Alan Ginn
Rev. Dr. Alan Ginn (ThM, 1977) shares about the joy of transitioning
from nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry to worldwide pastoral
training. The following is an excerpt from his DTS alumni blog.
God’s Sunrise
after 30 Years of Ministry!
For us, 2007 is a ‘sun-rise’ year. While 2006
closed the door on almost 30 years of local church ministry at Chinese
Grace Bible Church in Sacramento, 2007 is the dawn of another path of
ministry...new beginnings. And as I look back on the past 30 years of
pastoring a local church, I can look forward into the beams of this
glorious sun-rise and attest that the will of God is “good,
acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
As Bev and I walked down the aisle of the church on the 31st of
December, to the applause of the congregation, I looked out at the
people with a smile as I reflected on the two verses I had shared the
day before. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “He who calls you is
faithful, who will also do it” and 1 Timothy 1:12
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He
counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” Though
the applause was for our years of ministry at the church, it was more
of an applause to God for His faithfulness to our church.
On February 2006, I made my announcement to step down from the pastoral
ministry at Chinese Grace Bible at the end of the year and transition
into fulltime missions. I committed to working towards a
joy-filled, God-honoring transition. I understood that this journey
would not just be mine, but our journey as a church and as the body of
Christ. And as the transition came to an end on the last weekend of
year 2006, it truly was a joy-filled and God-honoring celebration. I
could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit oozing in the sanctuary
where the celebration ceremony was held. Nearly 400 pastors,
missionaries, church leaders and church members from the greater
Sacramento area came together for a glorious reunion. Pastors and
leaders of different generations and different flocks joined together
in the lyrics “To God be the Glory / Great things He has
done.” The evening reception brought even more people
together in joy-filled tears as individuals shared of the greatness and
faithfulness of our God. While many view the close of 2006 as the end
of a 30- year journey, I see it as the beginning of an even more
exciting journey into 2007. It is not merely the sun-setting,
but the sun of 2007 and all its opportunities rising.
It will be a year of an “unknown”
journey in my own life. I did not know exactly how God would lead, but
I was confident that He would clearly direct my path. It will
be a literal journey
as I desire to train pastors at least 50% of my time overseas in third
world nations – discipling local leaders through teaching and
training.
Where We Are Now
As we approach the end of 2007, we are amazed at God’s
leading and the wonderful new doors He’s opened for us! God
has led us to join an organization, based in Chicago, whose vision is
identical to what God has put on our hearts – to
“Disciple Nations!” Leadership
Resources International (LRI) focuses on training national
pastors who in turn train other pastors in their countries. Their
mission is: “Launching
Pastoral Training Movements Worldwide.” We are
delighted to be part of their team. Since we’ve joined them
in April, I’ve been privileged to participate in three of
their training seminars in: Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and
Nepal. I’m in the middle of my fourth trip with LRI
– to China. God is good and faithful! He truly leads us in
unknown and amazing paths!
As the sun rises on our lives, may the Son of God, our Lord Jesus
Christ, be exalted higher and higher in our lives as we journey with
His light to this world.
For more information about our ministry, check our
blog.