wfn.org | TCN: New trend highlights importance of teamwork in church leadership

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

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>Taiwan Church News

>2992 Edition

>June 29~July 5, 2009

New trend highlights importance of teamwork in church leadership

>Reported by Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

Shortly after all Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) seminaries  held their

convocation, the General Assembly Ministers Committee organized a  training

seminar at Presbyterian Bible College in Hsinchu to prepare new  graduates before

sending them out. The seminar on June 22~24 was followed by a draw  to decide

where each graduate would serve. At the end of the draw, 7 out of  48 candidates

>did not have a church to serve.

According to committee leader Jou Shin-dian, the reason seven  candidates did not

have a church to serve is due to insufficient number of churches  who applied to hire

pastors as only 38 churches applied this year. The committee will  call another

meeting and draw on July 28, but it is urging local presbyteries  and churches that

don’t have pastors to promptly apply for and seek candidates  in the meantime.

According to reports, the number of churches that had applied for  pastors at the

beginning was as low as 19. This is in sharp contrast to the  number of graduates

this year, which numbered 48 and included three couples that must  be assigned to

the same church. After much effort, encouragement, and contact  with local

churches, the number of applications rose to 38.

In view of this situation, the Ministers Committee sent  notification letters to every

graduating student in all PCT seminaries. The letter laid down  qualifications and

skills presbyteries were looking for so that students could begin  filling up

applications and interviews were organized shortly after.  According to Jou, the goal

of this application process is to promote teamwork among church  leaders so that

new graduates can learn at the side of experienced pastors  currently serving at

>local churches.

Jou pointed out that if local churches do not already envision  having several pastors

minister as a team in their church ministries, these churches will  rarely apply for new

pastors. Despite much effort by the committee, there are still 7  graduates left

without churches to serve this year. Jou is worried about what  next year’s outlook as

there will be more graduates than this year. He fears that more  new pastors will be

>left without a church to minister.

In response to these challenges, PCT’s Ministers Committee  will hold discussion

meetings with PCT seminaries so that a balance can be reached  between demand

>and supply of new pastors.

According to PCT statistics, there were 147 unemployed pastors as  of February

10th this year though the number of churches that did not have  pastors stood at 233.

However, many of these churches would rather wait for an  experienced, retired

pastor to help them than seek a graduating seminarian who does not  have any

experience pastoring a church. This trend compounds an already  challenging task

>of assigning new graduates to local churches.

With regards to new graduates who are willing to serve at smaller  or financially

strapped churches in remote areas through a mixed draw, Jou said  such an attitude

is indeed encouraging. However, he also emphasized that whether  graduates are

eventually sent to minister to small churches as pastors or sent  as assistants to help

senior pastors at local churches, these opportunities are merely  experiences or

stepping stones. The most important thing for new pastors is to  concentrate on their

>life plan or goal.

Jou is grateful to all presbyteries who lent a helping hand and  promises to do

everything necessary so that all new graduates will find a place  to serve after the

>second draw.

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