A Vision for Multiplication
Writing to a young pastor, the Apostle Paul urged the young Timothy to take the things he had heard and entrust them to reliable witnesses who would be qualified to teach others (see 2 Timothy 2:1-2). Clearly, the church across the ages and cultures has taken this charge seriously. Here at RZIM, we do too.
The vision that has motivated Ravi for many years is one that many of us share. It involves not merely the desire to make Christ known but also to help others grasp the depth of the faith with passion and confidence so they, too, will be motivated and able to share. This is far from easy. Why? We note a tendency to devalue the Scriptures, and in some quarters, a lack of rigor in developing a Christian mind or an ability to engage with the serious questions of our time.
Since the founding of RZIM in 1984, part of our focus has been on training. We have offered weeklong courses over a number of years aimed at an in-depth approach to evangelism and apologetics. We soon recognized the need for events within reach of various parts of the country and at times that would allow many busy working people to attend. Every year we hold a range of seminars called “Engaging Today’s Culture,” which is normally a one-day focus with two speakers and a Q & A. We also offer, as a follow up, “Conversations That Count,” a more in-depth look at the apologetic need and challenge.
As many found it too much of an investment to attend weeklong courses over a number of years, we refocused our efforts in our summer schools, which are one weeklong, intense teaching times held in Wheaton, Illinois, and in Oxford in the UK. Each year is a new program, with a team of speakers from RZIM and some guests, who examine many of the most pertinent challenges to the Gospel in our time.
We also offer a DVD series that covers twelve topics and can be used for Sunday school classes or small groups. I hear many testimonies of those who have been encouraged to step out based on a little study; the material has increased their confidence in the message and in the possibility of engaging others questions. The world around us is changing. Some issues are constant, some new, but all need to be addressed.
C.S. Lewis often commented on the pressure to follow Christ because it is “good.” The audience or listener would respond with diversions or avoidance strategies, as they considered the offer as one of mere taste. Lewis stressed the issue of truth. Is it true? Is it real? Does the Christian faith describe and orientate us to real life? We believe the answer to all of the above is yes, it is true. So in a pluralistic society, in which relativism is the default position of the majority, sharing what we mean by true and engaging in conversation means many of us must break the sound—or silence—barrier!
As a team, we are committed to help local churches and seeking Christians find ways and means to share the Gospel meaningfully and effectively. We hope to share more of what we have in mind in the coming months. For additional resources, events and opportunities, please use the menu above to navigate our website.
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Author: |
Stuart McAllister |
Born in Scotland, Stuart McAllister spent his earlier years in sales before Christ changed his life at the age of twenty. From then on, filled with a hunger to learn more about and preach the Gospel, he took every opportunity to witness and give his testimony. The desire to serve the Lord and at the same time deepen his understanding of the faith led him to Operation Mobilisation in 1978. OM sent him to Yugoslavia where he was imprisoned for forty days for distributing Christian literature. Undeterred, he continued on his mission to preach the Gospel in communist countries, which resulted in several more imprisonments.
He was general secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance and is involved with the European Lausanne Committee. Stuart has developed an evangelistic mobilization called "Love Europe" that sent several thousand team members across Europe with the message of the Gospel. He also founded the European Roundtable to bring together a diverse group of ministries and interests; they united to foster "Hope for Europe."
After residing in Vienna, Austria for twenty years, Stuart join the staff of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in January of 1998. He is currently the Vice President of Training and Special Projects. Pluralism, postmodernism and consumerism are regular topics addressed by Stuart in the leadership seminars.
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