Across Montana, pastors recognize the value of developing healthy, Christ-centered men, but often lament that these men are few and far between. They long for Spirit-filled men who are deeply rooted in the Word of God. They know that men connected for encouragement and accountability have the power to exert transformational influence upon their families, their workplaces, and community, but they don’t have a plan to shape them. Pastors believe that men committed to Kingdom values and Kingdom priorities strengthen the life of the church and propel the mission of taking the gospel to the nations. The question for many pastors is how do I get started? What resources do I use? Whom do I target? What does it look like to create a pipeline of spiritual leaders who can disciple others, model faith, and proclaim the Gospel? Here is a glimpse of 3 churches taking 3 different paths to the same mission.
About a year ago, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Billings recognized the need to make a significant investment in the spiritual development of men. This is nothing new for them. Pastor Paul Jones led an “Armor Bearers” ministry for years to strengthen, stretch, and stabilize men in core beliefs and spiritual disciplines. The question he asked of Pastor Jeff House was what is the next step to calling out the called and equipping men for pastoral ministry? Together, they formulated a strategy to engage men in a rigorous 10-month study of Gruden’s Systematic Theology. They invited men who articulated a desire and commitment to seek ordination. Some are on staff and others have already been deployed as pastors in the region. These men have been meeting for 2 hours each month to take a probing look at core doctrines. There have been engaging discussions and challenges have been extended to apply these truths personally. The culmination of this training will be a 10-page paper on their biblical convictions, and each man will experience an extensive examination by Pastor Paul and Pastor Jeff. On November 2, Emmanuel will ordain 10 men to Gospel Ministry. This includes Pastor Tom Viera at Beartooth Bible Church in Columbus, Pastor John Finley at Refuge Church in Joliet, and Pastor Donnie Zier of Racers Set Free Church in Billings, thus multiplying their Kingdom impact.
Pastor Chris Richards and Jason Rosette have had a much longer and relational path. They met on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation eight years ago. Through this relationship, Jason placed his faith in Christ. Weekly sermons at Chief Cornerstone Baptist Church, Bible study, and many one-on-one discussions have laid the foundation of his theology and ministry philosophy. As Jason has matured, overcoming addictions and walking through cultural challenges, he has taken more responsibility in ministry. He has a burden for his reservation and has been instrumental in a organizing a weekly feeding ministry and the development of a Celebrate Recovery. Jason has taken advantage of disciple-making training in Miles City with pastors from the Eastern Region. He has also benefited from training provided by International Mission Board Catalyst, Jeff Clark, who has been teaching Bible storytelling methods and healthy discipleship processes to ministry leaders on Montana reservations. Now, Pastor Chris is preparing Jason to become the new pastor, with an intentional focus on sermon preparation and delivery. Jason is a middle school teacher and football coach on the Rocky Boy Reservation, and he is applying these skills to ministry. His growth in spiritual leadership has been incremental, and his walk with Jesus has given him a passion to be a lifelong learner.
In Helena, Pastor Chris Litton has cast a wide net to develop men for ministry. The elders of Big Sky Fellowship invited over twenty men, of all ages, to join them in a 2-year process with multiplication in mind. The idea is that all will become great husbands, dads, disciple makers, and everyday missionaries. Some will become deacons, small group leaders, or ministry leaders. Others will emerge as pastors, church planters, and launch team members for new works. The Gospel must go forth, so leaders must be developed. Pastor Chris trusts the Lord to sort out the specific callings over time, but he is courageous in calling men to grow as spiritual leaders. This semester, these men will read and discuss Calling out the Called, The Master’s Plan of Evangelism, and The Secret. Each week, one of these men will teach a core doctrine from Gruden’s Core Beliefs to gain experience in developing a lesson plan with personal application.
Again, these stories are of three churches using three different paths to pursue the same mission of developing spiritual leaders. The Renew Montana Network has connections to ministry resources and ministry partners to equip men (and women) to abide in Christ and fuel Gospel advance. We connect pastors to pastors and churches to churches to foster collaboration and biblical synergy. The Glacier Region, Eastern Region, and Yellowstone Baptist Association have quality up-coming events in the next few months. How can we help you take your first step or your next step? Go to www.renewmt.org to start the conversation.
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