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There remains one aspect of OTH, which has been valuable and must be assessed
in such consideration. It is this: OTH has opened its doors to any who value
the training and wish to participate in the classroom presentations. Further,
we have done this without charge. It would be difficult to know at this point
how many lives have been touched and strengthened by our Lord Jesus Christ
because of the things they have learned and the friendships they have forged
during OTH experiences. How do we assess this for the future?
This no doubt has some dimensions, which we have heretofore not been discussed,
but we are prepared to continue this “open door” policy as a means of
strengthening the body. The fact that our men under care have had this regular
contact with other learners not under care has no doubt provided much positive
fellowship and opportunity for developing interpersonal relationships. We have
only noted one caution: we want to make sure the training maintains its focus on
those men under care, not diminishing the demand while among those who are only
auditing. At this point there seems to be no faltering in maintaining focus on those
called to pastor, and there may be other dimensions of this matter which could lead
to expanded ministry to congregational leadership on a non-ordained level. The trend
toward practical mentoring of the men under care outside the classroom and in the
context of the actual ministry by active pastors will strengthen this focus. But at
the present time and in the recognized future policy, OTH will keep its focus on the
men called to the pastorate while continuing to welcome those wanting to take advantage
of the open classes.
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