Sending Churches: The Fund for Theological Education has underwritten a study of congregations that consistently send people into ministry. In summary, the following are five characteristics of those congregations:
· Lay people are in ministry. Through collaboration with their pastors, lay people come to see that they can lead and do ministry and then want to push further.
· People can be who they are. Ministry is not stereotyped and authenticity is valued.
· There is room to explore. People are invited to think expansively and creatively.
· Education is taken seriously. Pastors challenge members with contemporary theological scholarship and demanding biblical study and awaken a
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