Ministry / A surge of newcomers

"A surge of newcomers" is the term Executive Director Mark Wagner used to describe to the Board of Directors what has been happening in 316NOW's online Bible institute.

More students in our classes 

A number of those newcomers are part of the newly launched deaconess program. Deaconesses work with house church leaders to care for their small flock of believers. In addition to learning basic Scripture truths, deaconesses explore what the Spirit teaches about how God wants his church to operate. They also learn about caring for sick and shut-in Christians, sharing their faith with others, and training their church members to do the same. (Find more information about this program here.)

More challenges to overcome 

Wagner also noted that increasing numbers of students bring some additional hurdles. More new students, he wrote, "is wonderful but also a challenge because it can shape the direction of the class. They will often need more attention and they ask questions that are more basic, so our teachers have to lean more in that direction than toward the curriculum goal. It’s a good problem, but it means that the more mature class members have to be patient with those who are in the discovery phase."

Thank God with 316NOW for the growth in our student body—and for the challenges that growth brings.