The Just One Challenge

(A Letter from Bob Russell)

The Presidents of our Bible Colleges are concerned and I am certain most of us reading this share their concern. We are seeing a declining number of students interested in ministry, an alarming drop in students with a desire to preach the gospel. Why? Various factors may contribute: the secularization of society, the postmodern mindset that denigrates anything authoritative, the declining number of teems in Christian Service camps, and the passive involvement of ministers in the lives of teens. Whatever the reasons, the bottom line is this: we are not recruiting future laborers for the potential harvest. While the Restoration Movement is actually now witnessing its most significant influence in a century, we may soon be experiencing a severe shortage of ministers and missionaries.

That’s a crying shame! The independent Christian Churches are one of the few Christian movements that have actually experienced an increase in church attendance over the past two decades. We now have more mega churches per capita than any other movement. Some of our new church plants serve as models for the evangelical world, and some of our preaches are
being called to pulpits of denominational churches that want to return to Biblical principles. More and more doors are opening for us! The opportunities for future evangelism and influence are beyond what we could have imagined 30 years ago!

That’s why I’ve joined with over two dozen of our college presidents who have issued the Just One Challenge—asking God’s people all over this nation to pray for just one more worker for the harvest field. Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38).

The Just One Challenge is a unique, united effort on the part of these presidents to motivate thousands of our people to intentionally pray for and recruit future preachers. Of course we all know that genuine prayer results in action, so I want to invite Christian leaders al across the country to join with us in honoring the Lord’s request.

Let’s make the most of this present opportunity and aggressively, wisely pray of laborers for the harvest field….because “as long as it is day, we must do the work of him who set me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4)

Yours in Christ,
Bob Russell, Retired Senior Minister Southeast Christian Church Louisville, Kentucky

NOTE: Bob Russell will be the speaker for the Boise Bible College Spring Conference—May 10-12, 2011.