Capitol Ministries

16 CM 2019 | State Capitols O ur primary mission as we endeavor to plant disciple- ship Bible studies in all 50 states is to reach legisla- tors, constitutional officers, and judges who do not know the gospel so they may make decisions for Christ. Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36) In our work to help fulfill the Great Commission, we give priority to evangelism so we may lovingly explain salvation through Jesus Christ. We focus on discipling Christian public servants so they may grow in their faith and develop a biblical world view which will impact their personal lives as well as the decisions they make as law and policy makers. In our weekly Bible studies, ministry leaders drill down deep. ey teach exegetically, a method that involves examining the original Greek and He- brew, the language, grammar, the history and culture, setting and customs, and text context, among other things. Scrip- ture is taught one verse at a time, one book or biblical issue at a time. Studying one book of the Bible could take more than a year to complete. To teach these studies, we recruit Bible-teaching evangelists who are mature in their faith and biblically reliant. We pair them with Christian public ser- vants who sponsor the ministries, provide a room for stud- ies, and invite their colleagues to attend. e legislative Bible studies are open to lawmakers and constitutional officers and separate studies are created for staff. Separate Bible studies are established for judges and the executive branch. Minis- try leaders also serve as pastors in the capitol to public ser- vants, provide biblical counseling, mentoring, guidance, and friendship. As in all our ministries, we do not push political agendas. Rather than working to change laws, we focus on the biblical model of changing hearts and minds and win- ning public servants for Christ. We take time to find the right people to lead these min- istries. Perry Gauthier is CapMin's North America Director who is charged with growing the ministry in the United States and Canada. As Ralph Drollinger has oen said, the progress of CapMin's ministries is measured in years and sometimes decades. Since 1996, we have planted ministries in 43 states. is year, ministries were launched in Alaska, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont. If a public servant is well anchored in the Word while on the state level, those who ascend in their careers will be well- equipped for the oen rough and tumble world of national politics. Studies show that the national leaders of tomorrow —senators, representatives, judges and White House Cabi- net members among them—largely come from the state gov- ernments of today. We envision a nation in which every state capitol hous- es a biblically based ministry of evangelism and discipleship where elected officials and constitutional officers from all political parties gather to study the Word of God. Featured on the following pages are highlights of some of our state capitol ministries. State capitol ministries "… And you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." M a t t h e w 1 0 :18 "The Great Commission is about taking the gospel to every creature on earth, but the church has neglected reaching government officials. That is who we minister to." Perry Gauthier North America Director State Director, Nebraska (in transition) State Director, Texas

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