Moment #169 – Modeling the Whole Person

The coaching and mentoring model says to the student, much as Paul exhorts several times (2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9; 1 Corinthians 11:1), “to imitate me because I imitate Christ.”  Not only does the coach teach his student in the way he should go, but the coach demonstrates the way in which he should go by modeling the whole person.  The life of the disciple is to follow the Lord in every aspect of life, and the coach must model this himself.  The goal of the coach is to have his student respond as Paul indicates Timothy has; “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering…Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:10-12 ESV).  Timothy imitates Paul, not because of who Paul is, but because of who Paul imitates, the Lord Jesus Christ.  That is the goal of the coach and desire of SEMBEQ.   See Quebec Alive Moments #53 and #153 for further information on coaching.

Next week: A detour from our series on SEMBEQ to announce, “SEMBEQ has a New Building!”

Moment #168 – Equipping the Believers

Though SEMBEQ’s main emphasis is on the training of men for the pastoral ministry or church planting (evangelism), its wider vision is to help the local church to train all the saints for the ministry of the church (Ephesians 4:12).  The goal is not to produce converts, but to produce disciples.  Jesus commands us to “go and make disciples” (Mathew 28:19) and though the first step is to proclaim the gospel so that converts are produced, that is not the end, but the beginning. Luke writes about this in describing Paul’s ministry in Derbe.  “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith…” (Acts 14:21-22 ESV), the goal is mature disciples, and to this end SEMBEQ helps the local church in its equipping the believers to grow to maturity in Christ.  One of the ways this is accomplished is by offering church-based courses.  See Quebec Alive Moments #151-153 for futher information.

Next week: Modeling the Whole Person

Moment #167 – Serving As You Are Learning

Over the next few weeks we will look at SEMBEQ as as arostic.  This week we look at the letter “S“.  One of the foundational aspects of SEMBEQ’s vision is on-the job-training or serving as you are learning, similar to an apprenticeship.  Paul exhorts Timothy to remember how he has been teaching him during their years together and to use this same method as he teaches others.  Paul writes, “…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2 ESV)  The concept is one of teaching men in the ministry, not for the ministry, giving them the opportunity to immediately apply the new biblical knowledge and principles they have learned for their ministry and character development under the guidance of a coach and mentor. It is a blessing to see this model in action.  To see a pastor or elder take a man under his wing and guide him through his spiritual growth in knowledge, character and ability, and simultaneously see this man do likewise with another man is a blessing which is hard to adequately describe.

Next week: Equipping the Believers

Moment #166 – SEMBEQ/s Vision

This week we continue with our overview of SEMBEQ.  SEMBEQ desires to help the local French Baptist churches to train workers in such a way as to develop their minds, character and abilities simultaneously and interdependently. It is SEMBEQ’s vision to encourage the local church to produce Paul/Timothy relationships, such as Francois Turcotte (left) coaching Donald Rodier (right), within the church, not only for men to teach men, but also for women to teach women.   But this teaching is more than simply teaching someone to do a particular activity or to understand a particular subject matter.  It involves the development of the total being for God’s glory.  One way in which SEMBEQ’s vision can be articulated to show this desire is with the use of an acrostic.  In the next few weeks we will show how each of the letters in “SEMBEQ” can be used to indicate a particular aspect of its vision, a vision that uses as a model that is observed by the manner in which Paul trained Timothy.

Next week: Serving as you are Learning

Moment #163 – SEMBEQ – 85% of Its Graduates…

During the high growth period from 1970 to 1985, the French evangelical churches in Quebec, of all denominations, grew from about 53 to 135.  Today the number is over 500.  Even with that growth, less than 1% (0.7%) of Quebec’s 7.5 million people are in evangelical churches.  That compares to around 12% for Canada as a whole and approximately 30% in the States. There are about 1500 cities and villages in Quebec.  However, there are only 85 evangelical French Baptist churches in the Association of which SEMBEQ is a part and 5 are without pastors.  God’s use of SEMBEQ is seen by the facts that 75% of the pastors in the French region have been trained by SEMBEQ and 85% of the students who have graduated from SEMBEQ are in the pastoral ministry in Quebec.  However, the average age of the pastors in Quebec is 45 years and most of them are provided less than $28,000 per year for their labors.  It is evident that young men need to be trained and supported in a way that allows them to continue to grow and spend more of their time serving in the local church.  God has provided this training and He is continuing to use SEMBEQ to train men so that they are always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks…for a reason for the hope that is in [them] yet…with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:16 ESV) and to bring His saving Word to the lost in Quebec.

Next week: A detour from the series on SEMBEQ and look at a church that God is growing rapidly.

Moment #162 – SEMBEQ – A Tool In the Hands of God

Now that you have a little background of SEMBEQ’s beginning and vision, what does it look like today in the 21^st century?  Many of the initial leaders of the seventies are still active in the ministry today, though to a lesser degree.  The vision is being perpetuated by the current president, Francois Picard (picture), and the team of workers the Lord has knit together for this purpose.  Francois states that “SEMBEQ is more than a seminary, more than a learning centre.  It is a tool in the hands of God for the local church and its servant leaders.”  He further states that the students are “encouraged to become men of God and to take up the challenge of reproducing [themselves] as leaders for the advancement of the Kingdom.”  Today, many methods of training are used, but the focus is still one of training up the saints to do the work of the ministry, within the  local churches. The emphasis is on developing the mind, body and soul, academically, spiritually and relationally, and to use mentoring and coaching during the process.  As Francois states, “SEMBEQ is also centered on the local church, offering students a network of mentors and a [spiritual fellowship].  SEMBEQ brings men in ministry together [to study, research and discuss theological & biblical issues].

Next week: SEMBEQ – 85% of Its Graduates

Moment #161 – SEMBEQ: Not Your Ordinary Seminary

Lois McKinney, now Professor Emeriti of Missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, stated in her 1973 report about SEMBEQ that it “is an interesting example of what ordinary people can do to train leaders.  It is fascinating to see that a school can exist without a building and with a minimal academic structure.  Traditional educators would shake their heads and refuse to believe what I saw this month.  Who has ever heard of establishing a seminary without a staff of professional teachers, without a library and a course catalog!  And yet, I left Quebec certain that God is in SEMBEQ’s program…”

Of course, there is a building today, there is an academic structure, there is a library and there is a small but dedicated staff of teachers and support staff.  However, it stands out of the ordinary by still being mainly composed of ordinary people, much like the ordinary people God has usually used to further His kingdom. It incorporates the Paul/Timothy model of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.  It stands out of the ordinary because the vision of SEMBEQ is not to train men for the ministry, but to train them in the ministry.  It stands out of the ordinary by its vision to work closely with the local churches, their leaders and congregations and to cultivate the spirit of cooperation among them.  Alexanian dreams of “every church pastor seeing himself as a coach and a mentor, considering leadership training as a top priority in his life and ministry and enthusiastically encouraged to do so by the congregation.”  This vision is no longer a dream, but a reality.  This, along with complete dependence on the Lord, the Word and prayer, is what motivates those involved with SEMBEQ.

Next week: SEMBEQ – A Tool In the Hands of God.

Moment #160 – Why SEMBEQ Was Needed.

Jacques Alexanian (picture), a founding member and the first president of SEMBEQ, describes the seventies as “one of the most memorable chapters in the history of the Gospel in Quebec.  The Gospel was proclaimed in the streets, on college campuses, at trade fairs, on the radio and television, with films, recorded messages and through literature.  Futhermore, the good news of Jesus was preached at funerals, weddings and mass crusades.”

This was how God was working in Quebec, but the churches were growing fast and the trained leaders were few.  Bill Phillips (picture), a founding member and first coordinator of SEMBEQ, describes the need for the training of leaders.  “We needed these men and women to remain home and continue to be pillars within our small struggling churches.  We could not afford to see them go [away from their churches], yet as our future church-planters, we could not afford to rob them of their training.”

Jacques Alexanian concurs.  “We knew that without spiritual leaders there would be no growth and that without training there would be no leaders.”  He adds the “Lord Jesus had foreseen all this.  In His Word, He left us a precious heritage in the choice and the training of His apostles.  Paul gives an eloquent example because he has followed the steps of his Master. Both of them knew that the kingdom of God had no future unless they invested a lot of time in leadership training.”  The guiding verse was Paul’s exhortation to Timothy that “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2 ESV)

Next week:  What kind of seminary is SEMBEQ?

Moment #159 – Welcome to SEMBEQ!

Over the next several months we will be giving you an overview of SEMBEQ, why it exists and what it does.  We will actually be taking excerpts of a series we did for our quarterly Quebec Alive (winter, spring and summer issues of 2008-09).  Therefore, for some of you this might be a review.  Still for others it may be new.  Either way it is always good to keep in mind SEMBEQ’s vision and ministry for the Lord’s work in Quebec.  During the ensuing months we might include an article or two of current interest, but for the most part we will  be giving you an overview of the ministry of SEMBEQ.  So, Welcome to SEMBEQ!

SEMBEQ stands for the Evangelical Baptist Seminary of Quebec.  However, it is not your ordinary seminary.  It was established in 1973 by the local Evangelical French Baptist churches centered in Montreal, Quebec, to meet the need for leaders in their young churches.  In the past, the Roman Catholic Church had almost total control of the spiritual life of Quebecers and it exerted a great influence in the area of politics as well.  However, in the late sixties and into the seventies, the Catholic Church lost much of its influence both spiritually and politically.  Much of the spiritual void was filled with secularism, but the Lord began to do a mighty work through a small group of committed, energetic and God honoring people in the Province of Quebec.

Next week we will look at why SEMBEQ was needed.

Moment #50 – Merry Christmas from SEMBEQ

As you have come to realize through this year’s Moments, the Lord has been working in the Province of Quebec.  We at SEMBEQ praise our Lord for His provisions of prayer, financial support, workers, vision and direction.  We praise our Lord for the many people who provide us with encouragement through their interest and concern for the ministry of SEMBEQ.  We have seen many maturing in their walk with Christ, with men and women desiring to commit themselves to a life that is Christ-centered, working in envangelism and discipleship.  However, there are still challenges before us.  With more expansion of the cohort, church-based courses and leadership training, and communication needs, there comes an even greater need for staff, organization and funds.  We know that our Lord will provide all that is necessary.  As we complete this year and enter the next, will you please pray for 100 new donors committing themselves monthly or yearly, a office receptionist, a secretary for the registrar, at least 10 new students for a planned cohort in the Quebec City region, wisdom in the rewriting of our church-based courses, and someone to take charge of these courses.  Thank you!  May the Lord bless you abudantly this next year.

From all of us at SEMBEQ, Merry Christmas!  Joyeux Noel!