An Important Weekend
My brother-in-law owns a flooring store and goes to a flooring convention every year. He needs constant training in the flooring industry to stay ahead of what’s coming and to help his business thrive.
Most institutions include some kind of ongoing training, whether it’s schools updating their teachers on the latest policies, or police officers learning a new field, or tradesmen adding tools—everyone seems to be constantly learning.
Our church is not a business, but I’m constantly learning and trying to encourage our staff to learn, too. This past weekend was a huge help for our church, and we were able to receive training from a pastor who has proven himself over several decades of ministry.
I complete at least two audiobooks per month, and purchase the physical book when it is especially good. That’s training. I’m heading out to Sharpening Week next week with 20 other pastors, and the conversations are locked down tightly behind closed doors with men of the same doctrine and same philosophical ideals. We get pretty candid with one another, and that’s training.
Some of the church planters involved in Sharpening Week, for example, think back to the early days of their churches starting, when they were tempted to do anything to get people. They were tempted to loosen their doctrines so that more people would stay, but through some intense conversations at past Sharpening Weeks, they learned why they should hold firm to doctrine and not compromise. Today, these churches are thriving, and as strong as ever on doctrine.
That’s training.
That’s helpful. And that’s crucial for our church, too. Just like any industry’s conferences, this Sharpening Week is, I believe, an excellent tool for us to not only maintain what we’ve had for the past 35 years, but also move forward the same direction.
I’m so thankful to you for the opportunity to go, and I pray that it is not a wasted investment. I’m thankful for a church staff and godly people who are able to keep things going here while I am out of town (I think it would be unhealthy if we were dependent on one man), and I’m eager to catch next week’s services on livestream with Dr. Andrade and Bro. Guy Snodgrass.
I’m also thankful for the mindsets that Pastor Hardy presented last Saturday and Sunday—raising the bar all the time! We can’t be Jesus, but that is our goal, and I’m happy to grow alongside of you as we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Pet. 3:18
God bless you as you grow. -Pastor Ryan