“Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38)

There is a pressing need of raising up many gospel workers. The estimate is that the CRCA needs to raise up and train up to 30 men in the current decade (2020-30) just to meet the requirements for ordained ministers with the current number of churches. It is also foreseeable that by 2030 we have another ten churches. This highlights the pressing need to raise up 40 gospel workers in the current decade.

This pressing need should be addressed by a multi-pronged strategy. There is no “silver bullet”, but God is able to meet this need for workers as we employ the means he has given us and as we invest strategically in leadership development. It was Christ himself who identified this need and urged us to pray for workers (Matthew 9:37-38). The apostle Paul recognised this need as well and instructed Timothy to entrust the things Paul had taught him “to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

We ought to see the raising up of pastors/preachers/church planters as a sub-set of raising up a much wider pool of gospel workers. We need to raise up many men and women for a range of gospel ministries in the local church and beyond, full-time, part-time, ordained, and non-ordained. Out of this much wider pool, some men will, the Lord willing, step forward for ordination training.

A Compelling Vision for Pastoral Ministry

Why should anyone consider pastoral ministry?   What are the opportunities for gospel ministry today in the CRCA? Are there reasons for making the sacrifice of study and years of ministry? Are the obstacles to gospel ministry worth overcoming? Why does it matter?  Two CRCA pastors, Murray Capill of the RTC and Adam Schoenmaker of Oasis Church (QLD), were asked these questions.  Check out the video below.  Pastors, church leaders, churches and youth/young adult events can use this video to cast a compelling and consistent message and vision for pastoral ministry.

VIDEO LINK:  CRCA: Raising Up Gospel Workers

Six-Fold Strategy to Raise up Gospel Workers

The CRCA encourages an intentional and sustained approach to raise up new leaders, as mapped out in a six-fold strategy (see below) of praying-teaching-training-mentoring-modelling-empowering. Churches cannot pick and choose among these six tasks. They are all essential and they work as a package. They are not a quick fix. They need to be sustained for years. We need to do all six of them constantly so they become a central part of the culture of each church. Then, by God’s grace, we may see in the future larger numbers wanting to engage in gospel ministry, some of them vocationally, and some of them in ordained pastoral ministry.  The resource "Developing a Specific Plan", available below, provides some questions churches can use as a guide to develop a specific plan to implement some next steps in raising up future leaders for the CRCA. 

Six-Fold Strategy to Raise Up Gospel Workers

Developing a Specific Plan

Raising Up Gospel Workers Prayer Points

Survey:  Raising Up Gospel Workers

Once your church has reviewed the "Six-fold Strategy to Raise Up Gospel Workers", please complete this brief survey. This will assist the CRCA in developing strategies and resources for pastors and churches to advance the denominational strategy to raise up future leaders in the CRCA.   Churches can access this survey here:  Church Survey.  Classis clerks can access the Classis survey here:  Classis Survey.

Young People Challenge

Pastors, church leaders, and other staff should encourage and challenge all CRCA young people, aged 18-30, to consider gospel ministry as they make career and lifestyle choices.  They should be strongly challenged to consider the need for gospel workers and be presented with an array of options both for training and ministry, in and beyond the CRCA. This should include focused conversation with University students as a particularly strategic group to focus on because:

1. They are at a crossroads in life, considering their future and their options. They are often flexible, have more time, connect socially, think laterally and are looking for opportunities.
2. They are already undertaking tertiary study and so demonstrate some capacity for the demands of tertiary theological study.
3. They have access while on campus to excellent training and encouragement through involvement with Christian Unions and AFES. 

More info and resources:  Encouraging and Challenging Young People to Consider Gospel Ministry