As we come to the close of 2018, our focus at ITA is already on the new year, 2019! We are excited about the continued training opportunities the Lord has prepared for us in Italy.
Our thoughts go to the current training program and its conclusion in 2019. Several men are up for graduation! In our northern, central, and southern sites, the cities of Mantova, Rome, and Messina, men will be earning certificates of Expository Preaching.
These certificates are meant to recognise those men who have faithfully and successfully concluded our three year course of part-time training as… expositors in training. In other words, ITA acknowledges that such students have correctly understood and apply the basic principles of expository preaching in their sermons.
Our thoughts however go to so much more in terms of training in the new year 2019. One such additional focus is right around the corner so to speak as indicated in the opening headers for this month of December 2018 update.
January 25th through the 26th of 2019 ITA (with its main host church, La Chiesa Biblica di Messina) will be hosting its second annual Italian Shepherds’ Conference with special guest speaker (preacher) Brad Klassen from Grace Community Church of Southern California. Brad is both an elder and pastor at Grace Community Church along with being a professor at the Master’s Seminary (TMS).
Our theme this year will highlight elder qualifications. No matter how long the church and local church ministry have existed (and in Italy we have many long-standing churches…), the qualifications of an elder are a timeless standard and test for church leadership according to the NT that never a local church ministry has outgrown.
In addition this year, and unique to our setting, we have decided to hold a series of seminars on the topic of… The purity of the elder… on the 24th, the day before the conference starts. We intend to really draw attention to the integrity, personal integrity, of the church leader by focusing on his purity, and absolute need of purity in the ministry. The men ITA trains for pastoral ministry in the local church in Italy… must keep a close watch on themselves… (1 Tim 4:16).
Wishing you all much Grace for this Christmas and New Year’s season from us at ITA.
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