Staff at Milo Adventist Academy in Days Creek, Ore., have been praying this year for God to use them to make a difference in the lives of their students.
Chad Reisig, Milo Academy Church pastor, says it all started at Together As One in Eugene, Ore., a few months ago. “We were talking about the churches and schools making disciples," he explains. "So I asked the educators at our table: ‘How much training have you received on how to make disciples?’ All of them answered, ‘None.’ We opened the question to the room, and everyone answered in the negative again. So, how can we make disciples if we don’t have any clue how to do it? Everyone agreed that we had identified an issue in how to move forward.”
After praying about it, Reisig felt impressed that “this is one area where pastors, who are trained in discipleship, need to step up their game and help train our educators on discipleship. Otherwise, there would continue to be a huge hindrance to our collective ministry.”
Reisig shared the vision with Randy Thornton, Milo Academy principal, who was equally convinced of the benefit of enhancing discipleship skills among Milo staff. They agreed to begin a discipleship training series at the next staff meeting.
The weekly sessions included presentations by Reisig, small-group discussions and sharing with the whole team. Staff were blessed by the midweek focus on ministry. Teacher Darla Milam says, “It’s helped me to have a fresh look at the way I teach and to be more intentional with my worship thoughts and interactions with students. It also brings us closer together as staff.”
Matt Melashenko, information technology director, says, “I really appreciated how Chad explained the importance of intentionally including Christ-centered ideas in the content materials of our courses.”
Students also appreciate the effort faculty invest in discipleship. Senior Trevor Driver says that his teacher, Dale Milam, has shown him how to be a disciple of Jesus this year, saying, “Mr. Milam is humble and selfless. He is always looking for ways to be a better example to others.”
Milo staff have taken extra time to spend in prayer together this semester and are thankful for the ways God is working in the lives of their students.
For more information about teen discipleship, email Reisig.
Chad Reisig presents “The Gospel Changes Everything,” part of the discipleship training series he created for Milo Academy staff.
