Individual pastors can establish contact and relationships with pastors in other areas of the world today through social media. There are some difficulties and sacrifices associated with it but I can tell you I have been immeasurably blessed personally through my experiences in doing this

At the 40 PCA General Assembly, Mission to the World stated one of their growing needs falls in the area of training. They are getting an untold number of requests and invitations offering opportunities to conduct training for pastors and churches at various places around the world.

Just in the last two months through Facebook conversations, I myself have received invitations to speak in numerous places around the world in a variety of different venues from pastors conferences, evangelism conferences, seminary lectures and training, leadership conferences, church conferences, etc., everywhere from Burma, to Pakistan, to Egypt, and to various parts of India and Africa.

Theological training is an area the reformed community ought to give considerable attention and energy to. I’m finding pastors of churches around the world starving for guidance and theological education. Most are not looking for financial handouts but for mentoring, discipleship and prayer.

Here in the West, we have been richly blessed with theological education and training. Many even in our Sunday School classes have a depth of understanding that would be cherished in some parts of the world.

How do we strategically and connectionally take advantage to help meet some of these training needs throughout the world?

Here are some thoughts:

1 Stay abreast of what’s happening and encourage our denominational leaders in this area. Pray for these leaders in this area and encourage them as they work to not only raise up this ministry but make it a significant priority. Our area coordinators throughout the world can and should play a significant role in helping us evaluate the need, determine the locations, establish the vision and implement strategies which employ a broad use of church resources. This is a ministry that the reformed church in particularly can be instrumental in and serve the broader church.

2. Individual pastors can establish contact and relationships with pastors in other areas of the world today through social media. There are some difficulties and sacrifices associated with it but I can tell you I have been immeasurably blessed personally through my experiences in doing this. Not only have I been blessed in gaining a broader vision of the condition and what is taking place in the the church universal, blessed in learning things about our own situation through conversations with others, blessing in having pastors who are using sermons and other materials I am sending them and referring them to, and blessed as well in having fellow congregations and saints throughout the international world who are serious about prayer praying for me and the ministry of my local church. While the time difference between our locations can present some issues, I have even found the overseas pastors across the board willing to do their part in accomodating my schedule. Try it!

3. This is a great time for reformed denominations to get serious about working together to produce and provide resouces as well as to point to existing resources to equip the international church. The internet itself along with the English language is known and used by many, and resources such as reformed confessions, commentaries, blogs, etc. are readily available, but my experience shows simply pointing others to the resources is not as effective as developing the relationship, providing some discipleship and then helping them see that reformed resources are bountiful if they know where to look and will avail themselves to them.

4. Revamping how we do Missions Conferences can also form a productive part. If instead of always flying speakers in and providing hotels for them, if we were to use some of that money (or other monies) to fly some of the pastors in from around the world who are genuinely interested in theological education and relationships, and not only assist them to get to know our congregations but prepare and provide discipleship and some theological education for them while they are here, along with sending them on their way with substantive resources, think of what a difference it could make! Folks, some of these churches know little more than the basic gospel message itself, and some do not have a very deep grasp on that (yet many are zealous and dedicated to the Lord and giving themselves sacrificially in labors of ministry and mercy.) Then think if churches in a particular area were to coordinate their conferences and work together to provide training using local pastors and teachers to come together and each take parts of the training, how much more effect it could have!

5. We need to be willing to support and GIVE toward this arm of the ministry in the future as needs are set before us. This type need generally is not as attractive as giving to particular missionaries (and thus having “faces” to raise money in these areas will prove helpful), but we need to help our members understand the value of participating in this type ministry. The result can be the difference between sending some fishermen and sending fishermen but also equipping many other fishermen to fish!

6. Churches need to be willing to send pastors and teachers to conduct training in areas where it is desired.. This may require a change in mindset for some from primarily thinking evangelistically when it comes to missions trips to thinking both evangelistically as well as mentoring and discipleship. I think of the image of “puddle jumping” that is sometimes used in civilian aviation where planes will go from one airfield to another spending a little time at each field as they go. How great it would be if more pastors and teachers could take extended trips around the world and visiting various Christian communities along the way to conduct training and conferences of this nature. This is an age where activities similar to Paul’s second and third missionary journeys can prove valuable. On the whole Paul evangelized and established churches on his first journey but later went back to help develop leadership and disciple and train those within the church.

7. We must not only pray for God to raise up such a ministry and those who will lead it but work to employ and mobilize people for this purpose. That means beginning NOW to speak to the vision and to keep the vision before the church.

The secular world has been writing recently about how the world is literally being connected through modern technology. If this is true of the secular world, how much more the church which actually forms one body and has parts whose very purpose is to serve and build up the others!

I look forward to the the church growing more “universal” in our communication and connections (to match our spiritual bond in Christ). I believe growth in these areas will add to our unity and witness which in itself will help regarding our mission as we carry the gospel to the ends of the earth!

Tim Muse is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as Senior Pastor at Brandon Presbyterian Church (PCA) in the Jackson, MS suburbs.  He blogs at All Things Reformed where this article first appeared; it is used with his permission. 

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]