A Saturday Story - Update

part three

PART THREE:

To me, it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to raise enough support to stay with BEE World. So, what’s next? I was doing some reading about training pastors and ran across an article about a guy named Jack Arnold. He had followed a path similar to my own and began a mission organization called Training Pastors International.

I looked it up online and read their mission statement, doctrinal statement, and history. I was intrigued. I decided to email the President of EPI and inquire about working with them. We had conversations back and forth, both through email and on the phone. He invited me to come to Orlando when they had their annual board meeting that January and meet with the board, sit in on the meeting, and they could make a decision about whether or not I was a good fit.

A few months later I made that trip. EPI is nothing like BEE World in terms of size and organizational structure. There aren’t any paid organizational staff. They don’t own a building. The missionaries are scattered about throughout the USA and one lives in Africa. They weren’t concerned about me moving, how much financial support I did or didn’t raise, or whether or not I could be full-time. The doctrinal statement was right in line with my own beliefs, but not so rigid that we can’t have Baptists and Presbyterians working together.

After the meeting, they invited me to join. I accepted and began the transition from BEE World to EPI…