Welcome to an exciting issue of Equip for Ministry. It is exciting because it deals with the heart and soul of a church’s ministry, though our observations and experience suggest many people do not always understand what that is. The church is to be a worshiping and serving community. The apostle Paul says to effect that, the church must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine and then equip the saints for the work of ministry (Titus 2 and Ephesians 4).

Jesus came preaching the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is what it is all about because as Christians we are kingdom people. We need to live and breathe kingdom thinking. Because kingdom living is so opposite from the natural approach to life, Christians are not always effective citizens of the kingdom. That is where the church should be such a major player in discipling God’s people. Failure to do that will only contribute to the kingdom’s ineffectiveness and the people’s inability to see themselves as kingdom people in all areas of life. There are three items in this issue that attempt to paint a picture of this important fact.

The lead article by Dr. Allen Curry underscores the importance of the church’s role in educating, training, and equipping God’s covenant people. The “In Case You’re Asked” article looks at the Lord’s command to make disciples and describes how no area of life is to be excluded from that process. Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, Why Children Should Be Your Church’s #1 Priority, a book by George Barna, reminds us of the urgency and importance of the church’s role and assignment in making kingdom disciples. There are also reviews on other helpful books relating to youth ministry, which further underscores this importance.

The other book reviews are well worth reading, especially the review of Unceasing Worship. Dick Aeschliman, our coordinator of resources, believes this to be a timely and important book to read. Another book relates to a topic that we attempt to emphasize regularly to our readers: leaders are readers and readers are leaders. Someone has said, “If you stop reading today, you stop leading tomorrow.” Indelible Ink is a delightful book in which over twenty Christian leaders tell about the books that have most influenced their lives and thoughts. We have been most encouraged by the responses to the book reviews in Equip for Ministry. Our aim is to keep books before you that we believe you will want to read or at least be aware of in your life and ministry.

You will also find a good challenge and reminder in the “Equip Tip” section as well as a listing of upcoming CE&P conferences. As you read, also pay attention to the advertisements. We carefully select those products and services that we believe you want to know about because they are good resources for local churches.

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