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bits from bob....

Where Will We Find the Next Generation of Preachers?

by Bob Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]

I sat with a group of preachers. The question for discussion was, "Why did you become a preacher?" The answers were interesting. I observed that there were two basic groups present. One group of preachers had a rich heritage and history in Christianity, the church, and Christian service. They had been Christians since youth, and their families for generations before them. The other group was composed of those who were converted and came to Christ later in life. These lacked a rich Christian heritage, and many of them said they were in ministry because of gratitude.

The conversation logically turned to finding ministers among the best of our youth. Another source of preachers was hardly mentioned. We are not finding and encouraging preachers from among the least likely. In our youth groups, we are not looking at the class clowns, the troubled, those from broken homes, and the wild ones. In our work with those newly converted to Christ, we too seldom consider those with significant baggage from their past. We are looking primarily to those who are, in our judgment, in the most likely groups, and we are suffering for it.

What would it take for us to develop preachers from among the least likely?

  • Someone must see the potential
  • Someone must spend time with the least and encourage them
  • Someone must express confidence in them
  • Someone must ask them to consider it
  • Someone must provide resources for training

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    Last updated May 4, 2011