Volume 6 Issue 2 October 2005 Northwest People by Dr. Larry Perkins need for Jesus. On August 20, 1989 after an evening service Pastor Randy Evans challenged me with this question – “Rob, do you know if you are going to heaven?” We talked for quite a while that night and I asked Jesus to be my Saviour and Lord. I wrestled with hard questions such as “Is Jesus the only way to God?”, but the Holy Spirit helped me to trust God. 65 Years of Preparing Effective Leaders for Evangelical Baptist Ministry and the Kingdom of God Northwest News Northwest Baptist Seminary@ACTS Rob, how did you come to be a follower of Jesus? Quesnell, B.C. is my home town. Our family has Anglican roots. We went occasionally to church and I had a general awareness of God. However, the nature of my Rob Schweyer is Pastor of Student relationship with Him was Ministries at Maple Ridge Baptist an alumnus of more of the bargaining kind. Church and is Who stimulated you to follow God’s call into ministry leadership? A key person was our youth pastor, Bob Evans. I worked for a year after high school and he encouraged me to go to Bible College. Of course, since he was attending Northwest, I decided to apply for the Bachelor of Religious Education. My goal was eventually to be a public school teacher, but I wanted to get a good grounding in my faith first. When I was in grade 11 a young lady moved to town semester he has enrolled in the from Indiana. I liked her Master of Divinity degree program. immensely and she would invite me to church. Her parents were At Bible College I met Jonathan Luesink. missionaries with Interact. Because of He was passionate about evangelism this friendship I would attend various and recruited me to go downtown and inter-church youth functions. Graduation help New Beginnings in street came for both of us. She was planning to evangelism. I found great joy in sharing move out of town and attend college Jesus with teens in that situation and back in Indiana, but was praying that if God nurtured a desire to minister to God wanted our relationship to continue them. There was opportunity to test this that He would save me. further through counseling at Qwanoes ass is t i n g y o uth m i n i s tr y As the summer progressed various a n d events brought me face-to-face with my development at Cloverdale Baptist church. We struggled to develop a youth ministry and through many challenges gradually saw it emerge. Partway through Bible College Jenny and I returned to Quesnell to find work and repay debts. Pastor Randy Evans encouraged me to work as the volunteer youth pastor. I did that for two years and learned an immense amount. There was freedom to try various aspects of ministry – preaching, teaching, planning. These two years of experience established, for me, my calling to be a youth pastor. (Continued on page 2) Northwest (BRE 1996). This Rob and fellow student Keith Ikoma Northwest People (cont.) What currently are you doing in your ministry? After I returned to Northwest and graduated with my BRE, I served as the youth pastor for the joint youth ministry in Kamloops sponsored by First Baptist church and DallasBarnhartvalle Baptist church. After four years we realized that ministry there was concluding. God opened up an opportunity at Maple Ridge Baptist church and we are now completing our fifth year as Pastor of Student Ministries. I work primarily with young people in grades 8 – 12. However, I also network with those responsible for children’s ministry (particularly children in grades 5-7) and young adults. As well I serve on the Youth Ministry Commission for our BC Region and assist in the Youth Leadership Training Program. What do you find particularly challenging in your ministry? People are at the centre of this question. When I have the privilege of seeing people’s lives transformed by the Gospel and their growth in faith, this is a huge thing for me. Conversely, I feel it deeply when young people turn away from God after I have invested significantly in them. It is the development of people that is the toughest and yet most enjoyable aspect of ministry. For example, I am working with teen leadership to discern our ministry vision for this year. It is so exciting to have them grab hold of this discussion and centre on the question – “how can we truly experience God?” And then to hear their answer, “Let’s make this our focus this year – to really know Christ.” You are involved with the “Youth Leadership Training Program”. Why are you so committed to this process? I think my commitment arises from my own experience in getting into ministry. Key people took time to invest in my life, encouraged me to test my gifts in very practical ways, and supported me in my mistakes and successes. I know the value of this very practical, mentored ministry learning process. YLTP brings these components together in a wonderful way. It is a kind of ministry apprenticeship where people are entrusted with the care of souls over an extended period of time, but under controlled conditions. They learn what it means to nurture people in spiritual development and what ministry in a congregational setting looks and feels like. A three year exposure allows them to grow with youth over significant time and develop the kinds of relationships that enable good spiritual formation. I have two interns now and it is an incredible experience to build into their lives key ministry lessons. You are part of the ministry team at Maple Ridge Baptist Church. How do you see your current m i n is t r y , your Interviewed by Larry Perkins continuing education, your involvement in YLTP, all somehow working together? Where do you find the points of coherence? The development of people seems to be the common thread. I have just completed the initial Christian Leadership Development Seminar in the Master of Divinity program at ACTS. It was so good and challenged me with some key questions. Part of the requirements was the completion of the Strengths Finder instrument. It showed that one of my strengths is developing people. This is why I am on the Youth Commission. This is why I am engaged in student ministries. This is why I have enrolled in the Master of Divinity – to learn better how to develop people in God’s family. Ephesians 4:11ff has special meaning for me. How does Jenny, your wife, minister with you in your calling? Jenny loves the church and we are together in our commitment to see it flourish. We realize that there are more intense seasons of ministry through the year and try to adjust our expectations accordingly. She works in our home and expresses her calling in the development of our children, freeing me to pursue energetically the student ministry responsibilities God has given us. How can we pray for you? • That God would help me to develop people effectively so that they become everything God wants them to be; • That our family would flourish in this busy ministry environment and be protected spiritually; • That I would be sensitive to God’s leading as I seek to guide student ministries within our church family. Is there a word of encouragement you would have for people who may be considering ministry training? I would suggest they take time to try out ministry. Have their gifting and calling confirmed through such ministry activity by the Holy Spirit and wise people. Explore and define carefully their sense of calling. Reflect upon this deeply. Build on what they learn and be willing to explore new avenues of ministry. Yale Moffat, Phil Webb, Rick Bugslag, Rob Schweyer, Sam Bell and Keith Ikoma Some of the Fellowship students registered in classes at Northwest@ACTS this Fall semester Page 2 65 YEARS OF PREPARING EFFECTIVE LEADERS FOR EVANGELICAL BAPTIST MINISTRY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD The Potter takes a lump of unformed clay and fashions it for a specific purpose. It is His hands that determine the Northwest People on Assignment shape, the size and the function to which the raw clay will eventually be crafted. But it is in The KILN that the pliable clay is tested and hardened into a useful vessel. It is The KILN that proves the wisdom and skill of the Potter. The Kiln Kent Anderson, Ph. D. I continue to be amazed at the opportunities that God gives me to help develop leaders, and preachers in particular, for his kingdom. I recently received an email from a US Army Colonel, stationed in Iraq, who has been using my books and website (www.preaching.org) to help train chaplains to preach in that troubled place. Who would have thought? I have just submitted the final edited copy of my new manuscript, Choosing to Preach. This is a comprehensive new textbook on preaching that Zondervan has agreed to publish. It will appear in July of this coming year. I have also enjoyed opportunities to teach beyond our own NBS/ ACTS students. This summer I taught for a week at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Ministry course). This Fall I am lecturing at Pacific Life Bible College. I continue to carry a heavy preaching schedule in many of our churches. God is raising up people called to preach. I’m pleased that he allows me to be a part of their training. Ministry course called Revitalizing the Church. I am also teaching an undergraduate course at Trinity Western University called Contemporary Christianity. I am having a fabulous time teaching both courses. I continue to keep up a fairly hectic lecture schedule as well with a presentation this term at Trinity Western University on the “Pastoral Nature of the Hermeneutical Theory and Exegetical Practice of Origen of Alexandria”, which I am hoping to publish. I will also be offering a lecture on Luigi Giussani at Seattle Pacific University this coming January 12. Philippines. This measure of success has led to the current project:The Next Step – a template for churches to engage emerging leaders with the type of intentional internship that produces mature ministers. 27 people, from 11 churches, attended the first Pursuing God’s Heart retreat to start putting this process together. The next Pursuing God’s Heart retreat is scheduled for May 5-6, 2006. I continue to enjoy teaching opportunities at ACTS, mentoring students into ministry, preaching in area churches, and helping create tools like Best Practices for Church Boards. All add to the health of Fellowship Baptist churches. equipped to meet the challenges of ethnic diversity. Our “Cross-cultural think tank”, with members who are from various ethnic backgrounds and have significant crosscultural experience, is preparing a diagnostic tool to assist our churches in understanding their own cultural values and biases. Second, because short term mission teams continue to play an important role in our churches, we want to help to “raise the bar” with assistance in the training and debriefing of these teams. Please contact me at mark.naylor@twu.ca for further information on either of these new initiatives. Archie Spencer, Th. D. I have had another o p p o r tu n i t y to speak in Italy on the topic of The Protestant Christian experience for 8 days this past August. Once again I have been able to touch many Italian Catholics with the Gospel message during my time there. I continue apace in my teaching with two new courses this term. Here at ACTS Seminaries I teach a Doctor of In June, the Board of Governors extended the NCFLD mandate to a new level renamed: Northwest Centre for Leadership Development. The Heart for Ministry course, a 12 session mentored assessment for emerging leaders, is connecting “home-grown” leaders to future ministry. 20 emerging leaders in 9 Churches are now using the material. Joe De Guzman has taken Heart for Ministry as a course for over 20 pastors-in-training in the Lyle Schrag, D. Min. Mark Naylor Understanding the dynamics of intercultural relationships is an important element in ministry for our churches today. Significant grief and frustration can be avoided through the development of cross-cultural sensitivity. FEBInternational with Northwest Baptist Seminary has initiated two new emphases so that our churches can be WWW.NBSEMINARY.COM VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2 Page 3 Sabbatical Adventures in the Book of Acts In the past six months, I’ve had the privilege of an “at home” Sabbatical. Beyond fulfilling a pretty regular preaching schedule at various churches and writing and presenting several papers, I gave the lion’s portion of my study time to work on a preached—Athens, Ephesus, Corinth and Rome (See photos). One of Luke’s persistent themes in the book of Acts is the divinely assisted advance of the witness to Jesus Christ. It is indicated at the outset in Jesus’ own words of instruction: “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Obviously, physical distances had to be covered in order to realize Jesus’ mandate and you can mark those moves in the pages of Acts. Brian Rapske, Ph.D. “outsiders” (such as local mobs and Roman authorities), but also from “insiders” (such as church leaders and Christian Pharisees). Sometimes the distance that had MARS HILL WHERE PAUL PREACHED TO THE ATHENIAN to be closed for gospel advance PHILOSOPHERS (Read Acts 17:32-34) was religious and institutional writing project with the provisional (what was the place of the temple title, The Book of Acts in Its World. after Jesus’ sacrifice for examThere was also a family excursion ple?); at other times it was ethnic to the Mediterranean to see and (what were the challenges in witphotograph ancient locations ness to Samaritans and Genwhere the Gospel was first tiles?) and political (how did one witness to a governor?). But in every instance gospel advance was a challenge to the witness and to those whom witness was THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF GALLIO AT CORINTH WHERE borne. Closing the gap in witness PAUL WAS BROUGHT BY ANGRY JEWS (Read Acts 18:9-10) today is no different—it’s a challenge to us and to those with whom Travel in the ancient world was a we share. challenge and those who braved the challenge were true heroes. My writing project will attempt to “take But if Luke is anything, he’s a real- the ancient measure” of the spread of ist and he tells us that geography the Gospel and to reflect upon and was not the only gap to be closed. write about it. I’m excited that this is a The “great moves” in witness quite project with a focus on biblical discovconsistently occurred against differ- ery, having obvious action implicaent kinds of resistance and opposi- tions for today. tion. Resistance came not only from Northwest and ACTS Enrolment The summer semester exceeded expectations. We had another record enrolment. As Fall semester is now underway our enrolment picture is very encouraging. At Northwest we have registered 54 students with a significant new enrolment of people in the Master of Divinity program. 10 of these are Northwest alumni. 21 have been awarded financial aid. In the Youth Leadership Training Program we have 3 new students enrolled, bringing the total to 7. Overall in ACTS 340 men and women have registered for courses. THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS (FOREGROUND) THREATENED BY THE POWERFUL PREACHING OF PAUL (Read Acts 19:27) Page 4 65 YEARS OF PREPARING EFFECTIVE LEADERS FOR EVANGELICAL BAPTIST MINISTRY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD President’s Page Dr. Larry Perkins Northwest’s Span of Ministry Many major corporations have a short life-span. Jim Collins in Built to Last observes that most companies do not continue in existence more than 15 years! In the history of our Fellowship we have started many churches, but not all have survived and not all are flourishing. Northwest is beginning its 65th year of ministry. This is a remarkable achievement that owes everything to God’s gracious support and to the sacrificial work of many people. Will we have what it takes to sustain our ministry into the future? God was there for other institutions and people sacrificed greatly to sustain their ministries – but yet many of these agencies are now memories. So, what sustains a ministry? What makes the difference? In the case of Northwest Baptist Seminary I would say that foundationally our leadership prayerfully trusted God. Within this essential principle I would identify at least three critical factors. First, we have a sustaining vision that has inherent worth. Over these six decades our vision has focused on the preparation of ministry leaders for our constituency of churches primarily in Western Canada. People believed that this work was essential to planting and sustaining healthy, evangelical churches. Effective ministry leaders helped churches carry forward the Great Commission. Its worth led many to pray, give of their time and resources, and live out their calling as teachers and mentors. Second, God has provided an educated, discerning leadership committed to Northwest’s core vision and values but willing to embrace innovative strategies as circumstances change. Whether it is board members, faculty, staff, or Ministry Centre leaders, Northwest’s leadership included wise, spiritual people who possessed the very best credentials and significant experience. They had deep commitment to Northwest’s mission and values, but as the social, technological and religious culture in Canada changed, they creatively adapted new strategies and embraced emerging opportunities. A resiliency exists within this ministry agency that finds deep roots in such commitment and creativity. Third, we possess an intentional, focused energy given to weaving our ministry into the fabric of our supporting constituency. Examine our history and you will certainly discover times when Northwest and its constituency were not on the same page. Yet for the most part Northwest’s ministry has flourished because it paid full attention to nurturing the health and vitality of our supporting churches. There is a correlation between the remarkable growth and advancement of our Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Western Canada and the collaborative integration of Northwest within this faith family. When we do this well, Northwest flourishes. This keeps us eagerly searching for ways to improve – to do good better. There are no guarantees that Northwest Baptist Seminary’s ministry will continue for another 65 years. We know from our past history what it will take. Our responsibility today is to learn well these lessons and lead responsibly with the Holy Spirit’s help. Colombia Initiative Through the efforts of FEBInternational and national leaders a network of forty churches exists in Colombia. One of our alumni, Diego Cardonna, provides significant leadership. Dr. Kent Anderson and Mark Naylor visited last January and discerned with the Colombian church leaders the need for better ministry education. They have a good number of potential leaders emerging who need and desire training. The city of Medellin is also the home for Seminario Biblico de Colombia, a seminary that has Evangelical commitment and already works with our network of churches in training pastoral leaders. However, they cannot at this point provide graduate level ministry training. Early in August Elizabeth and Don Sendek, faculty members at the Seminario, visited our campus and met with Dr. Anderson. The discussions were encouraging. Phil Webb, a key missionary leader among our churches there, is registered with Northwest this Fall and is taking the Christian Leadership Development Seminars. This gives him firsthand experience with our ministry training processes. He will be a key person in establishing the mentoring aspects for this training in Colombia. We anticipate the visit of the Seminario’s Rector, Dr. Manual Reano, October 18-20. Please pray that God will give us wisdom as we seek to discern His direction in all of this. Our Baptist Housing Ministry has generously provided a grant of $5,000 to support the development of this initiative. An interested donor has promised up to $5,000 in additional funding, if our Northwest alumni will match it. Will you consider helping us with this and enabling us to take full advantage of this gift? We estimate that implementing this initiative will cost in the range of $15,000 over the next two years. WWW.NBSEMINARY.COM VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2 Page 5 Corner on Alumni I was born in Medicine Hat in 1918 and was born a second time in a little Baptist mission in 1925 in Lethbridge. I was baptized in 1932 in the First Baptist Church at Lethbridge. From 1934 to 1936 I attended Olds School of Agriculture. It was here I was convicted of never publicly being an active witness and made a commitment that I would never again refuse to speak on behalf of my Lord and His Word. I was soon teaching Sunday school and was asked to speak here and there. I decided if this was to be ongoing I must learn more about the Word so I enrolled at Western Baptist Bible College (now Northwest) where I took three semesters. The summer there I served as a student pastor in the Crossfield area under Jack Pickford. Due to ill health and shortage of cash I could not return but got married to Esther Moe and we spent the next year on the north west coast of Vancouver Island affiliated with the Shantymen Christian Association. I reapplied to WBBC but they were closing because of the war and my credits were transferred to Vancouver Bible School were I took two semesters and served as pastor of Canadian Memorial Presbyterian Church. At this point I was called into the armed forces and spent the next five years in the RCAF. Upon discharge we settled for the Harry & Esther Little next 14 years in Ladner attending Ladner Baptist Church and serving 12 of them as a deacon. We were also involved in church planting in South Delta and North Delta. Then for health reasons we moved to Kamloops and spent the next 21 years as members of First Baptist Church. 18 of those I was a Deacon and was involved with planting churches in Dallas-Barnhartvale and Westsyde. In the Fall of 1981 we started commuting to Logan Lake and pastored there for about a year until they were able to call David Jackson as a full time pastor. We then, at that point retired and became members of the Westsyde Church. While here we did supply ministry in Barriere, Revelstoke and Vernon – usually when they were without a pastor. Four years ago we moved close to First Baptist Church here in Kamloops, where we now attend, and the last 3 I have been a deacon. Just so I was sure to be busy I was also a Gideon for 30 of those years and supported myself as a salesman as well as Esther working here and there. None of these adventures were of our own making. The Lord found work for us to do as we relocated to each new place. As for encouragement to others you never need to hunt for a place you can serve the Lord. Wherever you are He has a job for you to do. Northwest’s Financial Health The robust business climate in Canada has meant that our endowments are achieving our anticipated rate of return. As well, financial support for Fellowship Ministries in British Columbia is on target and so this means that the grant we receive from our churches should reach our budgeted goal for 2005. Thank you for your generous support. This year our faith goal for donations has two components — $75,000 for general operations and $14,000 for student financial aid. At the end of August we had received $28,000 towards general operations and $22,000 towards our financial aid goal. As you can see, we have surpassed the financial aid goal. Praise God. By December 31, 2005 we are trusting God to provide the additional $47,000 to support our general operations. Your help is exceedingly important. Youth Leadership Training Program Once again Northwest is making it possible for the training of Fellowship Youth Ministry Leaders. This Fall three young men, Jason Harder (Emmanuel Fellowship Baptist Church in Vernon), Tim Durksen (Maple Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church), and Steve Henderson (First Baptist Church in Salmon Arm) are enrolled in the Northwest YLTP program. They are interning in their local church, working with youth while being mentored by mature ministry leaders from the church. Along side of that intensive interning/mentoring experience they are working hard at their studies, tutored by Northwest professors. Jason Harder Page 6 This past year we saw two Youth Leadership Training Program students, Keith Ikoma (Ruth Morton Memorial Baptist Church in Burnaby) and Kolby Milton (Northstar Fellowship Baptist Church in Quesnel) complete the YLTP program and continue on into a masters’ program here at Northwest@ACTS. Northwest Baptist Seminary 7600 Glover Road, Langley, BC V2Y 1Y1, Canada Phone: (604) 888-7592 Fax: (604) 513-8511 E-mail: contact@nbseminary.com WEB: www.nbseminary.com Tim Durksen Steve Henderson Northwest depends on the gracious gifts of its friends, both churches and individuals …We’re the clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us. Isaiah 64:8 (The Message)