“This past spring my wife, Amy, and I had the opportunity to go and stay with Isaac and his wife Pat. One of the things that I enjoyed the most about getting to see them, was the opportunities to see what life and ministry look like for them.
“Isaac and Pat live in a Christian Student Centre, and run the local church that focuses on that group. As well as living amongst the students, Pat works at the coffee shop in the centre. So, within hours of landing in Bangkok, we were sat in a cafe being introduced to numerous Thai people that Pat and Isaac work with, and are discipling.
“We learnt that culturally, Thai people don’t really introduce each other, so Isaac filled us in on their names, where they’re from, what they’re studying, other things he knew about them, and most importantly, what they brought to the church. It was clear just from this that Isaac was very intentional at getting every member of the church to invest and help with the running; something that I believe is a key tenant of discipleship and faith.
“On Palm Sunday, Isaac had asked if I would lead the sermon, and I was happy to do it (if not a little nervous at having to speak through a translator). When we got to Sunday morning, I was looking forward to standing up in front of people and sharing the message that I felt that God had given me. The reality was that I was in for a surprise, because by the time we got to the sermon, I was the last one to do something for the service.
“Isaac had invited a twelve-year-old (on the spot) to the welcome and connective parts of the service, and that was just the beginning. Whether it was leading the worship, preparing a meal for everyone afterward, doing
a dramatic re-telling of the Palm Sunday Story, every single person in the room led a part of the service- even Amy, who was asked to do the English half of the reading (again, on the spot)!
“It really made me think of my own church, and what our expectations of the congregation are: do we just ask the same people do jobs, or do we make it the role of the whole church to lead? This, I think, is a really key piece to discipleship that I see Isaac really model well, and it was such a blessing to be able to get to see and be a part of it.”
Categories: Youth Ministry Degree Course
Updated: 28 Mar 2024 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Hi everyone! I am Jamie Gurling and I started studying at Reign this year. I am 19 and from Glasgow in Scotland. I left high school in 2022 and I thought the next step was obvious, to go straight into further education, just the same as everyone else. So, I followed the norm, moved city […]
Read more
Updated: 18 May 2023 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
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 […]
Read more
Updated: 26 Apr 2023 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out…” (Mark 3.13-14) Where do I start? I had just started my first real ministry role in […]
Read more
Updated: 29 Mar 2023 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Is Bigger Better? The bigger your youth group, the better, right? We get a special energy from the buzz of a crowd. We believe that when we’re connected to more people we’re able to have more impact. But is this really the case in youth ministry? Most of us have the feeling that this approach […]
Read more
Updated: 22 Feb 2023 | Posted by: kmckinnon
If you were to attend one of our Expand Training Experiences you will hear our team talk about discipleship. That’s because it is the foundational to who Reign Ministries is. During our Expand: Online training you will learn the tools to help you be effective in your discipleship of young people. Watch the video below […]
Read more
Updated: 8 Feb 2023 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Where Is God Calling Me? I have a calling to youth ministry. But 30 years ago – I had no idea! I remember sitting in a marquee at a Christian music festival as a teenager, listening to a speaker talking about ‘Hearing God’s Call’. This was something I was wrestling with, so I figured that […]
Read more
Updated: 8 Apr 2025 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Exciting news! Reign Ministries is excited to announce we have a new college we are linking with for an undergraduate degree! Moorlands College will be the new home for our degree students from September. For over 20 years, Reign Ministries has played a key role in the development of a youth pathway for an undergraduate […]
Read more
Updated: 24 Mar 2025 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
Learning from those that have gone before you. “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” writes the wise King Solomon in Ecclesiastes. He saw that life can sometimes resemble a treadmill, where history simply repeats itself and continues in a loop. […]
Read moreUpdated: 16 Dec 2024 | Posted by: Charlie Morris
After a few years of considering this move, the trustees and leadership have decided the time is right to try and sell the building we affectionately know as “the moto” (in it’s former life it was a motorcycle sales and repair shop). This building has served the charity well over many years, as a base […]
Read more
