Equipping for the Work of the King

Harvest Bible Fellowship

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you...

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5: 2-4

At Harvest Bible Fellowship, we are passionately committed to building Christ's church. In our context that means both the planting of reproducing Harvest Bible Chapels and their equipping for the challenging work of enduring ministry.

To that end more than 20 elders, elders-in-process, and small group leaders came away equipped, strengthened and encouraged by the Lord through an elder training day at Harvest Barrie in Ontario, Canada, in mid-May. Mentored by Rick Donald, Assistant Senior Pastor of Harvest Rolling Meadows, this gathering included men from Harvest York Region, Harvest Cambridge, and Harvest London, as well as Harvest Barrie.

“Rick opened with the warning that in our churches the evil one will focus his destructive efforts right here: messing with the elders,” said Harvest Barrie Senior Pastor Todd Dugard. “That we would maintain our relationships with one another would go a long way to limiting the evil one’s influence and effectiveness.”

Pastor Rick conducted sessions on Developing Healthy Relationships between Leaders, Expectations on an Elder, and Practical Issues in Eldering, along with a case study. He exhorted the elders to lift up one another in prayer, bear each others' burdens, and hold each other accountable in the Lord.

The significance of such training opportunities cannot be overstated, as the biblical role and responsibilities of an elder are the weightiest in all the church. Given that, as Todd shared, perhaps the most encouraging note for those who attended was Rick's testimony “that, for him, being at the elders’ table for more than 20 years has been one of his greatest experiences in ministry.”

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Equipping for the Work of the King

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