Training pastors across the globe encourages leaders and fuels the movement to fulfill the Great Commission.

What Happens When We Train Pastors Globally

By Chip Ingram

Training pastors globally encourages leaders and fuels the movement to fulfil the Great Commission. 

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Pastors are tired. Many church leaders are burned out and exhausted – from ministry, from the past two years of upheaval, and from the non-stop work they face. This goes for pastors in affluent communities and under-resourced churches alike.

Maybe you’re a pastor and you’re nodding your head right now. Lifeway reports the highest struggles for pastors to include time management and overcommitment. In another survey, they cite “developing leaders” as the greatest need. 

On the other hand, the least-reported area of need is vision – many pastors know what they’re being called to do, they just need time and manpower to make it happen! And most of all, they need encouragement and a renewed sense of passion to fulfill the Great Commission. 

We must never forget the Great Commission. The scope of our task as believers is not simply local or generational — it’s global. Share on X

Training pastors across the globe encourages leaders and fuels the movement to fulfill the Great Commission.

2 Innovative Ways To Encourage and Resource Pastors

At Living on the Edge, we see the need and we’ve had the privilege of bringing resources and training to pastors all over the world. The scope of our task is not simply local or generational; it’s global. Here are just a couple of the ways we’ve strategized to equip and encourage pastors:

1. International Training

We began in China distributing nearly three million books with training to pastors and church leaders and have now expanded our training to include the Middle East, Egypt, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and Mexico. 

My book, The A.R.T. of Survival, and training events have helped renew the commitment of many international pastors who were on the verge of burnout.

Here’s what one pastor said:

Get resourced! Visit our International Message Library designed for pastors.

2. Leadership Gathering

Recently, I was shocked by the response of a dozen pastor friends who accepted my invitation to gather for 3 days and ask: “What is God doing? How do we ask God to rebirth a disciple-making movement in our day?”

They are busy people with a lot of demands, but they know the seriousness of developing disciples.  

The pandemic has revealed the shallowness of our character, the ignorance of our doctrine, and the worldliness of our followers. An African leader said it well:

“The church is sixty miles wide and about 1 inch deep.”

Training pastors across the globe encourages leaders and fuels the movement to fulfill the Great Commission.

That’s why the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism has identified the greatest need in the world today as DISCIPLESHIP. 

We see the need and the impact of resourcing pastors so they can fulfill the Great Commission and disciple followers of Jesus. At Living on the Edge, we’re committed to continue bringing hope, encouragement, and theological training to these leaders. To walk through the doors that God has opened, we’ll need to multiply our capacity by ten times in the next two years! 

Learn more: 3 Exciting Highlights from Our Ministry Report

Training pastors across the globe encourages leaders and fuels the movement to fulfill the Great Commission.

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION

This is a crucial time. Could it be that over the past twenty-five years of ministry, God was building and preparing Living on the Edge for this very moment in world history? Is He inviting us to have a significant part in fulfilling the Great Commission in our lifetime? Only God knows, but we dare not miss this opportunity.

That’s why we’re asking our supporters to help us during our Mid-Year Match campaign. Your financial support will help us to expand our capacity, support more pastors, and tackle other initiatives we’ve been called to fulfill.

There’s a movement brewing among God’s people and His leaders need support. Imagine an army of leaders who are refreshed, equipped, prepared to disciple believers, and bring the Great Commission to their communities!

Will you pray about being a part of the movement?  You can make twice the impact by donating today.

Written By

Chip Ingram

Founder & Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Chip Ingram is the CEO and teaching pastor of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. He is the author of many books, including The Real God, Culture Shock and The Real Heaven. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren and live in California.

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