HeartCry Missionary Society has partnered with Shalom Ministries in Cambodia by supporting churh planters and facilitating and funding Bible conferences. HeartCry is thankful for the partnership with Shalom and for your support to help make the training of Christians possible in Cambodia. The following report is from Shalom Ministires.
We delighted to report that our School of Ministries started in October 2015 and now we have held three programs, with another to come in July.
Why did we start this school of ministries? Within the Shalom Mission fellowship of churches we have dedicated men and women who are serving the Lord in many ways and who want to learn more and do more. Many people think that to serve the Lord you must become a student, go to seminary for three years and gain a diploma. But this is very expensive and usually takes students away from normal life and ministry. Also time is often spent learning things that don’t really help to bring Christ to Cambodians, while neglecting the practical issues they face every day in ministry. Our workers learn from their senior leaders, their experiences and each other. But some things can’t be learned while working and most do not have time or resources to sit and study at home. So we decided to begin this School of Ministries, where we bring serving pastors and workers together to learn, question, pray and plan the future work of the Kingdom.
We cover Bible and Doctrinal teaching but also practical issues like; Bible Application, Personal Transformation, Resolving Conflict, Counselling, Leadership, Managing Finances, Marriage and Parenting, etc. We want everything to be relevant and applicable to their work reaching Cambodians for Christ. What has been done so far? Since our Introductory course in November 2015 we have brought everyone together for two weeks each time, in February and May, to teach a wide range of subjects including God’s Word, the Attributes of God, the Trinity and Christology. Also, What is our Calling, Pastoral Ministry, the Mission of the Church, and Christlikeness. The participants have the opportunity to interact with experienced ministers who bring their knowledge, different perspectives and vision – and then in the evenings they discuss what they learned, or didn’t understand, and what it means for their ministry. In the months between the courses they are given assignments related to their work, so that what they are learning is grounded in the realities of ministry where they are. Fellowship and Worship are essential ingredients of our times together and faithfulness to God’s Word is at the heart of our teaching
We are not trying to produce theologians; we want men and women to be confident that they have the character and spiritual resources to fulfill what the Lord Jesus has called them to do. We see them enjoying fellowship and sharing their longings and their needs. Everyone’s faith and understanding is growing in this positive atmosphere of encouragement and love.
What lies ahead? In July we will have further courses on Leadership and Hermeneutics followed by a Family Conference in November, which combine a holiday with teaching on Christian family life. All of our workers live sacrificially. None of them are concerned about gaining status or material advantages from the roles as pastors. They all receive less in salary than they might hope to earn in secular work. The senior leadership of Shalom Mission Cambodia therefore does not ask them to finance themselves on these courses. Instead they are constantly in prayer so that they can cover the expenses of their co-workers. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support.
Timothy began working for HeartCry in 2015 and assists with the work in Asia. He is married, has eight children, two sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.
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