has aided my knowledge of the Bible. I can also see the helpful Influence it has had on the Bible study interests; they appear strengthened and comforted to be able to study with someone who shares their Interest in spiritual things.
My preaching has mostly consisted of sermons for the early service at Village Church once every other month. But I have also had the opportunity to preach at several other smaller churches In the valley that are in need of guest speakers. The regular exposure to preaching in a church setting has been very helpful in developing both my delivery and sermon-crafting skills. Through a variety of pursuits and opportunities, this year has provided a great deal of education and growth for me as a developing minister and I hope to continue this trend through the summer and next school year.
Chad Angasan Pastor Mentoring Program Final Words A Closer GlimpseI have had the privilege to work with Continue reading
“That will never work here because we are a different culture.”
“Our job is not to make secular people spiritual but to go after the secular people God is making spiritual. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:13-15 that spiritual things are spiritually discerned. God gets there first, then we are sent to connect the dots, to help them find what they’re already looking for. Desire of Ages page 349 tells us Jesus’ disciples ministered with Him, looking for interested hearers. They were not trying to interest the hearers but to find those God had already made interested. God wakes up the heart and then sends in the messenger (see Acts 2, 8, and 10) and God knew what message is needed to appeal to hearts at end of time, the Three Angels Message of Revelation 14:6-12.”
Jim Cress, who recently fell asleep in Jesus as General Conference Ministerial Director, shares some valuable principles for how he approached church growth as a pastor in this
”As a pastor I want as many people in the boat with me as possibe. That way they can help bail out water rather than watch from the shore and say ‘there goes the pastor; look at him paddle; oh, no the boat is leaking; watch the boat sink; poor pastor’”!
Rumors were beginning to swirl around our church. Was it true that one of the couples was having trouble with their marriage and even thinking about divorce? The battle in my mind began. Should I say something to them or was it none of my business? What if I said something but it was taken the wrong way? But if I didn’t say something and they later divorced I would feel guilty for not doing anything. They probably needed counseling and since I’m not a trained counselor I was off the hook. But was there anything I could do as a friend and fellow believer to help them with the underlying spiritual issues that were causing the problems?
Gary Blanchard (
Bible Prophecy Truth website
The greatest shortage in God’s work is not money, time, materials or equipment. It is workers. Working workers. Two thousand years ago Jesus said “The harvest is great but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2). That is still true today.
Bobby Moore
“When I meet with groups of pastors through the years I like to ask them which two Ellen White books did she say would especially help new members be grounded in their faith. Almost every time they mention
Recently one of our northwest Seventh-day Adventist pastors went through a very difficult experience. He was encouraged by several friends to attend a weekend in Portland called “Foundations.” He paid the fee and attended but had such serious reservations about some of the process that he left early. He wrote down
“This is the best, most spiritual book on dealing with church conflict I have ever read,” said John Freedman,