The Blessings Of Pastoral Internship
An update from Andrés Contreras, former Pastoral Intern at Cross of Grace Church, El Paso, and now Pastor in Training at Gracia Soberana, Guadalajara…
One of the great benefits of belonging to an international family of churches is that even though we come from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds, and cultural understandings, we are united in a love for God, His Word and His people. As such, we can come together to the pages of Scripture and come to the same theological convictions, and yet apply those convictions in different ways depending on the cultural background of the people we serve. It is because of this that I was very helped by doing a residency in the U.S. even though I had a sense that the Lord had been calling me to pastoral ministry in Mexico.
In particular, there are three particular ways in which I was helped by spending a year with the pastoral team of Cross of Grace in El Paso, Texas before the Lord opened up an opportunity to do ministry in Mexico.
1. I Got To Experience The Benefits Of Gospel Partnership.
I’m profoundly grateful to the Elders of Cross of Grace for the warm welcome they extended me and my family during our time in El Paso. I had the opportunity to see this group of men share their lives with one another and through that I was able to see the deep love they have for the Savior and His people. Their lives proved to be worthy of imitation, which I strive to emulate. I got to learn from their leadership style, their servant-heartedness, and their love for their city. Additionally, during some of the difficulties we lived through during the year we spent with them we experienced their love and care to help us as we walked through those seasons of uncertainty and difficulty. Their care toward our lives and their example of character deepened our love and respect for their lives.
During our time in El Paso, we were deeply aware that we could not have been there without the support of our family of churches. It humbles me to be on the receiving end of the generosity of our denomination that allowed me to learn from these men and the church they lead.
2. I Got To Learn From Our Cultural Differences.
By far, the greatest shock I received from my time in El Paso, was to experience the cultural tensions of doing ministry in a different country and language than my own. It is remarkable that even in all that we have in common by our shared theology and denomination, there are significant differences on how we seek to apply God’s Word to our contexts. The culture we belong to shapes us in more ways than we realize and it drives us to bring certain assumptions to the way we think, communicate and pastor. Even though Juarez and El Paso have a lot of similarities, the cultural differences are still significant enough to shine a light on what cultural practices and prejudices have shaped my mind and worldview, and my time at Cross of Grace made me realize some of that cultural influence in my life. Although, it is not wise to try to implement everything I saw in the US into ministry in Mexico, it did prove thought-provoking whenever I encountered one of those differences and it led me to seek to value what I could learn from that difference and to try to think through how I could apply part of that principle.
This has proven helpful already as we (Gracia Soberana Guadalajara) are evaluating some of our ministries and I constantly go through what I have learned from my dear brothers at Cross of Grace in order to provide suggestions to the rest of the pastoral team.
3. I Got To Love Our Savior More For The Global Work He Is Doing.
One of the reasons I grew to love Cross of Grace Church was that because of how the Lord has shaped that congregation, they are constantly sending people all over the country. As they do so, they seek to envision them to live lives that are worthy of the gospel and to be faithful witnesses to the lost wherever they go. As a result of this, they get to hear from different people around the country occasionally with testimonies on how the gospel is transforming lives. I am glad to be one of those who get to share with them what the Lord is doing in Guadalajara. In doing this I have been made grateful to the Lord, that I can taste in a small way, the reality that we are part of what God is doing in making a people for Himself from people of every tribe, language and nation.
In light of all of this, I cannot help but be profoundly grateful with both Cross of Grace Church and Sovereign Grace Churches for their investment in my life through this residency. I know that I will continue to reap the benefits of this opportunity for many years to come. It is a deep joy to be able to partner with you in the gospel.
