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As a seminary, Emmanuel has always been focused on preparing men and women for ministry to the church. But sometimes it may seem as if the academic and scholarly demands of seminary work overshadow the real reason that many study here: preparation for ministry. In this new Envoy series, “Basics of Ministry,” we will focus on how Emmanuel prepares future ministers for preaching, evangelism, worship, counseling, and other topics likely to be encountered in a typical congregational ministry.
ENVOY: Dr. Shields, how does Emmanuel prepare a minister to be effective in the pulpit? SHIELDS: Emmanuel teaches people to think, an important component in communication. We put a strong emphasis on biblical study. That is a vital basis of what we have to say. We also study the history of preaching so students can see how the great preachers of history have done it. ENVOY: What is preaching? SHIELDS: It is communicating the promises of God to people. ENVOY: What makes a good preacher in today’s church? SHIELDS: Someone who is in touch with the biblical message of God’s work with people through the ages and also with the people to whom that minister is preaching. A good preacher has to be a good communicator, using language skills, clear thinking, sensitivity to emotions and thought patterns of the hearers. The preacher should have a clear vision of where the church is going, where they spend their time and where they ought to be in a month or a year in their witness to the community. ENVOY: How has preaching changed in recent years? SHIELDS: The major change in preaching in the last 20 years has been from deductive preaching to inductive preaching. That means that preachers are not only starting with a big truth from scripture and analyzing it, but they are also starting with a question in the congregation and developing a sermon to bring the congregation to the biblical truth. There are many different ways of preaching in today’s church that are all acceptable. But the common thread is the biblical message and the purpose of the preacher to touch lives of real people. Inductive preaching includes storytelling, reading a text and asking what it could possibly mean, what are its various alternatives. It is thinking out loud, taking them through the thinking process in the sermon. ENVOY: Why is preaching so important in the ministry? SHIELDS: Preaching in the New Testament is God’s choice for bringing the promise of His presence to His people. It continues to be the way that most Christians hear the message of God. When people listen to a sermon every week, they are getting the equivalent of a good size book in a year. That’s a major communication channel. And most people are not going to read a major 400-page book of systematic theology. ENVOY: What specific ways in class do you use to prepare preachers? SHIELDS: My preaching classes are partly working with specific texts, so students know how to develop a sermon from the text. We also videotape students preaching sermons so the preacher can best see where they have strengths as well as weaknesses in their own preaching manners. Students in my class get immediate feedback from other students and then get to see the video themselves to see what others have seen. Emmanuel
Financial Update
The 2000–2001 fiscal year ended at the close of May with a shortfall of about $125,000, far less than originally feared. Some limited reserve funds — that we hope can be replenished in this coming year — were available, enabling us to begin the new fiscal year without a deficit. Thus, we move on to our future, welcoming new students, providing much needed financial aid to both new and continuing students, continuing the development of the student housing complex, upgrading our library, all done with a determination to prepare leaders for Christ and the Church.
When I was 17 years old living safely in Hugoton, Kansas, there was a 6-year-old girl living in Korea whose parents had just been murdered by the North Korean Communists. I knew two things about Korea: I knew that American troops, along with other United Nations forces, were locked in a ground war with North Korean and Chinese Communist armies, and I knew that my home church contributed to missionaries in Korea. One of those missionaries was Harold Taylor who founded the Christian Childrens Home in Incheon. And it was to this Home that the young Kil-ja Kim was brought. Recently I met Kil-ja Kim. She is now Mrs. Kangpyang Lee, the wife of the president of Seoul Christian University. And she is a leader in the Youngdong Christian Church in Seoul. In May of this year I was in Seoul for the formal signing of an agreement of cooperation between Seoul Christian University and Emmanuel School of Religion. One day Mrs. Lee and friends took me to the Korean Folk Museum. As we were traveling she told how she had come to the Christian Childrens Home following the murder of her parents. Being in the care of Christian people, she realized even as a child how much better off she was than the many needy children in her war-torn country. She said, “Harold Taylor was like a father to me.” Those people who supported the mission program of the First Christian Church in Hugoton, Kansas, would not have known Kil-ja Kim. And they could only hope that the children in the orphanage would grow up to be Christian leaders in their country. Furthermore I could hardly have imagined as I sat and listened to the missionaries from Korea that some 50 years later I would be working with Dr. & Mrs. Lee in developing a program of mutual support and encouragement between our respective institutions. God always seems to have so many wonderful surprises for us! When Christian people contribute to a mission effort they cannot see 50 years hence. They do so in the faith that God will bless their stewardship for the sake of the Kingdom. When Christian people invest in the lives of men and women who are preparing for Christian service, they may or may not have the opportunity to see what God eventually does through their ministries. Recently, Denny Fulk sent me a copy of the book by Soon Ok Lee entitled, Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman. It is the account of a faithful Communist Party member who was unjustly thrown into prison by a corrupt Communist police chief. The suffering she experienced through beatings, torture and slave labor are horrifying. She saw people reduced to animals, hence the title of the book. But she also saw a quality of endurance and love in the Christians prisoners that eventually led to her conversion to Christ. In addition to their services to Seoul Christian University and the Youngdong Christian Church, Dr. & Mrs. Lee have a vision for the evangelization of North Korea. The day will come when South and North Korea will be reunited, and the door will be open for evangelists to enter North Korea. “We must be ready to send many evangelists when the opportunity arises,” Dr. Lee said. “Will you help us?” I have no doubt that the American churches as well as colleges and seminaries will once again respond to this mission opportunity. Renovations
continue in Emmanuel’s Library This summer the Library completed the third phase of our renovation. In 1999 we remodeled the School’s attic as the Library’s third floor. Last summer we renovated the Library’s second floor. On the Library’s first floor, we replaced the static periodical shelving with compact, moveable shelving. Following Commencement, the Library staff and three volunteers moved more than 11,000 bound periodical volumes and the existing shelving in one and one-half days! The mobile storage shelving and the installers arrived on Monday morning, June 4, and completed installation of the new shelving on Friday, June 15. Two of our student staff completed shelving the bound periodicals onto the new shelving on July 24. The old shelving was either relocated to other places in the Library or placed in storage for future use. The Library furniture was returned to its designated areas by August 15—all ahead of schedule. God has blessed us with a dedicated staff of student assistants this summer. This phase of our renovation increased our shelving capacity in the periodicals section by more than 100% and extends the life of the Library’s facilities by an estimated 10–15 years. In addition to this, an electronic reference office was created in the circulation area of the Library. The fourth phase of the Library’s renovation, scheduled for the summer of 2002, will include replacing the lighting and carpeting, repainting the walls, etc., of the Library’s entire first floor. Emmanuel Alum to plant New Orleans congregation We
know a lot about the “Crescent City,” New Orleans. We know about
Mardi Gras, the Superdome, Louis Armstrong, the That is why Dr. Rick Grover, an alumnus with both his M.Div. (’92) and D.Min. (’98) from Emmanuel, will be planting Journey Christian Church under the direction of the Louisiana Evangelizing Association (LEA). Dr. Tom Jones, Emmanuel’s Associate Professor of Christian Ministries and the director of the Supervised Ministry Program, is serving as a church planting consultant for the LEA and will serve as the “coach” for this church-planting project. Journey Church will exist to help people discover Christ, authentic relationships, and a purposeful life. It is a church that wants to help people along life’s journey. Rick, his wife, Laura, and their three children are moving to New Orleans with great anticipation of this new challenge. Will, their five-year-old son, has had a hard time grasping what this move is all about. But when people ask him why his family is moving to New Orleans, he simply says, “Because we’re going to tell people about Jesus.” Rick has served for the past several years as the Senior Minister of the Woodlawn Christian Church in Knoxville, Tenn. Rick Grover is only one example of over 50 Emmanuel alumni who are involved in planting new churches across the country. Emmanuel is dedicated to preparing these pioneers to aggressively pursue this often times difficult ministry. We commend our alumni for the courage to dream and follow such visions to win people to Christ Jesus through the planting of new congregations. Women at Emmanuel, Part 1: Since Emmanuel’s beginning as a seminary, women have been enrolled in classes. Approximately 22% of our current student body is made up of women who have a strong sense of God’s calling to Christian service. Since both men and women have an obligation to God to use their talents in His service, we exist to prepare everyone for the ministries to which God has called them. Sixteen women are part of Emmanuel’s entering class this fall, joining others who are already in degree programs here. Why do women come to Emmanuel? What draws them to graduate theological education?
Why do women choose to come to Emmanuel? Emmanuel has a commitment to a graduate program that maintains a balance of academic rigor, spiritual devotion, and the development of ministry skills. Emmanuel values spouses being trained together for ministry, and encourages all women to use their gifts as they are being called. Look for Part 2 of this series, focusing on women graduates and their ministries, in the December issue of The Envoy. Douglas Foster to deliver Fife Lectures at Emmanuel
Dr. Foster is Associate Professor of Church History and the Director of the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University in Texas. Since 1997 he has been associate editor of the Stone-Campbell Journal, and is one of three co-editors of the Encyclopedia of the Stone Campbell Movement (Dr. Paul Blowers of Emmanuel is another co-editor). He has more than 20 books and articles to his credit. His most recent book, The Crux of the Matter: Crisis, Tradition, and the Future of Churches of Christ was co-authored with Jeff W. Childers and Jack R. Reese and published by ACU Press in 2001. He has given scholarly presentations to groups such as the National Council of Churches, the AAR/SBL Annual Meeting, the National Workshop on Christian Unity, the American Society of Church History, and has lectured as Lutheran Southern Seminary, David Lipscomb University, and Bethany College. The Robert O. Fife Lectures in Christian Reformation were established at Emmanuel School of Religion in 1996, and the inaugural lecture series was presented in 1997 by Dr. Robert O. Fife. The lectures, which will be held in Emmanuel’s Mildred Welshimer Phillips Memorial Chapel, are free and the public is invited to attend. Emmanuel announces Trivett Scholarship The U.G. Trivett Jr. Scholarship has been established by the widow of this longtime friend of Emmanuel. Mr. Trivett was a businessman from Johnson City, Tenn., and was an active member of the First Christian Church. His wife, Violet, formed the scholarship to assist needy students preparing for ministry. This is not the first scholarship established by the Trivetts; they recently formed a scholarship honoring Ralph and Donna Sims. Mr. Trivett was always concerned about the welfare of Emmanuel students. |
An interview with Dr. Bruce Shields, Professor of Preaching
and Biblical Hermeneutics, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program,
and occupant of the Russell F. and Marian J. Blowers Chair of
Christian Ministries.
As
many of Emmanuel’s friends and supporters know, the past fiscal year
was a challenging one for the school. At the end of January there was
a shortfall in the General Fund of over $400,000. It was the kind of
deficit that we had not seen at Emmanuel for over 15 years. The school
made the need known to donors, asking them to increase their giving.
Even though Emmanuel’s supporters had already been most generous to
the General Fund as well as to the Heritage of Excellence Campaign,
they responded in a most sacrificial way.
Jazz Festival, the
casinos, and the hot weather. But what many people may not know is
that 1.3 million people call New Orleans home, and less that 20% of
them claim any religious affiliation. There are no Christian Churches,
only eleven Churches of Christ from the non-instrumental tradition,
and a handful of Disciples churches. New Orleans also hosts the third
largest homosexual community in America and is the largest distributor
of voodoo dolls and witchcraft paraphernalia. And yet New Orleans has
working families, singles, and people of different ethnic backgrounds,
cultures, and walks of life. Many of them are business people,
computer specialists, and homemakers. They are people who need to know
Christ as the Savior of the world.
Jessica
Dart’s undergraduate degree is from Georgia Tech, where she studied
applied psychiatry. As she became involved in the campus ministry
there, led by Rick Harper (MAR ’87), she felt called to prepare for
leadership in campus ministry. Now Jessica is studying for the MAR
degree at Emmanuel and plans to serve as a campus minister after
earning a doctorate in counseling. She says that Emmanuel is very
welcoming to women who want to study for the ministry.
Beth
Wheeler and her husband, Worth, came to Emmanuel from Hope
International University in California, where Beth earned a degree in
church ministry and intercultural studies. She said that Emmanuel’s
academic reputation and good reputation among the Christian Churches
in the West helped make her decision an easy one. Beth is working
toward the M.Div. so that she and her husband can pursue missions or
innercity work together.
Kathy
Plunkett is a graduate of the University of North Florida, where she
earned a degree in industrial technology. After nearly twenty years in
industry, Kathy found herself out of a job. Her minister, Mike Decker
(MDiv ’01), an Emmanuel student at the time, encouraged Kathy to
study at Emmanuel so that she would be well equipped for ministry.
Kathy says that even though she resisted, God finally convinced her
that coming to Emmanuel was what He wanted her to do. Kathy hopes to
combine ministry with her experience in business by becoming the
executive minister of a new church plant in the future. She said she
is impressed by how supportive Emmanuel is of women in ministry and
“stunned” by the quality of the faculty here.
Cara
Richards is a new student at Emmanuel this fall. She and her husband,
Jeremiah, came to Emmanuel from Northwest Christian College, where she
received her degree in 1996. After Jeremiah’s graduation, he and
Cara prayed together and felt led to come to Emmanuel. But when they
heard about Emmanuel’s spouse tuition scholarship, Cara also decided
to take classes. She knew that she would receive a seminary education
that would enhance her role in their ministry together. Cara is
studying toward an M.Div. in Christian education.
Douglas
A. Foster of Abilene Christian University will present Emmanuel School
of Religion’s Robert O. Fife Lectures in Christian Reformation on
Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2001, on the seminary’s campus. There will be
two lectures each day at 10:45 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
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