WHEN DO YOU START TRAINING PEOPLE IN MINISTRY?

On the 9th June, 2012, I was interviewed in front of 300 high schoolers, prior to speaking at the Presbyterian Youth NSW Winter Camp. The MC, Ross Ryan, chatted to me about my walk with Christ, my family, MTS etc.

He then asked me this: “At what age do you think you can start training people for ministry?” What a great question.

I answered with these words to effect,

“The Biblical paradigm for ministry training seems to be spiritual parenting or the spiritual equivalent of family relationships where the younger learn from the older, the kids learn from the parents and the parents learn from the grandparents etc.

In our family Isabella (age 11) trains Edmund (age 8) in the gospel, who trains Samuel (our youngest at age 6). In fact, Sammy often jokes that he trains “High Jump”. High Jump is a 10cm long toy panda bear.”

No one is too young to be trained for ministry. No one who is already a Christian is too young to “give an answer for the hope they have” (1 Peter 3:15) or “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).

I answered the question the way I did to help the 13 year olds in the pavilion realise they’ve been given much, and much will be expected of them.