#29
We call this lay-clergy partnership decentralized pastoral care.
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory that will never fade away. I Pet.5:1-4
THE CALLED: “The elders among you” God calls every Christian to be a minister, assigns specific ministries, gives spiritual gifts for the ministry, requires equipping, and holds each accountable for quality and completion.
THE CALLER: “a fellow elder” Peter–a disciple, an apostle and an elder– is the Caller…along with Jesus, who, having ascended into heaven, sent his Spirit to “take what is mine and make it known to you.”
THE CALL: “Be shepherds” Jesus is Lord– He has authority to summon and issue orders to individuals, who, if they obey, “have life, and have it to the full, ”but if they disobey, do so at their own peril.
THE CONGREGATION: “God’s flock” God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…to be the Savior of the world and the Head of his Church. His command to Peter, “Take care of my sheep, ”revealed the passion of his heart–or selected followers to love and care for his people.
THE CARE: “Under your care…. Entrusted to you” The ministry leaders are to define shepherding, develop strategy and design a structure which gives form to the definition and a program to activate the strategy. The caregiver’s task is P A C E –Pray, Available, Contact, Example. The triad, willing-eager-exemplary, is the hallmark of a pastoral care giver(shepherd).
THE CHIEF: “When the Chief Shepherd appears” Someone has to be in charge–It’s Jesus, Lord overall, who is also Chief Shepherd, Good Shepherd, Savior of the world, Head of the Church, and the Coming One.
THE CROWN: “You will receive a crown of glory” This is a treasured intangible award of incalculable worth which will not tarnish, which is in the same genre as faith, hope and love, and which will be cherished aeons after all material and physical valuables have returned to dust.●
(Audio/Byeong) Dr. Melvin said about caring gifts for being a lay pastor: Compassion, Mercy, and Encouragement. I think this is a reasonable process. Most of Christian have compassion, and some have compassion, mercy, but some others have all three of them, compassion, mercy, and encouragement. That’s important gifts for being a good lay pastor.
At a conference, one pastor’s wife told us that she found only gifted people caring do this ministry for a long time, e.g., longevity. Without those gifts, mostly stop soon. As I said caring gifts are compassion, mercy and encouragement according to Melvin’s book. The matter is long run or quit soon. It is reasonable and understandable why they-those who don’t have caring gifts – quit soon.
COMMENTS
in relation to Sailing the 7C’s of Congregational Care (1)
Sandy Sisson, USA,|says:
Here are a few Amazing PACE segments from my life.
P Prayer. I was on staff in the 1990s with a church exploring the possibility of having a Lay Pastors Ministry. We read Can The Pastor Do It Alone by Mel Steinbron and then even traveled to check this ministry out at a LPMI conference. We came away with the knowledge that the ministry from the get go was bathed in prayer. Excited but wondering and not knowing just how this would play out in our church, it was a wee bit scary • (my Scottish heritage is coming out). The not knowing was hard but we trusted in God, continuing our own “bathing” local church prayers. God was faithful and the ministry continues years later. Remember that not knowing can be the richest of all journeys. I will show you hidden things, hidden things you have not known. Isaiah 48:6
A Available … You are with me …•Psalm 23:4 Our God is available. Are we? One of the joys in being part of a church family is that availability can be a shared experience. I was one of those persons that always liked to be ready and available for every need. And when I could not – I would go through a period of sadness of not being able to be there. Then the joy of seeing others whose lives were opened up by God to be the available one was inspiring and releasing. When the availability is shared with each other – a strength, a faithfulness, a joy, an energy filled presence of love permeates throughout the church. Truly amazing.
C Contact. In Blowing Rock, the post office is the equivalent of a courthouse or local grocery store. A place where you come in contact with the locals plus visitors buying stamps, mailing that precious card back home as we are ill the Blue Ridge Mountains where persons come to rest, hike, ski, fish, breathe in the beauty of the earth. Everyone says hi – as you pass through the door. Not quite like Mayberry and the Andy Griffith Show, but that same feel on many a day. Well, one quiet day I entered in, said my cheery hellos, even though it was one of those tired personal days we all seem to have, concerned about life issues. I turned my key to open Box 304.
E Example. The impact of the note card was a welcomed and needed example. God used the words and the time taken by this person to refresh my soul. I was able to see this person in the next couple of days and shared my heartfelt thanks. Then in the next couple of days the rippling from the example took place – I regrouped, I wrote short notes, I cared in a refreshed way. I had been encouraged. My grandchildren sing the song Wheels on the Bus. The wheels of the bus go round and round; round and round; round and round, the wheels on the bus …you know the song, I’m sure. As we become examples for one another – in the many hidden ways that God reveals to us along our Christian walk – the wheels of the church will keep moving in a culture of caring love, even if, as in The Amazing Race – a roadblock may appear.■
Byeong, Melvin University, says:
How do you see this commentary? Can you follow what is that mean? Can you get these 7C as the church’s most valuable assets?
Essence of Lay Pastors Ministry:What is the essence of this ministry? I think the first one is personal growth and sense of accomplishment. Of course to fulfill of Divine’s call is important too. Let me talk of LPMI USA’s board members. They are still belonging to this ministry which is almost 30 years. Why?
At present they are growing personally, professionally and also respond to the God’s calling, so I think personal growth is practical essence of this ministry. And calling of Divine is not neglected issue here. Why do you this? Yes, God called me to do. This is definite answer, and it is correct.
Another essence is church growth. Whatever we do, it should be relating to expand the kingdom of God. As we know the living tree will grow, and this is definite true, and no question of it. Whatever it’s numeral or quality, the ministry should help to grow church inside and outside.
Other issue is relating to the church culture. If there are not good cultures in the church, actually through this ministry their culture will change. And also there should be ministry-oriented culture which means not only to be a membership of the church but also ministry-focused in mind.
Lastly to fulfill of God’s will, and this is Biblical mandate. Lay Pastors Ministry is trying to fulfill God’s mandate which could find from John 21:15-17, Jesus said to Peter, “If you love me, care, tend, feed my sheep, and more from I Peter 5:1-4 that the Great Chart which Dr. Melvin putted this name. Yes, we have to love our neighbors and people around, that is the fulfillment of God’s law. So LPM is trying to do this mandate more in detail, and systematically. I think those elements are the essences of Lay Pastors Ministry.■
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
by BYEONG
Small things have a big impact: It is said to have happened to Sameera in Toronto a long time ago. Her parents, who visited her house, boarded a plane back home, and on the way, her mother died of a heart attack. Two days later, there was a funeral, and there were so many people she didn’t know that she asked her father and brothers who were who. But there was an old lady sitting there who no one knew. So Sameera went to the person in her late 50s and asked her, saying hello.
“I’m the only child in this family, and I’ve known everyone else through my father and brothers, and everyone says they don’t know about you, do you know my mother?”
The lady thought for a moment and answered. ‘I’m sorry to say this, but I didn’t know your mother.” Then Sameera talk to her, “I don’t understand. Then why are you here?”
“Maybe it’s going to be a long story,” she said slowly. “About five years ago, I had a very difficult time. I was so exhausted that I decided to kill myself. And that day, I got on the bus, and a woman sitting right next to me was reading a book, absorbed in it. When I got halfway to my destination, she put the book on her lap and talked to me. ‘I think you want to talk to someone?'”
“So while I was on the bus, I had a lot of confidence in her and talked to her. By the way, the darkness disappeared, and there seemed to be bright light in my mind. And when I got home, I decided not to kill myself.”
“We were so into talking that day that we couldn’t even ask our names. But I saw her picture in the newspaper with the news that she passed away two days ago. I didn’t know it was your mother. I didn’t even know her name. But she saved my life five years ago through a 20-minute conversation on the bus. I found out that he had passed away. So I came here to thank her family.”
There’s another example. A man was walking on a Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked, he saw far away that a man kept bending over and picking something up and throwing it into the water. He continued to do so, so as he approached, he noticed that the man was throwing a starfish washed ashore into the water one at a time. This guy feels a little weird, and he approaches him and says, “What are you doing? asked curiously.
“Yes, I’m throwing these starfish back into the sea.” “It’s low tide and all the starfish are washed ashore. If we don’t send it back to sea, they’ll die from lack of oxygen.“
“Yes, I understand, but there seem to be thousands of starfish on this beach, and it seems impossible to send them all back to sea. Aren’t you overdoing it?“
Then he smiled, bent down again and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, “That starfish I’m sending again will live anyway.”
As shown in the above two examples, making a difference! is a precious thing.
It is true that Sameera’s mother did something important as she rode the usual bus. She must have felt compelled to do something when she saw the needs of others. She may be absorbed in her work while reading books or reading hard. But she had the idea of “I should do something.”
Of course, everything may not be this meaningful thing. But on the other hand, it can be meaningful and valuable.
In fact, big changes happen through groups of many people. But most of it starts [through one person]. There is no denying that it begins with the thought, decision, and responsibility of one person, like Sameera’s mother, and a man on the coast of Mexico.
The key is who will do this? The simple answer is that “the first person to see” does. The person who sees, feels, and becomes responsible does. Who knows if treating others well, even if it is trivial, will have great consequences!
PACE 국제 펠로우십
PACE 국제 펠로십은 해외에서 한국에 유학 온 학생들과 교제할수 있는 중요한 기회기 되었다. 그건 카핑박사(Dr. Kaping)와 내가 함께 시작하였다.
서울의 신촌 쪽에서 선교를 지향하는 작은 교회에서 한 달 동안 멜빈의 PACE 세미나를 해달라는 요청을 받았었다. (지금은 그 교회가 국내 대학들에 유학 온 전 세계학생들을 대상으로 선교하는 역할을 감당하고 있다.) 그때 그곳에서, 나는 인도의 나가랜드에서 온 카핑박사를 소개받았다. 카핑은 인도의 푸네 대학에서 학위를 받았는데 나가랜드 마니푸르에서 태어났다. 그는 많은 나라에서 공부도 했다. 내가 그 교회에서 PACE 12과를 공부시켰을 때 그는 이 사역을 매우 좋아했다. 그래서 자연스럽게 안산에 있는 많은 나갈랜드 유학생들의 모임에 함께 참석하게 되었다. 결국, 한국에 유학 와서 공부하는 외국인 학생들을 만나다 보니 좀 더 체계적인 접근이 필요하여 PIF (PACE International Fellowship)를 만들게 되었다. 사무실은 필요가 없어 카핑박사가 다니던 교회(죽전OO교회)를 중심으로 매주 정기 모임을 갖고, 모임 순서지도 만드는 방식으로 시스템을 구축해갔다.
나는 그 모임을 통해 다른 아시아 학생들을 많이 만났다. 특히 미얀마에서 온 학생들이 많아서 미얀마로 가서 교회 세미나와 신학교 강의를 하게 되었다. 한편, 영어 자료를 활용할 수 있도록 정리하고 발전시킨 것은 큰 성과라고 생각한다. 외국에서 온 유학생들을 위해 사역하다 보니 영어 교재를 많이 개발하면 할수록 좋았다. 오랜 세월이 지난 지금도 당시 만들어진 자료들은 여전히 영어권, 특히 나갈랜드의 신학교와 케냐의 멜빈대학교에서 잘 활용되고 있다.
PACE 국제 펠로십에서 계속 사역하던 중 인도 나가랜드에서 한국으로 유학 온 알로토 목사를 만났다. 안산에서 많은 나갈랜드 학생들을 만나고 있었는데, 나갈랜드에서 온 새로운 유학생이 있으므로 카핑 박사가 가서 만나자고 했다. 그 집에서 나가랜드에서 온 학생인 알로토와 그의 아내와 딸을 만났다. 그래서 알로토가 우리 사역에 들어와 같이 활동하기 시작했다. 알로토는 학교에서 장학금을 받았지만, 한국에서 살아가야 했기 때문에, 결국 논현동의 한 교회에서 영어예배 전담자로 부임했고, 영어예배를 마친 뒤 다른 몇몇 성도들과 함께 [영어 PACE 12과]를 공부하는 시간을 계속 가졌다.
그런 인연이 이어지면서 알로토는 2년 뒤 학위를 마치고 고국, 나가랜드로 돌아가서 드디어 PACE 신학교를 준비했고 2015년 7월에 개교했다. 이렇게 해서 나가랜드에 신학교가 설립되었다. 그가 고국으로 “돌아가면 어떻게 해야 할지!” 고민했기에 나는 자연스럽게 그에게 학교를 세우자고 제안했다. 이 문제에 대해 카핑 박사와 몇 주 동안 논의한 후, 우리 세 사람은 이 PACE 사역이 그들의 나라에 절대적으로 필요하다는 결론을 내리고, 학교를 설립하는 데 동의했다.
하지만 문제는 알로토가 학교를 지을 땅을 가지고 있지 않아서, 우리는 학교를 위해 건물을 임대하기로 했다. 비어있는 2층 건물이 있었지만, 한 달에 350달러가 들었다. 그래서 한국에서 1년 동안 보냈다. 아무것도 없는 상태에서 시작하여, 첫 신입생은 3명으로 여학생 2명, 남학생 1명이었다. 그때 나는 현지에 가서 개교식하고 바로 3개월 동안 3명의 학생을 가르쳤는데, 2015년 7~10월이었다, 벌써 몇 년 전이었다. 하여튼 1년 뒤 지금의 땅을 6만 달러에 구입했고, 이제 학교는 그런 부담 없이 잘 진행되고 있다, 그때 우리는 한 달에 수백 달러를 버리는 것이 아깝다는 결론을 내렸기 때문에 서둘러서 땅을 샀다. 어쨌든 카핑 박사를 만나 한국에서 외국인 유학생을 위해 PACE 국제 펠로우십을 시작했고, 알로토를 만나 나가랜드에 PACE 신학교가 영구적으로 존재하게 된 것에 대해 감사하게 생각한다.●