wfn.org | TCN Editorial: Training with international awareness

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3001 Edition

>August 31~September 6, 2009

Editorial: Training with international awareness

>Translated by Lydia Ma

Training or educating an individual is a long process anywhere in  the world

simply because it requires investing time and money and doing a  lot of practice.

There are no shortcuts to producing successful, talented people,  but most

companies today don’t have enough patience to invest in  long-term training and

a lot of company trainings occur sporadically. Some companies are  only

interested in recruiting trained, ready-made professionals and  when no such

individuals are found, they complain about the lack of talent and  regret not having

invested more resources in training people. Usually, such  self-realization comes

>too late in the game.

Raising talented individuals requires hands-on training because  this is the only

way for people to apply what they’ve learned in classrooms  into their lives and

then make necessary adjustments to improve their skills. Hands-on  training can

also help individuals become acquainted with the organizational  culture of their

current workplace, interact with new people, build relationships,  and contribute

their own talents and skills in the process. From a Christian  perspective, we hope

we’re training loving and righteous students, ready serve the  world according to

>God’s will.

As we approach Ecumenical Ministries Sunday, we must remember that  training

an individual to acquire an international perspective must begin  from childhood.

That being said, educational resources provided by the PCT must  include more

>international breadth.

As children become youth, PCT must provide opportunities for  church youth to

get involved in international affairs, meet people from other  countries, and

become their friends. This will help young people to learn from  each other,

exchange valuable experiences, and acquire new skills. After  accumulating some

skills, we must help our youth to use these skills in their  workplace often so that

their fervor and passion for learning will not wane.

Similarly, classes in seminaries must include more international  perspectives so

that seminarians can get a broader picture of what they are  learning. Most

seminary professors have gone abroad at least once to pursue  further training.

They must have participated in activities or seminars and gleaned  some

interesting perspectives from different parts of the world that  they can pass on.

However, we also know some professors have unfortunately locked  themselves

within academic institutions during their foreign trips and  focused on research

and theology instead. After these professors return home and  resume teaching,

they usually don’t have time, energy, or interest to read up  on international affairs,

much less include international perspectives into their  curriculum. Consequently,

students mentored by these professors will naturally be  disinterested in

>international developments as well.

In the same manner, if pastors are not careful, they will find  themselves focusing

only on their own flock and neighborhood while ignoring the larger  picture. They

will be less aware of international events and consequently less  capable of

applying broader perspectives when approaching theological debates  and

>religious issues.

Acquiring an international perspective doesn’t come by merely  going to a foreign

country during holidays, but requires purpose-driven learning.  Pastors who want

to expand their horizons must learn about recent world trends,  where they are

happening, and where they are headed. Since the world has become a  global

village, it is likely these trends or problems happening elsewhere  in the world will

soon reach our backyards. If a church can prepare ahead of time,  it’ll be in a

better shape spiritually and theologically when the time comes  because it has

done its homework. How we respond to problems can even become a  reference

>for others in their time of need.

Many people think about staying current with international issues  last in their daily

lives, or place this task at the bottom of their to-do list in the  same category as

things they can live without. In reality, staying tuned to  international issues should

be a priority because it is by being aware of these issues and  their

developments, from the general to the detailed, that we will have  productive

>discussions and reliable conclusions.

Because of special national and political circumstances, the PCT  has been

prompted to reflect deeply on its spiritual and theological  convictions and

broaden the way it does ministries. This process has enabled the  PCT to build

holistic ministries that include care for all of creation. This is  one important legacy

we can share with churches in the rest of the world as we  commemorate

>Ecumenical Ministries Sunday.

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