An Overview
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 4
While I was in London, during the 2012 Olympics, I was blessed to have the opportunity to herald the gospel in the open-air more than thirty times, distribute thousands of gospel tracts, and engage numerous people in conversation—all-the-while being part of an extraordinary team of godly men and street evangelists. The unexpected and most welcomed blessing was the time I was given to invest in young, godly men.
Three young evangelists traveled from Northern Ireland to seek my counsel regarding bringing open-air preaching to the streets of their community. An 11-year-old boy brought his father from Essex to London to meet me. I was able to encourage his father, a struggling church planter, to open-air preach for the first time. Add to that the ten young men from Grace Life London Church, The Metropolitan Tabernacle, and other churches throughout Great Britain who joined us on the streets and open-air preached for the first time, and I was overwhelmed with the sense that the discipleship of young, prospective open-air preachers would be part of my new work for the Lord.
Vision
The vision of The Timothy Project is: To train and disciple the next generation of open-air preachers, for the glory of Christ, and for the furtherance of His gospel.
Participants/Disciples
Although there will be exceptions, the preferred age range of men participating in The Timothy Project is 20-30 years of age. The reason: I want to train those whom I will see as spiritual sons (Timothys) and who will likewise see me as a spiritual father (a Paul, if you will), in order to establish the best possible, longest lasting discipler/disciple relationship.
Participants must have a general understanding of and ascribe to the Doctrines of Grace. The reason: One’s theology and doctrinal positions inform one’s preaching. I will not have the time in such an intensive program (1 week) to work through these important theological issues with participants. Also, to include those of an Arminian persuasion in this impacted training program would risk the theological, spiritual, and practical unity of such a small group (3-5 men). It is important to note that this position regarding the composition of each group in no way cast aspersions on the theological, spiritual, and practical integrity and commitment to born-again Arminian open-air preachers.
Participants must be able to commit one week, in their own community (or in close proximity) to set aside work and/or school to focus almost exclusively on the training. In order for this intensive program to work, distractions must be minimized.
Participants must be a member of a local church and must have the endorsement/blessing of their pastor and/or elders. Participants must also be serving members of their churches.
Participants will have to endure/complete a rigorous application and interview process. They then will have to be approved by a small selection committee comprised of respected, biblical open-air preachers.
Training will only be conducted when 3-5 qualified men living in the same geographic area are identified.
Structure
Duration: 1 week
Location: I will go to the participants. I will solicit the assistance of one of the participants’ churches for classroom space for our times of prayer, devotion, and classroom instruction.
Cost: There will be no cost to participants. I will raise the necessary funds from mission donors to provide my transportation to and from training locales. I will then seek assistance with room and board by either one or more of the participants or their churches.
Participants will be assigned pre-discipleship/pre-training reading and study, the content of which has yet to be determined.
Training may consist of the following (this is a tentative list):
- Theology – The Sovereignty of God in Open-Air Preaching
- Christology – The Importance of emphasizing the deity, person, and work of Jesus Christ in Open-Air Preaching
- Pneumatology and Spiritual Warfare – Seeking the Help of the Helper and Discerning the Spiritual Battles that Rage During Open-Air Preaching
- Spiritual Disciplines – The Importance of a Healthy, Vibrant, Personal Spiritual Life in the Ministry of the Open-Air Preacher
- Open-Air Sermon Prep
- Bible Reading Aloud
- Open-Air Tactics
- Powers of Observation
- Command Presence
- Preacher and Field General
- Handling Contact with Law Enforcement
Ongoing Discipleship
Discipler/Disciple relationships cultivated through The Timothy Project will continue indefinitely beyond the training. Since participants/disciples could be spread out geographically around the world, relationships and discipleship will be maintained by regular contact and fellowship via Skype and email. I will try to meet with each group of men at least once each month; and meet with individual participants as needed or desired.
For More Information
For more information about The Timothy Project and to receive an application, please email Tony Miano at: thelawman104@gmail.com