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Biblical education

The Teachers Behind a New Generation

The people who prepare future ministers carry a responsibility that reaches far beyond the platform on graduation day.

4 minute read

College leaders stand at the Pentecostal Church of God lectern during graduation.
Celebrating a new chapter of study and service.

The people beside the lectern

At a graduation, the gowns and the lectern naturally draw our attention. They give a public shape to an occasion that matters. The leaders gathered here also direct our thoughts toward the quieter work of education: explaining patiently, setting an example and helping another person become ready to carry responsibility. One generation has an opportunity to strengthen the next.

For a student, teaching is often remembered through a person. A patient explanation, a question taken seriously or a correction delivered with kindness can stay in the memory long after the details of a lesson fade. These are familiar possibilities in education. They remind us why the character of those who teach matters alongside the material being taught.

The example Jesus gave

John 13 takes us into the supper before the Passover. Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and then asks them to consider what their Lord and Teacher has done. His authority is expressed through a humble act of love. He gives an example and calls his disciples to follow it in their relationships with one another.

Cornelis Bennema’s study of leadership in John emphasizes the way Jesus teaches through personal example. That gives Christian educators a searching standard. A lesson about service becomes clearer when the teacher treats people with dignity. An appeal to humility carries weight when questions are welcomed. The model begins with Jesus, whose love and approaching death give the whole passage its depth.

King James BibleCornelis Bennema on Jesus and leadership

What future ministers need to see

Mark 10 records a dispute about honor. James and John have asked for prominent places, and the other disciples are indignant. Jesus teaches them that greatness among his followers is expressed in service. He brings the conversation to his own mission of giving his life as a ransom for many. Christian leadership takes its direction from him.

This vision gives those preparing others for ministry a deeply personal responsibility. There is room for the person still gathering the courage to speak and the question that needs more time. Leaders can reflect on the care they offer, the way they listen during disagreement and the responsibility they accept. Daily conduct gives the teaching a visible expression and helps others experience its meaning.

Mookgo Kgatle on servant leadership

Learning through relationship

Our two Bible colleges serve across two states, with approximately 35 young leaders graduating annually. This is an ongoing educational responsibility. Each new group needs opportunities to think carefully, practice responsibly and receive guidance from people who take both truth and the learner seriously. The work is personal because those being prepared will carry responsibilities that affect other lives.

Preparing a minister involves the whole person. Knowledge, character and practical service belong together because each will touch other lives. A learner may remember a teacher’s patience as clearly as an explanation. The way a difficult question is received can become a pattern for later conversations. Teaching offers both understanding and an example of how to treat people.

Mwangi and de Klerk on theological education

Preparing a whole congregation

Ephesians 4 looks beyond the gifted leader to the building up of the whole body. Teachers and other ministers serve a larger purpose: believers growing toward maturity in Christ and learning to serve together. A future pastor will need that perspective. The congregation is a community of people to be equipped, each with something to contribute.

A teacher who makes room for another person’s growth participates in that larger work. The student may eventually speak with a different voice, serve in another setting or face questions the teacher never encountered. Faithful preparation gives that person roots in Scripture and a pattern of thoughtful dependence on God. It leaves room for continued learning and faithful service.

Timothy van Aarde on Ephesians 4

An influence that travels

The influence of a teacher can travel far beyond the classroom. A clear explanation may help a future minister teach with confidence. A patient correction may shape the way that minister later guides someone else. A pattern of humility may leave room for another person to grow. Such influence often passes quietly from one relationship to the next.

That is why the next generation deserves teachers who love the Word of God and love the people learning it. Their work asks for patience that receives little attention and integrity that lasts beyond a ceremony. When a college celebrates its students, there is room to honor this responsibility too: helping another person become ready to serve.

Cornelis Bennema on Jesus and leadership

References