TMS Placement Workshop

The Master's seminary has such great resources for outgoing students and they play a huge role in helping students with placement in churches all over the world!  Twice a year, this placement workshop is held by Ray Mehringer who organizes speakers who can offer useful insight into how to think about, and what usually happens in looking for a church to minister at.

"One of the most important decisions a pastor will make is what church to accept a position at.  In the same way the choice of a wife will effect your everyday existence, the choice of a church will become the world you live in."

The workshop guest this time was Jack Hughes, along with his wife, Lisa.  The timetable was as follows:

1. Welcome and Introduction of Jack Hughes
2. "My experience Interacting with Pastoral and Search Committees" - Jack Hughes
3. "My Role as a Helpmate in the Candidating Process and in Ministry" - Lisa Hughes
4. "What I've Learned in the Last Few Years of Ministry" - Jack Hughes 
5. Q & A with Jack and Lisa Hughes
6. "Avoiding Potholes and Pitfalls in Ministry" - Jack Hughes
7. Q & A with Jack and Lisa Hughes
8. Church Planting 101 with IFCA
9. "The Placement Process" - Ray Mehringer
10. "Your Responsibilities while Candidating" - Ray Mehringer

One of the biggest resources they give those who attend is a file containing all the notes from the workshops, a bunch of applicable articles to read, a sermon for the wives of pastors and various helps for creating the necessary documentation to apply to a church.  They also show how to use TMS' placement program on the website, which is such a great tool for looking for churches.

As our time here at seminary draws to a close and we start to look for possible opportunities for Andrew, one of the most important things we have to remember is that God is sovereign and will not be thwarted, and that even if we make an unwise decision, He will still work it out for our good and His glory, even if it is a painful experience.  We are very excited to see what God has planned for Andrew and are trusting God that he will direct our paths!