The Shepherd's Staff: How to Get and Use This Amazing Resource for Christian Ministry
The Shepherd's Staff: A Comprehensive Guide for Christian Leaders
Are you a Christian leader who wants to train yourself or others in biblical teaching and preaching? Do you want to have a 1000-page book that covers all areas of Christian doctrine, practice and ministry? If so, you might be interested in The Shepherd's Staff, a pastoral training manual that has been distributed to more than one million church leaders in 150 nations. In this article, we will explore what The Shepherd's Staff is, how it was created, what it contains, how it can benefit you and how you can access it for free.
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The History and Purpose of The Shepherd's Staff
The Shepherd's Staff was created by Ralph Mahoney, the founder and director of World MAP (Missionary Assistance Plan), a ministry that provides training and resources to church leaders in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Mahoney had a passion for equipping pastors and teachers who had little or no formal theological education. He realized that many of them lacked basic biblical knowledge and skills, as well as access to quality Christian literature. He also saw that many of them faced challenges such as persecution, poverty, false teachings and cultural barriers.
To address these needs, Mahoney decided to compile a comprehensive manual that would provide sound biblical teaching, practical guidance and spiritual encouragement to Christian leaders around the world. He gathered profound expositions and scriptural articles by many authors and edited them into a coherent and consistent format. He also added a New Believer's Training Guide, a topical concordance with key Bible topics, and a vast supply of teaching articles to both equip the leader and help them to teach others. He named the manual The Shepherd's Staff, after Psalm 23:4, which says, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
Mahoney dedicated The Shepherd's Staff to "the dear men and women of God in the nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America, whose love for souls inspires them to levels of commitment and sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty." He also declared that The Shepherd's Staff was not to be sold, but given as a gift from Christian friends who shared his love and respect for them. He published The Shepherd's Staff in 1993 through World MAP, with revisions and corrections through March 1999. Since then, The Shepherd's Staff has been translated into several languages and distributed freely to millions of Christian leaders worldwide.
The Content and Structure of The Shepherd's Staff
The Shepherd's Staff is divided into three main sections: New Believers Training Manual, Topical Concordance and Leaders Training Guide. Each section has several sub-sections that cover various topics related to Christian faith and ministry. Here is a brief overview of each section and sub-section:
New Believers Training Manual: This section introduces the basic doctrines and practices of Christianity, such as the Bible, God, sin, salvation, church, prayer, baptism, communion, etc. It also provides a list of the books of the Bible and their abbreviations.
Topical Concordance: This section lists key Bible topics alphabetically, such as angels, demons, faith, grace, healing, holiness, love, miracles, prophecy, etc. It also provides relevant scriptures and explanations for each topic.
Leaders Training Guide: This section contains four sub-sections that provide advanced training for Christian leaders:
Leaders Basic Training: This sub-section teaches how to train church leaders, how to do nine things that are essential for effective ministry, such as preaching, teaching, counseling, evangelizing, discipling, etc., how to use and abuse authority, how to establish a devotional habit and how to be a prayer warrior.
Victorious Christian Leadership: This sub-section teaches how to live a victorious Christian life and how to exercise spiritual authority.
What Leaders Need to Know About...: This sub-section covers various topics that are important for Christian leaders to understand, such as the canon of scripture, the church worldwide, why God made man, signs and wonders today, the five leadership gifts, the restoration of the church, the doctrine of eternal security, tithing and giving, women in ministry, the seven feasts of the Lord and the 500 years between testaments.
How Leaders Can...: This sub-section teaches how leaders can do various things that are helpful for their ministry, such as study the Bible effectively, preach with power and conviction, teach with clarity and simplicity, counsel with wisdom and compassion, evangelize with boldness and love, disciple with patience and diligence, plant churches with vision and strategy, lead worship with anointing and skill and administer with order and excellence.
The Benefits and Impact of The Shepherd's Staff
The Shepherd's Staff is a valuable resource for Christian leaders who want to grow in their knowledge, skills and ministry. It can help them to:
Learn sound biblical doctrine and avoid false teachings.
Apply biblical principles and practices to their personal and professional lives.
Develop their spiritual gifts and talents for God's glory.
Equip themselves and others for effective service in God's kingdom.
Inspire themselves and others with spiritual encouragement and testimonies.
The Shepherd's Staff has also had a positive impact on many Christian leaders who have used it. Here are some testimonies from different parts of the world:
"The Shepherd's Staff has been a great blessing to me. It has helped me to understand many things that I did not know before. It has also helped me to teach others in my church. I thank God for this book." - Pastor from India
"The Shepherd's Staff is a wonderful book. It has opened my eyes to many truths in the Bible. It has also given me confidence and courage to preach the gospel. I am very grateful for this book." - Evangelist from Nigeria
"The Shepherd's Staff is a treasure for me. It has enriched my spiritual life and my ministry. It has also enabled me to train other leaders in my region. I praise God for this book." - Teacher from Peru
How to Access and Use The Shepherd's Staff
If you are interested in reading The Shepherd's Staff, you can download it for free from various websites that offer it in PDF or ePub format. You can also access it through mobile apps that are available on Google Play or App Store. Here are some links where you can find The Shepherd's Staff:
https://pdfroom.com/books/the-shepherds-staff/X623zObEg4Z
https://ebookscart.com/shepherds-staff-ralph-mahoney-pdf-download/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livextra.manual.shepherd
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