A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT

At Reaching & Teaching, we are committed to establishing healthy churches around the world. One of the “marks” of a healthy church is a commitment to expositional preaching. We use the helpful definition of a healthy church that has been developed by our friends at 9Marks and Expositional Preaching is the theme of the very first chapter of the book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.

Preaching is biblical! In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul tells Timothy to preach the Word. When we gather together for corporate worship in our local churches, the preaching of the Word should be the central element of the gathering. We also emphasize the exposition in expositional preaching. This simply means that the main point of the sermon is the main point of the text. We want to be great expositors at Reaching & Teaching so that we can clearly communicate the truth of the Scriptures, whether it’s one of our men publicly preaching in a corporate gathering or one of our global workers reading the bible oneon-one in evangelism and discipleship relationships.

We are thankful for our partnership with the Charles Simeon Trust, or “Simeon Trust” as you’ll see them referred to later on in this edition of the RTIM Review. I’ve benefited personally from Simeon Trust’s training and we encourage all of our global workers and staff to take advantage of the online resources and in-person workshops that are available to increase their ability to preach and teach the Bible. The men’s and women’s workshops have strengthened our skills and made us hungry to learn more. Our staff are incorporating elements of the workshops into our Global Training program. One of the most encouraging things I’ve witnessed over the last couple of years are the cohorts of global workers and staff across the world who meet together for online workshops. You can read some reflections from some of those folks in the pages ahead. If you haven’t attended a workshop and are keen to grow in this area, I would encourage you to make plans to do so at a location near you. They also have a fantastic residential program called the Chicago Course on Preaching led by my friend Jeremy Meeks. It might be a great fit for a brother in your congregation aspiring to pastor or serve overseas.

This issue also contains an update from the Platts and the Rattins who are serving in Southeast Asia and Uganda, respectively. These two families are great examples of the workers we are privileged to serve around the world. I know you’ll enjoy reading up on their work overseas. Aaron Jerome has written a review of “To the Golden Shore” by Courtney Anderson, which is my favorite biography of Adoniram Judson. I’d encourage you to read his review and then go pick up a copy of this inspiring biography for yourself and read it this summer.

I’m encouraged by the work of Scott Mescher and our Global Training team as they equip men and women around the world through our Pastoral Training and Women’s Training Institute. They’re evaluating prospective training sites and continuing to look for qualified teachers to join them on upcoming trips. If you’re interested in joining them, I know our mobilization team would be interested in speaking with you.

The first half of the year has been a busy one and the second half will, Lord-willing, be full of deployments, stateside assignments, preview days, additional global worker appointments, preparations for pre-conferences at the Getty’s Sing! Conference and the Pillar Network’s Unite Conference, and finally CROSS24 at the beginning of the New Year. Please pray for our global team as they make mature disciples, establish healthy churches, and train local leaders around the world. Pray for safety, for steadfastness, and that the Lord would be glorified in newly established and recently revitalized local churches around the world.

As always, we’re thankful for your continued prayerful and financial support. Many of you financially contribute to at least one of our global workers or staff and we are ever thankful for your trust.

Sincerely,

RYAN ROBERTSON