One of the privileges I have in working with Reign Ministries is to serve as a mentor/coach to a couple of our degree students. These are students who are with us for at least three years. Alongside of their degree work, they are placed in area churches or ministries as youth workers. Their days are extremely busy as they pour their time and energies into young people in their contexts as well as maintain their school work: reading and writing papers, and preparing presentations. We meet weekly as a place for them to find nurturing on a personal and spiritual level, process their ministry experiences, and grow toolbox of ministry skills.
Most weeks when Matt and Shannon arrive, I most want to offer them a bed to have a sleep for a few hours. I know that they work so hard and are often feeling tired emotionally and spiritually. I’m sure they wouldn’t take me up on my offer for a bed because these two have so much to share. Their constant stories of ministry challenges me on a deep level and makes me so proud to be a part of their lives. These guys are on the front lines as they disciple young believers in what it means to live for Jesus amongst their peers.
I am constantly reminded of God’s amazing plans to use human beings and our relationships to show the world what the He is like. As I serve as a mentor to these students, I have to prepare myself each week to spend time with them – I pray for them and about them and then seek to lead them in the ways that the Spirit shows me. This is no different than the ministry preparations that they do each week.
All ministry requires a dependence on God’s spirit to be working in us and in the lives of those we are serving. Recently, we’ve been reflecting on how important our own connection with the Father is, so that our ministry is coming from that place. John 15 promises us that our love, ministry and prayers will be fruitful, and that we can find true joy if we only learn to stay connected to Him. There are a lot of skills and tips that I hope my students can learn from our time together, but I most want them to remember that fruitful ministry is the result of the minister being truly connected with the Father. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.” John 15:5, The Message
Categories: Youth Ministry Degree Course
Updated: 18 May 2023 | Posted by: Hannah Owen
As a ministry we have been reviewing how we deliver the degree progamme in a way that fits both our vision and DNA, whilst still providing quality training for the next generation of disciple-making leaders. From September 2023 we implemented some changes and we are excited to see how God is going to lead us […]
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Updated: 5 Oct 2022 | Posted by: Hannah Owen
Why Disciple Making? Making disciples is at the heart of Reign Ministries. One of our key goals is to see a movement of disciple making communities all across the UK. The Greek word for disciple is ‘mathētḗs’, meaning ‘one who follows another for the purpose of learning.’ Taking this, discipleship in its simplest form is […]
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Updated: 31 Aug 2022 | Posted by: Hannah Owen
If I was to say to you that having multiple generations within a church community is a sign of health, you would probably agree with me. There are huge benefits in learning from those at different stages of life than you. But have you ever put that same concept to the context of discipleship? Within […]
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Updated: 29 Nov 2023 | Posted by: Hannah Owen
Figuring out what’s next after school or in your career is a tough decision, you can often feel overwhelmed for choice. You might have even narrowed it down to a certain type of career you’d like, or a rough sense of what God is calling you towards. You are possibly looking at this article because […]
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Updated: 12 Sep 2023 | Posted by: amerrill
Pastoral care is so important to us! The phrase “pastoral care” could conjure up many different pictures, so let me narrow it down for you Pastoral care happens within the community of Reign Ministries because of two main factors; the people and the environment. The People We have great people in this community! This might […]
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Updated: 17 Aug 2023 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Do you realise how important and influential you may be to unlocking someone else’s path? Your simple obedience, leading to a recommendation or suggestion to someone, may be the catalyst that ultimately turns their life around! Someone’s path could be forever changed by a simple comment or suggestion. Here we’ve listed some Biblical examples of […]
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