The Role of the Minister of Education
Description:
The role of the minister of education has changed considerably over the last ten years but the role of Christian Education continues to be vital in the life of a church. Three of the leading ministers of education have joined Dr. Tim S. Smith in a discussion of the role of the minister of education and other issues related to the topic of Christian education.
This group has over 120 years of experience in leading Christian education in the local church. Bill Gambrell from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Allan Taylor from First Baptist Church Woodstock and Matthew Gibbs from Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins will be discussing past successes and future trends that will be impacting Christian Education.
Join Bill, Allan, Matthew and Dr. Smith for this FREE Growing Groups Online training opportunity.
1 - Welcome
2- Introduction of Matthew, Bill & Allan (120+ years of experience as ministers of education)
Matthew Gibbs is Minister of Education and Evangelism at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins. Before coming to SBCWR, he served for five years as Minister of Education at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana. He has also served on staff in churches in Florida and North Carolina. Matthew graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Advertising and Marketing. After serving for several years in the business world, he surrendered to God’s call to ministry and attended and graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Matthew is married to Kathy and they have three children: Mary Beth, Daniel and Aaron.
Bill Gambrell is the Associate Pastor: Education/Program Ministries at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta. Prior to moving to Georgia he served as minister of education at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi and Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida. Bill is a graduate from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with Masters of Religious Education. He has served as the President of the Metropolitan Religious Education Association, Southern Baptist Religious Education Association, and Georgia Baptist Religious Education Association. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award, Baptist Association of Christian Educators. He married to Lois and they have four children and five grandchildren.
Allan Taylor is the Minister of Education at First Baptist Church Woodstock. Under his leadership, the Sunday School attendance has grown from 2,500 to 5,000. Previously, he served London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the BeaverDam Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and prior to this he was a high school football coach. Founder of “Ember to Blaze Ministries,” Allan writes Sunday School leadership and training materials, conducts Sunday School training conferences across the United States. Allan is the author of two books, The Six Core Values of Sunday School, and Disciplining and Restoring the Fallen. He and his wife, Linda, have three grown children.
3-INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
ALL
1-How did you get into the role of minister of education?
ALLAN
1- What are the key issues we face in Christian Education today?
2- Almost all churches average less than 100 in attendance which means that most churches have a bi-vocational pastor or volunteer leading their Christian Education minister. What would encourage do first?
3-What is does real Christian education look like with teenagers and students?
4-Your church is best known for its evangelistic effectiveness. How have you been able to successfully marry evangelism and Christian education?
5- If a pastor or minister of education wanted to improve their skills in the area of Christian Education what one book, conference or resource would you point them to; other than the Bible?
MATTHEW
1-Sunday School/Small Groups are vital in Christian education ministry in the local church, what three or four things can a minister of education do to really help in this area?
2- Why are you a minister of education?
3-The kid years, birth through elementary school, are so very important but it seems that fewer and fewer churches are having fewer and fewer kids. What is that churches can do through Christian Education to help the future generations?
4- Technology has changed so much during the years we’ve been in ministry. What are ways technology can enhance Christian Education?
5- What does a minister of education need to do to help people progress in their spiritual development?
BILL
1- What brings you the most fulfillment/satisfaction in the role of minister of education?
2- What is the one thing you would want to do differently as a minister of education?
3- What can a Christian Educator do to reach and keep young adults?
4- Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” What can we do through Christian Education to help strengthen families?
5- Where will Christian Education be in twenty years? What will it look like and what will we be doing?
ALL
1-You are sitting with a new minister of education at a coffee shop; they’ve invited you to this setting so that they can “pick your brain”. You’ve just finished an hour long conversation and now you are at the climax of the discussion about their future. What would you say to them in hopes of leaving a lasting impression on them related to their call as a Christian educator?