#10
God intended that we have a few gifts.
I am findings the benefits of this journey to be many:
- An exhilarating sense of doing things God’s way
- An increasing impact of my ministry – touching more people more deeply by multiplication rather than by addition.
- A lessening of the weight of the ministry – it now rests on many shoulders rather than on mine alone. God never intended that I have all the gifts needed by His people. Scripture clearly teaches that every Christian is gifted. Releasing those gifts spreads the caring responsibility across the congregation and reduces my load.
- A continuing spiritual growth. Since we equip more by what we are than by what we teach, the process of equipping others impacts me, calling me to greater accountability and dependence upon God.
- A reduced danger of burn-out and family alienation. Sharing the pastoring provides more time to be with my family without neglecting people, more time to be human and to lead a more balanced life.
My personal journey from where I was to where I felt I should be has been possible, first, because God has gifted many lay people for pastoring and, second, because lay people seek fulfillment in their lives through actively caring for other people.●
COMMENTS
in relation to THE PAY-OFF
Dr. Aloto Anche, Principal of PIS( Nagaland India), says:
These four alphabets PACE constitutes a major role in the pastoral ministry.
Pastoral Ministry is not simply to prepare sermon and preach on the weekend, but it has major role to play, that is to take care of the sheep. In John 21:15-17 Jesus tells Peter to take care of the Sheep 3 times. Let us consider seriously why Jesus spoke to Peter to take care of the sheep 3 times consecutively. This shows how determined Jesus is about the needs of the people. To understand PACE in a very simple word is ‘Care’.
Pastoral ministry without care is definitely not a ministry at all. It is a caring ministry instituted by Jesus Himself. PACE is like a mathematical formula to solve equations and algebra. The beauty about PACE is that, it doesn’t interfere in the doctrinal beliefs of different denominations. PACE simply is to show love and care for fellow humans. No ministry is a ministry without care. The other word for care is love, because we cannot care unless we love, and the new commandment that Jesus gave is love.
Let me briefly talk about my homeland Nagaland in India. Our people are all Christian, so you can imagine how organized our churches are. Very unfortunate to say this but the churches in Nagaland is nil when it comes to caring ministry.
The Church doesn’t care about the needs of the people, they are only concerned about the financial growth and status of the church.
When I first heard about PACE from Dr. Byeong Cha Seo the national director of LPM, Korea and Dr. Timothy Kaping Kim, when I was in South Korea, the first thought that came was, Nagaland Churches need this. I was extremely excited to be trained under Dr. Byeong and Dr. Tim. With a very high expectation I came back to Nagaland but to my surprise, people didn’t show any interest in this ministry as I thought. People are too busy in infra structural developments, but are less bothered about what Jesus said about caring ministry. But I’m still envisioning the growth of the church through PACE, because I don’t see any hope in the ministry without PACE.
The beauty about PACE ministry is the exception of lay people doing ministry to care for one another. There is no reason why the lay people Shouldn’t do ministry. Jesus didn’t differentiate any people for their qualifications or for their merit. The only qualifications require in the Kingdom is, obedience to the great call for the mission.
I believe PACE ministry will continue to grow across the globe. It’s a high calling to fulfill the kingdom purpose.■
Tohuto shohe (PIS student) says:
PACE is necessary in the ministry it helps the leaders and believers to serve others effectively with hesitation and grow more in spirit. Ministry is not just about preaching or teaching but it is about caring for others guiding them, teaching them who God is and showing God’s love in everyday life.
Prayer is a must in the ministry and we must put prayer first. Prayer is the foundation because it connects the ministry to God’s wisdom and strength. Without prayer we can easily become tired or discourage in the ministry. When we pray in the ministry, we receive direction, encouragement and the ability to help others from God. Prayer also strengthens the people they serve as they pray for their needs and struggles. Being available is necessary because ministry is about people. If we are busy in our own world in the ministry people those in need may feels ignored.
Available means making time for others, listening to them and being there when they need support. It clearly shows that ministry is not just about words but also about taking care and being available to others.
Contact is also important because ministry is build on relationships, checking on people, staying connected to them and making sure they do not feel alone. A simple call, visit or message can make a huge difference in someone’s life by showing them that they are valued and not forgotten.
And one of the important things in ministry is living as an exemplary life. It is the most powerful was to lead in ministry, because people are more likely to follow what they see rather than just what they hear. When we live with the believers with kindness, patience and integrity, it inspires others to do the same and their lives become a testimony of faith in their action bringing more people to God.
In ministry, PACE can create a strong and supportive community. It makes sure that people are not just told about God’s love but experience it through prayer, presence, connection and good example. This makes the ministry more effective and impactful in transforming others life.♥
Byeong, Melvin University, says:
There are many lay people those who found these in their PACE ministry: how about you?
When I was in Canada I have been trained of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), so it was easy to adopt this ministry myself. CPE is a kind of training for senior class of seminary, mostly in the States and Canada. To me, when I was an M.Div student at McMaster Divinity College at Hamilton in Canada, school asked us to complete CPE course, so to get M.Div I have done at Wookstock, for Mentally Retarded People, and also later I did one more unit at Whityby, for Psychiatric Hospital. I have learned a lot from two CPE. As we know, CPE is for pastors, not lay people, but sometimes lay people come and are trained CPE. Anyway it is for future pastors, but our ministry is for pure lay people, yes it’s good for church and pastors, but more focused on the lay people. Why? They, lay people, are also need to grow just like pastors.
I tried to adapt CPE to our students while I was in Nagaland. It was good for them, because our students learned PACE ministry (12 Training Modules) from me, so they understood CPE more easily. Therefore, I found PACE+ CPE for students is really good.■
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
by BYEONG
Success and Achievement: Let’s talk about Success and Achievement. The concept of “achievement” is more appropriate when asked how much success means to those who believe in Christ? Success is like a term in the business world, and achievement is the concept of accomplishing the work/ministry entrusted from the Lord, and to hear “well done.”
Our Lord Jesus also expressed it with the word “Job Done”! We don’t use the word Jesus succeeded very well. He has completed the task entrusted to him.
Is it an easy to do completion to the given job? In fact, it’s only possible to achieve it if you die! If there is still energy left, I think it has been achieved less. I think it is people’s hearts that want to achieve at least one thing in their lives, and it would be desirable to leave the world after completing a given mission, but it is regrettable that they cannot achieve one thing.
Rather than trying to succeed, I try to fulfill my mission. I think it is wise to put all your heart and soul into it. Perhaps, as Pastor Melvin pointed out, it is in line with the need to go in the right direction rather than trying to be complete. In other words, it would be better to complete a given task than to pursue success, which is considered the biggest task.
Rather than having a successful life, I think it would be better to finish the given work completely. It’s because we have almost more experience of failure than success. Few people will succeed in their entire life. It should be said that there are few. Therefore, even if it is not completely successful, wouldn’t it give you a score if you achieve only one given field? Therefore, it seems that the expression of accomplishment is better than success.
To fulfill the mission given by the Lord. In both respects, “the mission of the pastor.” The other one is, “The mission of a layman.” The pastors can do this, but the mission of a layman is the key issue.
Personally, I argue that there should be a ministry given to laymen. Will only laymen help the pastor fulfill his mission? Furthermore, while fulfilling the mission given to laymen oneself (I want to call it a ministry), shouldn’t laymen have the meaning and reward?
Like any pastoral theologian said, whoever it was, I think it’s a meaningful story that when anyone believes in Christ, you’re given two things at the same time: “Salvation and Ministry.”