Understanding Pastoral Generations
By Bryan Chapell
At the Dec. 5, 2020 Presbytery Clerks Meeting, held on Zoom, stated clerk pro tempore Bryan Chapell discussed how the Lord intends his church to move forward by multiple generations supporting one another in united ministry. We’re given an illustration in 2 Timothy 1:1-7, Chapell explained, of how God expects generation upon generation to help one another in advancing Christ’s kingdom.  
 
Even so, we’re painfully aware that one generation of church leaders often sees things differently from another — going so far, at times, to question the other’s faithfulness. Still, a multigenerational church is both biblical and inevitable, if the church is to survive. So, it’s also worth the effort. “The reason to be a multi-generational church,” Chapell concludes, “is that it is amazingly powerful for God’s purposes.”  
 
The talk was intended for an informal Zoom context, but the presbytery clerks asked that it be made more widely available since they found it so helpful for local churches seeking to minister across generations.
 
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