What the Practicum Taught Me About Pastoral Training

Last summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Baguio City, Philippines, as part of the Reaching and Teaching practicum. My host, Pastor Jared Garcia, gave my team and me the opportunity to participate in the global training of church leaders. The training aimed for the word of the Lord to be heard all across the Philippines through expository preaching.

Before I arrived, I was curious to see what it might look like to train pastors in a foreign context. One night answered many of the questions I was curious about. It was the first night of a minor prophets class that Garcia was going to be teaching at Pines City Baptist Seminary. At 7 p.m., we started the night waiting for the men to show up. For those of you who have spent time on the field, this should come as no surprise. Public transportation is slow and unpredictable; it’s difficult to get places on time. About eight men showed up that night, most of whom were either already in full-time pastoral ministry or aspiring to do so. Most of them had a lot going on outside of this class, whether it be full-time studies at another university or another full-time job on top of ministry. They had families at home who wanted to see them. The circumstances for these men to be in this class were far from ideal. However, they grabbed a cup of coffee and soaked in the teaching that night. The class ended around 10:30 p.m., and the men began their journey home.

That night, my eyes were opened. Like many of us, these men were ready for a change. They had had enough of superficial cultural Christianity. They were ready for the church to stop operating like a business, giving consumers what they want rather than giving people what they need: the word of God. Missions is not about giving poor people some hope for a better life. It’s about offering sinners the transformative truth.

The Method

At our orientation for the Reaching and Teaching practicum, we learned about the importance of healthy local churches in missions. Fortunately, I got to experience Garcia laying the foundation for healthy churches to be built upon. As Mark Dever says in Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, “Establishing the priority of the word is the single most important aspect of a church’s life.” Teaching pastors how to establish the priority of the word in a church is exactly what Pines City Baptist Seminary was striving to do. I saw three main ways this goal was being accomplished. Garcia began the seminary with a hermeneutics class, teaching the men how to develop an exegetical understanding of biblical texts. Garcia then instructed the class on how to create an expositional sermon based on their exegetical understanding, assigning this task to all students. Lastly, Garcia encouraged the men to trust in the Lord, knowing that the fruit of their labor was in his hands.

The Difference

To many of you, Garcia’s work in the Philippines probably does not sound groundbreaking. Nor should it. These are the basics for how all pastors should be equipped to preach and lead. Unfortunately, this isn’t the standard for equipping most pastors in the Philippines. Truthfully, it is not the standard for most American pastors either. While the location may change, the method and the necessity to faithfully equip pastors remain constant. Although the context, challenges, and language may differ, faithful preaching of God’s word is the foundation for healthy churches in the Philippines, just as it is here. All over the world, lives are transformed when God’s word penetrates the hearts and minds of unbelievers. So, yes, missionaries face challenges as they aim to equip pastors in the Philippines. But the goal is the same: to equip qualified men to preach the word of God in a way that is faithful to the text.

The Challenge

In the Philippines, I witnessed the same thing that I witnessed in my own life. The word of God got to work, causing repentance and sanctification. These men desire that same transformation for their families, their communities, and their nation. That’s why these men desire to preach faithfully. Garcia is taking the opportunity that the Lord put in front of him to equip these men with the tools for studying scripture and preaching the word faithfully. My challenge to you is to value the preaching of God’s word in the places you are supporting and sending missionaries. By doing this, we can edify and build up a new generation of healthy churches across the world. I am confident we will see that generation of churches in many places across the Philippines through the faithful and obedient work of Garcia and Pines City Baptist Seminary.