To best view our site, we recommend the newest versions of Firefox for the PC and Camino for the Mac.
| Devotional | Trends |
| Illustrations | Recent & Readable |
| Program Updates | Links |
| News & Prayer Requests | Previous Editions |
September 2006
volume 2, issue 2
On behalf of the Doctor of Ministry Program, we welcome Dr. James Emery White to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary as our new president. Thank you to all who have been praying for our seminary through the search process.
We are looking for a picture for our Christmas card this year. If you have a nice digital photo of your church, inside or outside, from the Christmas season and would like to see it on our Christmas card (with you and your church credited, of course), please send it to Doctor of Ministry. Resolution should be 300 dpi. Deadline is October 23.
A few years after the death of the famous preacher, Robert Murray McCheyne, a young minister visited his church to discover, as he explained, the secret of the man’s amazing influence. The beadle (sexton), who had served under Mr McCheyne, took the youthful inquirer into the vestry, and asked him to sit in the chair used by the great preacher.
“Now put your elbows on the table,” he said. “Now put your face in your hands.” The visitor obeyed. “Now let the tears fall down! That was the way Mr. McCheyne used to do.”
The man then led the minister to the pulpit and gave him a fresh series of instructions. “Put your elbows down on the pulpit.” He put his elbows down. “Now put your face in your hands.” He did as he was told. “Now let the tears fall down! That was the way Mr. McCheyne used to do."
Yes, that is the way to do it. Not that physical tears must fall but that the compassion and burden which they represent should characterize every preacher feeling the weight of Christ’s ministry, knowing that the destiny of immortal souls may hang upon what we say.
--Dr. Robert Coleman, mentor for Outreach and Discipleship: Living and Leading the Great Commission
The mission statement of the church in which I serve states, “As a community and as individuals, our mission is to honor God and grow in Christ, by Worshipping God, Equipping Believers, Bringing People to Christ and Serving our Neighbors.” The key phrase of this statement is “grow in Christ”; we believe that this means that each individual is in turn being discipled as well as making disciples. This is the overarching principle; if we are making disciples, then each will be worshipping, equipping, bringing and serving! In order to do that we must create an environment where each person in our church is taking intentional steps in discipleship.
Our challenge is to create this environment where every person has an opportunity to belong to and benefit from life changing transformational discipleship. This kind of discipleship is critical to the spiritual health of the individual and to the church. In our ministry context we realized that if we simply tried to do this as another class or program it would fail! We’ve been there and done that!
So how do we keep this from being a class or program? After much prayer and thought, we realized it needed to start at the top. Every senior leader in the church is to be a discipler of others in his or her ministry sphere. Our senior leaders have committed to participate in twice monthly “life on life” discipleship groups, training sessions, and prayer times. They are committing to intentional and accountable growth alongside others in our church community. Those who have signed on to participate are entering it with the stated purpose of committing to disciple others after their ten week training period is over.
What do we envision as benefits?
How will we measure success, by conformity to the Image of Christ! Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom He foreknew, these He predestined to be conformed to the very likeness of His son, that He might be the first born among many brothers.” There are three aspects to this:
We have just recently embarked on this journey as a church and we are excited to see how God will transform his people as we grow in Him.
Timothy J. Ponzani, Executive Pastor, Valley Community Baptist Church, Redemptive Leadership and Organization Development
If you have identified a trend you would like to highlight for future issues,
please e-mail berickso@gcts.edu and
in the subject line, write trends. We are looking for students like
you to tell us what is going on in your area of ministry - what seems to be
a trend and how you are working with that trend.
back to top
If you have an illustration or quote you would like to share as noteworthy,
please submit to berickso@gcts.edu and
in the subject line, write illustrations.
back to top
Wondering what all this spiritual formation stuff that seems so “in” now is about?... Steve Macchia, Director of the
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Begins Special D.Min. Option For Military Chaplains
Chaplains in the Air Force, Army, and Navy can now receive advanced standing with credit worth a year’s residency in the Pastoral Skills track. This new option is the culmination of extended conversations between the seminary and the chief of chaplains offices about how they might work together to help equip military chaplains face the ever more complex demands of their ministry in recent years.
Chaplains who have completed the military’s own advanced chaplains’ training and meet Gordon-Conwell’s D.Min. entrance requirements can apply to the Pastoral Skills track, the program’s most general and flexible track. Those accepted can receive advanced standing substituting for one year’s residency. Check out when we offer Pastoral Skills and how the Advanced Standing for Chaplains works.
“I think our Pastoral Skills track is a great fit for chaplains,” explains Dr. Dave Currie, D.Min. Director. “It gives them a broad scope to explore whatever their particular spiritual passions and ministry questions are, yet is flexible enough that they can pick up where they left off if they are deployed overseas before completing their studies.”
Major Maury Stout of the Army Chief of Chaplains Office adds, “Many of our chaplains are seeking the kind of advanced theological education in a classic evangelical context such as that offered by Gordon-Conwell. I’m excited about being able to make this option available and hope that many will take advantage of this opportunity not only to improve their ministry skills as a chaplain, but to share and learn with and from civilian pastors.”
Take a moment to review the schedule of other upcoming cohorts. Let us know if you would like us to send information to anyone you know.
Also, take a moment to see where we will be over
the next few months. Maybe you can join us!
back to top
Featured here are links to websites that have proven to be a useful resource for ministry. Also featured here are subjects for research and good topics for thesis-projects. If you have anything that you would like to add to this section, please submit it to berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject line, write links.
Has your thesis-project been published? Dr. Currie's Byington scholar, John Pryor, is creating a list of all the students who have published their final DMin projects. If you have, or know someone who has, please contact John Pryor at the address below to let him know. Thanks! Please include Author, Title, Publisher, and year published. Send to: johnboston1225@comcast.net
All of the following databases are available remotely:
Many of these databases are essential for your research, so the library staff has compiled a list of all of these databases with descriptions, and all of the information you need to access these databases from home, including internet addresses, usernames and passwords.
To access this list of online databases, first log in to your “mydot” account (http://my.gordonconwell.edu). Then click the “Remote Access” link in the lower left “Student Services” box (see the green box in the screenshot).
This link will take you to a list of all online databases that are available to Gordon-Conwell students, staff and faculty. Simply choose the database you are interested in using, click the link at the top of the page, and you will be directed to a description of that database, along with all of the information necessary to remotely access the database.
A list of new items added to Goddard Library is available at http://www.gordonconwell.edu/library/hamilton/newtitles.
/library/onlinedata.php
www.ministrylist.com
PulpitTalk
www.thinkingthefaith.org
back to top
“This summer has been an amazing time of personal spiritual renewal for me. It all began at the first D. Min. residency at GCTS. I left encouraged by the things that were said and the support I received from everyone in the program. The two weeks began a time of healing and closeness to God that I haven’t felt in 3 years of church conflict. Along with spiritual renewal there has been a renewing of my mind. I have been writing theological papers required for …ordination as well as applying for….[a] position. I showed my wife what I had written and even she was amazed. I haven’t been this clear in my theology even while in the middle of my M. Div. studies when I was doing this stuff every day. I hope it lasts since I have never before in my life been this theologically minded….
On top of all of this, the process of candidating for this new position was an affirming time for me as a pastor. After so much conflict I was so discouraged I began contemplating another profession. The…appointments board asked me some really good hard questions that helped me to process through personally what began back at GCTS and the first residency. It helped me to think about pastoral ministry and reaffirm my calling to pastoral ministry.”
Check out what is happening with other colleagues around the world by clicking here. You can read our newest link about Dr. Alison Barfoot, DMin '99, and how she is serving Christ in Uganda.
Soong-Chan Rah (M.Div. '94, D.Min. '05) has stepped down as Senior Pastor of
If you have any news or prayer requests you would like to share, please contact us at berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject line, write news.
March 2005
August 2005
October 2005
February 2006
June 2006
If you have any information you would like to contribute to future editions,
please send them to: berickso@gcts.edu.
If you no longer wish to be notified of newsletter updates, please e-mail berickso@gcts.edu and
in the subject line, write unsubscribe.
back to top
Please let us know how we can make this page better for you. Click here to leave suggestions or feedback.
If you were unable to find something or were just frustrated with the page let us know. Or, if you found something incorrect or broken let us know. We will be unable to respond directly to your request but we will read each of them.