The Minister and the Bible

Kuwait, January 2008: The seminar “What the Bible says to the Minister” was recently held in Kuwait in line with the BSG Arabic Program. More than 100 clergy and lay church leaders from the different Arabic speaking congregations in Kuwait attended the seminar. It created an opportunity for the participants to experience the strong “footing” the Bible has in the life and ministry of the church leadership. In his introductory word, Father Yousef Fakhry of the Maronite Church in Kuwait highlighted the word “Minister” within the Biblical text and interpretation. Mr. Yousef Sabry, the Bible Society Arabic program coordinator, delivered two lectures: The understanding of Ministry from the Biblical perspective and The Life of the Minister.
Yousef defined the concepts of calling, purpose in mission, handling resources, the Great Commission, and the implication of the Message, including handling false teachings and interpretations. The seminar dealt with the relations and association of the Church leader to Christ, the Scripture and his/her prayer life.
Sylvia, who attended the seminar on behalf of the Armenian Orthodox church, said, “It was a very effective seminar. Its target was to equip the lay and clergy leadership to serve the church constituencies better. And I think it achieved these goals wonderfully”. Imad, a lay leader in the Catholic Church, said that the timing of the seminar was very good: “As church leadership, we were looking for and exploring new avenues in our ministries. The seminar helped us to be creative and look for new opportunities.”
Virginia, who was recently appointed on the leadership team of the Arabic Evangelical Church, found the seminar very effective: “I realized how important the role of the minister is in his/her church,” she said. Virginia thanked the Bible Society in the Gulf for conducting educational courses and training for enhancement of the church ministry.

We received this news from
Mr. Hrayr Jebejian,
General Secretary - The Bible Society in the Gulf