The Situation of Most Shepherds Around the World

The Gospel Coalition recently posted an article by Pietro Ciaverella on the great need for theological training in Italy. This topic really hits at the core of why Desiring God is working to resource church leaders around the world. He writes,

Pause for a moment and think of your pastor in New York, London, or Sydney. What if he wasn’t trained, didn’t have a salary, and was only able to dedicate his free time to the ministry of your church? How would that affect the quality of his ministry and his effectiveness in teaching you and your family the whole counsel of God? Welcome to most conservative, evangelical local churches in Italy. Italy has many godly nationals standing in pulpits proclaiming the riches of Christ. Yet very few of them are either trained or remunerated and, more often than not, they are bi-vocational.

This scenario is typical in much of the world, especially the Global South.

I encourage you to read Pietro's entire article. And check out some of our free Italian resources. If you plan to be at our National Conference and are interested in learning more about Desiring God's work to resource international church leaders, visit our exhibit booth to talk with our international outreach team.