As a young pastor, I recognized early on my need for continuing education. My goals were simple: I wanted to learn how to study and teach the Bible with greater skill and confidence, and be better equipped to disciple people at all stages of life and spiritual maturity. I was confident that I knew how to minister to a nonbeliever and to a new believer, teaching them the fundamentals of what it means to be a follower of Christ. However, I was not as skilled at discipling and counseling people who were struggling with the circumstances of life or caught in the throes of sin. In other words, I was not sure how I was to use God’s Word to help minister to the suffering and sinning?

In 1998, Dr. Wayne Mack sent a letter to our church, announcing the beginning of the Masters of Arts in Biblical Counseling summer program. In that letter, he described the purpose of that program to help equip studentsto disciple others better. This was what I wanted out of my continuing education. The program also allowed me to remain in my pastoral ministry, providing the immediate context to apply what I would learn in the program. So, in the summer of 1998 I started my studies along with 11 other students.

Since the program was brand-new and many bugs were still being worked out, it was a rough start. But, that rough start would be overshadowed by the amazing glory of God’s Word coming to bear on my life and ministry. Through Dr. Mack and Dr. Scott and shortly after, Dr. Street, God overwhelmed my life with the magnificent splendor of His all sufficient Word. The classes changed my life, helping me become more like Christ in my thinking, speech and behavior. My marriage was made stronger and my love for the people of God grew enormously.

The teaching that I received also transformed my pastoral ministry. I developed a greater dependence on the Lord and a greater confidence in His Word to minister to people of varying life stages and spiritual maturity. Additionally, my passion to see people engage in the ministry of the Word to others increased exponentially and my ability, by God’s grace, to equip the church grew as well. I have now spent 23 years of my life in pastoral ministry and I cannot imagine being able to do it with any amount of skill or confidence if not for the MABC program at The Masters University. For any disciple maker, this training and education is unequivocally essential.