“We have more opportunities than we can handle.”
That’s Sean Ransom of The Expositor’s Academy in the Philippines, attesting to the truth of Luke 10:2. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”
Since its inception in 2008, The Expositor’s Academy (a TMAI training center) has been striving to carry out our Lord’s great commission as strategically as possible in the Philippines by equipping gifted, qualified men to shepherd Bible-centered, Christ-exalting churches.
Now more than ever, Sean is convinced of the urgency of training faithful workers in the Philippines. Partly, this is because the need within the country is so great. Even though Christianity has a long history in the Philippines, the evangelistic philosophy of the 1950’s was essentially, “Plant as many churches as possible, as fast as possible.” As a result, many churches today have inherited a host of problems springing from weak foundations, unqualified leadership, and doctrinal confusion. “I think it’s particularly important to have higher-level training in the Philippines,” Sean says. “Healthy leadership is really needed.”
“This is really impacting our churches,” they told the TMAI graduates. “It’s helping us evangelize our communities; we’re getting a lot of kids and families in the churches; our members are serving…” But the Cambodian pastors had one question: “Can you guys train us too?”
Even though the need within the Philippines is clear, Sean is starting to see yet another reason for urgency: There’s tremendous potential for Filipinos to reach neighboring countries—and the rest of the world—with the gospel.
“One of the things I’m most excited about right now is that several of our students—graduates actually—are going abroad to minister in other countries.” When a group of graduates returned from a trip to Cambodia last October, they could hardly contain their enthusiasm. Several Cambodian churches had invited them to conduct children’s-ministry training, and the local pastors had been grateful for their help. “This is really impacting our churches,” they told the TMAI graduates. “It’s helping us evangelize our communities; we’re getting a lot of kids and families in the churches; our members are serving…” But the Cambodian pastors had one question: “Can you guys train us too?”
“To learn of the needs there, it really got the gears in my head spinning,” Sean says. How might graduates of The Expositor’s Academy be able to serve the church in places like Cambodia, helping sharpen local pastors for biblical teaching and continuing the chain of entrusting what they’ve received to other faithful men? (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2) The potential for ministry is staggering.
Please pray that God would grant wisdom to the leaders and graduates of The Expositor’s Academy as they seek to be good stewards of the opportunities entrusted to them. And, as our Lord says in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Please join us in praying that the Lord would continue to bring faithful, qualified men to study at The Expositor’s Academy—and that these would labor faithfully in a field that is ripe for harvest.
