Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of Students at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson
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Nettie Clark Byrd passed along this picture of our church after the 1904 fire. The conflagration left most of Yazoo City in ruins, including this structure at the southwest corner of Main and Broadway. A new church building, our current meeting place, was erected in 1905 on the corner of North Washington Street and Powell. Three thoughts come to mind when I see this picture: 1. All buildings are impermanent. No matter how grand, the time will come when they succumb to natural disaster, man-made destruction, or decay. Our church, devastated by fire, reminds me that we are God’s pilgrim people, citizens of heaven, living outside the heavenly city “that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Our…
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We all need mentors. With so many voices telling us what to do, it’s vitally important that we have godly, thoughtful, experienced people showing us what to do. Preparing for a life in ministry is demanding work—and I’m not just talking about your seminary workload. You need real-life pastoral experience under the direction of a mentor. I serve as director of field education at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Much of my work involves talking to students about their relationships with their pastoral mentors. Since 1987, I’ve mentored men preparing for ordination. While serving on Boston’s North Shore, I mentored many men in the Gordon-Conwell field education program. Before coming to RTS, I employed men pursuing ordination. Mentoring has been a key part…
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My first experience in a youth group was leading it. In 1981-82 I served as Youth Director at the Reformed Church in America congregation in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. I was a student at Princeton Theological Seminary. The learning curve was steep. While in high school, I did not attend a youth group. In fact, I was the only student in my Sunday School class back at my home church in Rock Island, Tennessee. Each week my teacher, Barbara Cornett, brought a carefully prepared lesson just for me. She was a model of diligent Christian service. I hope these students benefitted from what I learned from her.
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