If Jesus doesn’t return, where are the pastors and missionaries in 2070 going to come from in the Inland Northwest? We would pray that some of them would be trained by the men currently attending The Master’s Seminary Spokane. Training pastors, missionaries, elders, and leaders is one of the building blocks of the great commission. A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ must do this locally regionally and generationally. Part of the DNA of Faith Bible Church is training pastors. That is why we have partnered with the Master’s Seminary in the high level training of men for full time vocational ministry. We aim to train the future trainers of the church.
The impact has gone regional. TMS-Spokane has students from Montana, Idaho and Washington. We have 16 students from 8 different churches and each of these is making an ever-increasing impact in his church. This year we welcome three new students and will see three students graduate. Lord willing we will send our first men out from TMS Spokane to pastor churches. This year will be an important milestone. We have John Smith, Brian Sayers and myself slated to teach pastoral ministries classes. It is thrilling to invest in these students.
I cannot underestimate your importance to this process. Churches, not just their leaders make pastors. Churches, not just seminaries make pastors. Even more, healthy churches help young pastors learn what their goal is. Healthy is a relative term, because even healthy churches face constant threats and challenges. I cannot underestimate the power of godly examples during my seminary years as they navigated crises in the church. Seemingly regular Christians showed us how to parent (no seminary class can do that). Regular Christians showed us what true generosity looked like. They showed us how to apply the Bible to daily mundane issues of life.
We have new student families joining FBC simply because of the elders and congregation we have. People want to be a part of healthy church. You can make an impact by being hospitable even during pandemic life. You can make an impact by recruiting them to your growth group. When in person ministries resume, recruit them to yours and make a personal investment. Give them feedback and counsel. There are few safe places like FBC to cut teeth in ministry and yet to be encouraged to press on. Ask them tough theological questions that you need answers for. Above all, pray for them.
Finally, join us Sunday night, August 16 at 6:30pm for our invocation of the 2020 to 2021 academic year. Area pastors are going to speak about the impact the seminary and FBC is making on their men and we are going to pray for God’s powerful blessing on the coming year. You can register online here.
Dr. Dan Jarms is teaching pastor and team leader at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at The Master's Seminary in Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, woodworking, and art.
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