Jym Shorts

Jym Shorts - September 8, 2016

by Tony Guinn on September 08, 2016

And he gave…the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry… -Ephesians 4:11-12

As the verses above teach, God gave pastors to his church for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. All of the shepherds/pastors/elders (these terms are synonymous in Scripture) at LifePoint are involved in equipping the saints for the work of ministry and are serving in ministry themselves. This equipping and serving takes place through preaching, teaching, discipleship and in other various ways.

I, Pastor Tony, am the Pastor for Equipping at LifePoint. My role is one that heavily focuses on equipping in various ministries. This is why, though all of our pastors are involved in equipping, my title is specifically Pastor for Equipping. My role is one of equipping (or training) in evangelism, elder ministry, deacon ministry, Soul Care Ministry (biblical counseling) and the Senior Adult Ministry. In addition I also meet with many people for biblical counseling, teach in various ways, oversee our Senior Adult Life Groups, preach on occasion and do various other things.

Here is an update concerning much of the equipping I am involved in:

Evangelism- I teach a 5-week class on evangelism at least once yearly here at LifePoint. This class equips people to share the gospel in a simple, gentle and respectful way. It focuses on the priority of evangelism, prayer concerning evangelism, developing relationships, sharing the gospel and persevering in evangelism. I also make myself available to small groups or one-on-one to anyone who wants to be equipped in evangelism. Leading out of our Mission Emphasis, I will be teaching a shortened version of the 5-week class on evangelism on Saturday morning, October 15, from 9:00-11:30am. I hope to see you all there!

Please pray that all who profess to know Christ as Lord and Savior at LifePoint will be equipped in evangelism and will be regularly sharing the gospel.

Also, I will be going on an evangelism mission trip with OMS to Colombia September 17- 24. Please pray as, Lord willing, I will be daily sharing the gospel and also training others in evangelism.

Elders- I equip potential sitting elders each year before they start serving in this office. After their training, approval and installation, they start serving as sitting elders. Please pray often for our elders!

Deacons- I equip deacons. I am currently, along with Pastor Chris, in the process of equipping eight deacons who, Lord willing, will be part of our first deacon ministry planned to start late next spring. The deacons will oversee our ministries of mercy and serve in mercy ministry themselves. Please pray for our deacons and our ministries of mercy.

Soul Care- I help to equip our biblical counselors in our Soul Care Ministry (biblical counseling). I oversee this ministry and also spend much of my time counseling. Please pray for our counselors to be faithful to the Scripture in their own lives and in their counseling of others. Pray for God to work in the hearts of those who are counseled to please God in all things. And please pray for those who are going through the counseling training and, Lord willing, will be part of the Soul Care Ministry.

Senior Adult Ministry- I help to equip our senior adults in LifePoint’s Five Priorities (worship, grow, connect, serve and share). We have a new Senior Adult Life Group that just started in late August. Please pray for our senior adults to be committed to our worship, grow, connect, serve and share priorities. Also, please pray for more senior adults to commit to leading and participating in Life Groups.

I am greatly blessed to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and his people as Pastor for Equipping at LifePoint. I appreciate your prayers and encouragement. Thank you!

Blessings,
Pastor Tony

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