Guest Professor from California Returns to Teach at BPI

by Dr. Sam Earp

    Across 40 years of ministry, there have been rare times when I was convinced God was moving in one of those supernatural ways toward church renewal and revival. Argentina in the mid-80s was one such movement. I believe Latvia is one of those possibilities today.  The seeds of His plantings are breaking ground and the tender and fragile sprouts can be seen. 

    It began with a fresh vision from one of Latvia’s pastors who has become the national leader in the country.  A Kingdom risk taker, Peteris Sprogis closed the Baptist Seminary which was incapable of meeting the needs of the national church and, after a critical waiting period, he initiated the Baltic Pastoral Institute.  With the assistance of Bridge Builders International, the Institute has become one of those seeds God planted and its students are renewing older churches while other students are planting new ones.  More new churches will be planted in the next five years than in the previous fifty!

    As an Adjunct Professor, it has been my privilege to teach two courses over the past two years.  My first course was Leadership and Spiritual Formation in 2009 and I just competed a course on Modernism…Postmodernism with Implication for Latvian Ministry. I discovered eager students who combined a desire for Biblical understanding and practical application in the context of ministry.  These were not “head in the sky” students but ones who wanted theology and praxis as the same time.

   

In the end, I was the learner.  In some ways, I gained more from them than they from me.  Their love of Jesus, commitment to ministry, fresh and innovated approaches to church planting and renewal challenged me.  I was and am honored to be counted among them.  When these tender plants become full grown, I will look back, perhaps from heaven, and feel an enormous sense of pride for having contributed just a bit of nutrients to the soil.  Indeed, the landscape of eternity will be changed….

    Dr. Sam Earp serves with Church Resource Ministries of San Jose, California. He is devoted to mentoring pastors and lay leaders, combining spiritual formation and life coaching.

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