Jesus trained his apostles. Moses trained Joshua. Elijah trained Elisha. The list could go on, but the Bible is clear that the task of training men to lead, to preach, and to minister is an important one (2 Timothy 2:2). The primary training ground for leadership is the home, but the church has a great role to play in furthering this cause. It is our belief that the Southwest School of Bible Studies can help local congregations in this endeavor.
Since the church is God’s spiritual institution ordained on this earth (Matthew 16:18-20), the church must be concerned with training spiritual leaders. If we are to have men serving in such capacities such as leading singing, praying, preaching and other authorized roles such as elders or deacons, the church should desire to do its part in training young men for these tasks. In this regard, the church can serve as a great compliment to the Christian home for training young men to lead. Furthermore, for young men who are not raised in Christian homes, the church may have to fill the primary role of training these individuals to be spiritual leaders. Finally, the church can help young men find mentors to support personal and spiritual growth within the individual.
The school motto at SWSBS is “to know Jesus and make Him known.” A vital part of this work is training men to grow into greater areas of service and leadership in the church. Through classroom instruction, practical experience, and personal mentorship, we will train men to lead in public assemblies and to know and desire the qualifications of leadership roles in the church. We all want to make sure that there is not a future generation who will forsake Jehovah (Judges 2:11-14). If you are interested in the development of young men into leaders or know of some young men who may be interested in growing, we would love to talk to you.