Armour-Bearers

This is an update on Michael and ministry. Our senior pastor, Paul, has been working with a group of guys at Emmanuel who feel called to the ministry. He gathered them together as a group and walked them through some of the basics including spiritual gifts and areas of ministry. They are called armour-bearers in reference to the men in the Old Testament who served the king by bearing his armour. Some of the main jobs these men will have will involve lightening the pastors' loads and encouraging and defending them when needed. After Paul finished the basics with these men and after we left Columbus Baptist, Paul asked Michael to join the group. Emmanuel is now in the process of restructuring the pastoral staff to include these 10 men as unpaid staff members. Paul is putting them to work in the areas of their calling and working them through the process of licensing and ordination as needed. I love that our church is taking on the job of raising up leaders and preparing them for the ministry, instead of "the call" being something mysterious and preparing for it being left solely to seminaries. Emmanuel is beginning the process of introducing each armour-bearer to the congregations. We are having an armour-bearer and wives retreat at the end of the month. And to put feet to the assertion that they are all staff-members (though unpaid and working other full-time jobs) monthly staff meetings have been moved to the evening so these men can attend and these men and their wives are being included in the staff retreat at the end of the summer. I am blessed by the lengths to which God has lead and the leaders of Emmanuel have followed in preparing, encouraging and using these men and their wives in ministry. Currently Michael and I will continue leading music at the Laurel campus, training to lead small groups and working with the other Laurel campus staff members to encourage our Laurel pastor and reach the community. Please pray for us as we continue to heal from previous ministry hurts and as we wade back into public ministry.