A “New, but Old” Direction
We are excited to share with you the “new, old” thing God is doing with us. Over the last couple years or so we began to sense that God was directing us again to become involved with the bigger picture of what He is about in the world by going full time again with Youth With A Mission (YWAM).
Our time on staff with Lima Community ended in late February and we are moving forward into a new season of life and ministry. We are deeply grateful for the many friends and the wonderful season God gave us with all of you at LCCN. Thank you! We see ourselves as a missionary extension of you, and see you as our home church family.
As we move into all God has, we are praying for partners to join with us in both prayer and finance. Check out all the details by watching the video above and by looking through our website.
God is at Work!
God is at work in the world is some quite remarkable ways! Christianity has moved “South” in the sense that large numbers of people in the southern two-thirds of the world have come to Christ, from Latin American to Sub-Saharan Africa to Asia. The changing face of world Christianity has meant a changing understanding of the European and American Christian’s role.
Nations that were once only receiving missionaries, e.g., Korea and Brazil, are now leading missionary senders. Nations that once saw themselves as somehow dependent on Christianity from more developed nations are finding their place and responding to the call to do their part in God’s Great Commission. What this means is that partnership between Christians on a global scale is God’s call to the people of God in the 21st century.
This rapid growth of the church word-wide has led to a desperate need for Biblical training. Here is where we as American Christians can make a difference – one of our strengths has been the quality and depth of our Biblical training and resources.
Over the years, this truth has become a deepening conviction. Those of us whose call is to teach and train have an awesome responsibility and privilege – to use the gifts God has given to us to equip our brothers and sisters in other places in the world. How can we do this?
One of YWAM’s strengths over the years has been the emphasis given to training. While not disparaging University education, in the traditional sense, YWAM has sought to make practical education and training available to its staff and through its staff to the various locations where they serve. The training umbrella for YWAM is called the University of the Nations (U of N). A variety of courses focused on Biblical education are available through the U of N for those within YWAM. We are currently involved with School of the Bible and Bible School for the Nations.
Our Personal History with YWAM
Our involvement with YWAM began as a friendship with a couple who had been involved in the 1970’s. They stirred our hearts to do something more for God. In 1985, we became active in YWAM full-time after having completed YWAM’s introductory training school, the Discipleship Training School (DTS). In 1990, we left YWAM with clear direction from God to attend seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary. We later returned to YWAM in 1999 where we served as teachers in one of YWAM’s secondary training schools called School of the Bible located in Tyler, Texas.
During our time on staff with Lima Community Church, we have continued our involvement with YWAM by accepting invitations to teach both in the U.S. and internationally, as our time and workload have permitted. Although we were able to teach in several schools, we continually turned down other invitations from various places in the world.
So what now? We have felt the Lord speak to us about the need to focus. Teaching and training is the passion of our hearts and we recognize the need to make space to do those things. Our role in YWAM addresses this need to focus.
Our Role with YWAM
Our role with YWAM will look like this:
- Teaching: An expansion of our teaching role in YWAM training schools throughout the world.
- Development: I am currently on a leadership team overseeing and facilitating the development and launching of Bible School for the Nations world-wide within YWAM. Our full-time work will allow us to further develop Bible training courses within YWAM.
- Mentoring: This development would involve the training and mentoring school leaders and teachers for YWAM training schools.
- Resourcing & Training: Helping with curriculum development, teacher development, staff training, etc.
- Writing: The Lord has given clear direction to begin writing.
