Premise For Ministry Preparation
Premise For Ministry Preparation
Premise For Ministry Preparation
1
PREMISE
FOR
MINISTRY
PREPARATION
by Daniel A. Brown, PhD
This
is
a
short
article
taken
from
one
of
“Daniel’s
Travel
Journal”
entries
he
made
while
traveling,
sharing
relationship
and
ministry
with
friends
and
churches
in
various
parts
of
our
country
and
overseas.
Unfortunately,
our
training
model
in
church
is
based
on
a
premise
that
makes
people
feel
perpetually
unqualified
for
leadership.
No
one
comes
right
out
and
says
so,
but
how
we
train
people
communicates
one
major
fact:
“You
need
to
know
what
you
don’t
yet
know!”
Yikes.
No
wonder
people
feel
like
they
don’t
know
enough
to
be
a
leader.
If
they
always
need
to
learn
what
they
don’t
know—in
preparation
for
ministry
that
they
will
one
day
do—they
will
always
know
that
they
need
to
know
more
before
they
minister.
Can
you
see
what
a
vicious
cycle
that
is?
There
is
no
way
that
a
normal,
thinking
person
ever
can
conclude
that
they
are
now
ready
to
minister!
My premise for ministry preparation goes more like this:
“You
already
know
many
things.
Jesus
has
taught
you
allot.
He
wants
you
to
learn
more,
of
course,
but
what
He
has
already
taught
you
is
enough
for
you
to
be
able
to
minister
to
people
right
now.
The
only
things
you
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
P R E M I S E F O R M I N I S T RY P R E PA R AT I O N
2
need
to
know
to
minister
are
those
things
you’ve
already
learned.
In
other
words,
teach
what
you’ve
been
taught—and
don’t
worry
about
what
you
don’t
yet
know.”
That
is
a
far
more
hopeful
and
do‐able
training/ministering
partnership
to
offer
to
people.
Daniel A. Brown, PhD ctw.coastlands.org