I met with Mike Ovey before his untimely death.
We sat together in a coffee shop on Waterloo Station. He was concerned that a substantial percentage of the men who trained at Oak Hill were not lasting in the ministry. He talked of a ten-year watershed: if he could get them to hang on past that, then they would stay for life. But before that many dropped out. He got me thinking: are we training men for the ministry in the right way?
Preaching
The vast majority of what is taught at our Bible colleges concerns preaching the Word. Students learn Greek and Hebrew and hone their Bible-handling skills to the maximum. This, of course, is good and right. Paul charges Timothy: ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2.15). But is this meant to be our sole concern in preparing candidates to become church leaders?
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …