Giving Away Your Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

Ephesians 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 

12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 

14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 

16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

I see a similarity between the gifted people leaving their countries and churches sending off most, if not all, of their gifted people to Bible College and they usually do not return upon graduation to serve in their sending churches. Thus churches keep asking God to gift people in their congregation so that they can reach their community. I wonder if God would say, "I give them to you and you ship them off so what is the point of giving them to you."

Thus some churches die do to lack of gifted people while some churches are over-gifted with numerous piano players, preachers etc. especially in the college areas.

Apprenticeship is a great thing and even easier in this digital age. No real need to pack everyone up and send them to a place where jobs might be scarce and have the families encounter undue stresses and sacrifices when they learn what they need at their home church. Yes, there will be people called out to serve, but so many churches believe that if you are called you have to go off to a college when those people may be called to learn and serve where they are for four years or more, not in a college. They may be called to mentor someone to take their place if God calls them off to another place to minister so that the local Body is not going to be short a finger or foot.

A degree is not needed to served. What is needed is a call and a heart to do it without papers and often without pay. We turn out far too many ministers and such so that finding a "place of ministry" becomes so hard that many abandon the ministry out of despair or need to provide for their families and may feel like Demas or failures all of their lives.

Apprenticeship was good enough for the Churches that turned the world upside down in the 1st Century and it may well be the best course of action for the 21st Century church.