When Pastor Andrew Owensby started his training cohort in 2013 in Carrollton, Georgia, he didn’t know what to expect. How would WordPartners’ training done mostly in other countries translate back to the US?
By God’s grace, really well.
“The training sharpened the skills you need to craft a sermon to make sure that you’re getting to the intent of the author and that your sermon’s saying what the Bible’s saying,” Andrew reflected. “It has transformed my preaching and teaching ministry because it has helped me become a better reader. I am more convinced than ever that God will bring true transformation through His Word.”
We’ve seen this training flow down into the very life of our church. Not to mention the most obvious way is to sharpen our preaching which has helped people in the pew read and think expositionally as well.
We’ve trained our Bible teachers in the Dig & Discover Principles (Sunday School teachers, Bible study leaders, youth leaders) and even have used them at a youth camp. We are helping our students become better equipped to read, study, understand, and obey the Bible and to make disciples.
Pastor Andrew leading a training session in Honduras
After starting the training, we wondered how this might impact our missions activity. There were some very natural connections. One long-term partner in Honduras had leadership training needs with younger guys the Lord had raised up in their network of church plants. So about three years ago we started a workshop with about 15 pastors and they are about to graduate the program. The Lord has blessed our mission ministry and made us more focused and fruitful around the world.
