I’ve never been accused of being a great artist. But that hasn’t stopped me from doing some drawing. In fact, I sketched an impromptu picture during the first course I taught after coming to Heritage. The class was on the Pastoral Epistles, three books written by the apostle Paul (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus). One of the reasons I love these books is because they help provide us with a picture of what a godly, effective minister looks like.
So one day in class, I put a drawing pad on an easel and sketched out a picture of a godly minister. It’s far from a masterpiece, but it does represent the kind of spiritual leaders God wants for His church. It also gives a portrait of the kind of graduates we want to develop at Heritage.
STAND STRONG
Two legs, like pillars, give solid footing to a minister. One leg represents spiritual vibrancy—life-giving union and communion with Christ. The other leg stands for godly character—personal credibility in life and ministry. Without godly character and a vibrant spiritual life, a minister is shaky and will eventually stumble and fall.
That’s why Paul keeps calling Timothy to draw close and stay close to Christ. That’s why we call our students at Heritage to the same thing.
LOVE THE SHEEP
The heart of an effective minister is a shepherd’s heart. That’s because to be fruitful in ministry you have to love people with the love of Christ. No wonder Paul told Timothy to set an example in showing love (1 Timothy 4:12). That’s why we want our students to develop and deepen their ability to express Christ’s love for those they serve.
PREACH THE WORD
In my sketch, you’ll notice the Bible in one hand. Here’s a reminder that effective ministers hold to God’s Word firmly and teach it faithfully. Paul told Timothy “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). We want our grads to be known as faithful expositors of God’s Word.
LEAD THE WAY
The minister has a Bible in one hand and a compass in the other. The compass pictures another core competency required of spiritual leaders—they must know how to lead people in God’s ways. Timothy may have been somewhat of a reluctant leader who battled with “timidity” (1 Timothy 1:7). So Paul reminded Him of God’s provision and challenged him to step into his leadership role. Every Christian worker is a leader on some level so we seek to help our students develop the ability to lead wisely and well.
SEE THE MISSION
In my profile of an effective minister, I drew a set of glasses. The glasses are a reminder of the essential need to have a clear view of the Church’s mission. Paul called Timothy to be a witness for the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8) and to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). We call our students to do the same. We want every student be spiritually “near-sighted” (seeing the needs of the lost people locally) and “far-sighted” (seeing the needs of lost people globally).
My sketch is rather simple but it communicates something very significant. At Heritage, we are committed to developing genuine, spiritual leaders who shepherd, preach and lead with a vision for Christ’s mission.
If you, or someone you know, has a desire to develop into this kind of minister for Christ’s church, I believe Heritage would be a good place to receive biblical, theological, and ministry training. Here’s where you can find more information on how to explore a Heritage education.
Rick and Linda Reed 