the 32nd session of the TRAC ended yesterday with the ordination of two elders, rev. joshua khong and rev. buell abraham, the accepting of a new lpl holder, mr. yip (who incidentally is STM's business manager and layleader of TUMC church), and the reading of the yearly appointments. there were a few changes in the pastoral appointments, but the reb is seconded full-time to STM for another year (but with a monthly responsibility to wesley methodist church segamat to do holy communion).
so people asked 'how did it go'? well, for the reb, it is so-so, the same thing year after year. now that i have attended TRAC sessions since 1984, the initial excitement and exuberance as a young pastor has long gone. if only i don't have to attend...? just wishful thinking.
as for the reaction to bishop's talks whom everyone was praising highly, i left a long comment here at chee keat's blog:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4080345968472581964&postID=7391448609213237767
so people asked 'how did it go'? well, for the reb, it is so-so, the same thing year after year. now that i have attended TRAC sessions since 1984, the initial excitement and exuberance as a young pastor has long gone. if only i don't have to attend...? just wishful thinking.
as for the reaction to bishop's talks whom everyone was praising highly, i left a long comment here at chee keat's blog:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4080345968472581964&postID=7391448609213237767
Comments
If it does any good, just to let you know, my pastor is one whom i can just go to meet, without prior appointment on fridays or saturdays or sundays. He'll spare a few minutes even though he has got someone lining up first to meet him.
I guess, folks like yourself and rev. wong is leaving a legacy to the younger generation. Forget those trigger-happy hippies pastors...they are just..passing trends.
Jack
Not to say I agree in any way that the church should move in this "professional" direction.
For better or for worse, my door is open 24 / 7 - even on off days and all my church members have my home number, office number and mobile phone number.
But then again it helps that my fellow elders do give me real flexi hours so I don't burn out and can catch a bit of rest in between appointments if I need it. Also I live next door to the church and my office is downstairs (I live upstairs)
On a related note, it seems that the trend now is that pastors do not want to live in a church manse on church property, next to the church etc. I hear it is mainly due to protect the pastor. (So memebrs etc do not diturb the pastor so much)
When I was called to my current church, my fellow elders were very surprised that I asked to stay in the church manse (normally it is rented out to others) as I wanted to be available and easily accessbile to the church memebrs etc.
for example, one of the changes is in home visitations. nowadays in klang valley, it is extremely difficult for pastors to make home visitations. church members worked late and by the time they reached home, they are in no mind to have the pastor visiting them. thus, i hear that pastors are not expected to visit their members in the homes during weekdays. to compensate, pastors now make breakfast and lunch appointments with members and so there is still some sort of time together.
but my raising up of some of the issues in chee keat's blog are not of things we cannot control but things which we pastors are beginning to be laxed in. the 3 examples i used are based on real-life examples from my colleagues. they are not hypothetical situations. there are more examples that i can quote but may dismay more people.
no wonder the charge by some lay members about their pastors cannot always be entirely untrue, as there is some amount of truth in them. it is a question of trying to be authentic in this 21st century context and yet retaining what has always been the key crucial elements of the pastoral office.
That is such a nice gesture - breakfast with my pastor :) that will be nice but then again, pastors are so so busy ... sorry, some pastors are so so busy, I cannot imagine how they can make such time.
pastoral visitation is one of the hallmarks of the pastorate. it is one of the questions a person must answer in the affirmative to the bishop when seeking for elder's ordination. no person can hope to be a pastor and not carry out pastoral visitation. in view of changing demographics and social affluence, we may have to think of innovative ways to keep in contact.
maybe this sort of techno-pastoral know-hows should be taught in seminaries too. You know lah, some ppl are just straight jacket, you need to feed them with some tips.
Jack
"techno-pastoral know-hows should be taught in seminaries too."
A basic know how on IT should be a prerequistie.
I keep in touch and minister to quite a few via e-mail, skype (though not often now with skype as phone cards as easier and cheap), blogging (on my own and others blogs), chat facilities (though I refuse to use MSN :-)) etc
Internet etiquette can be taught as well as I really dislike seminary students / alumni fowarding all kinds of e-mails which is messy, irrelvant, urban legends, has not been cleaned up etc ....
BTW, someone should explore the usage of technology and church ministry/church work in our Malaysian context.
As we can see on facebook now, ppl are using such webbased social utility for political networking and marketing. How about christian work?
And of course, like you say blogging, it's a tremendous evolution from the days of the chinese rebels passing anti-Sung messages in mooncakes!
The thing about the Church is that we are not very consistent in using the online tools, I mean, every now and then, we'll see a website goes up or a discussion group here and there, but there is not systematic organization and sustainability.
If only there's a body/organization/company which can provide research and consultation on technology and how we can utilize technology fully.
weeks back I spoke to a senior pastor a baptist church in PJ (not FBC and nonid to guess) offered to set up a server out of his own pocket to do these sort of work. I really salute this chap, he's not of the internet age (hehehehe...read: old) but he's got a HUGE passion on using the tools to develop his ministry. But i still think a consolidated and a more systematic approach is better than isolated websites here and there.
There are many many computer experts and marketing experts out there, and I mean, we've probably learnt a lot of lessons from our ups and downs with "professional marketting-style mega churches", if only studies can be done to just extract them lessons and to disseminate it to share the info with churches.
Of course, some will always warn us, as if we were born yesterday, of the "impersonal" and "steel coldness" of technology, but I think with good research and good strategizing we will be able to come up with something useful (and may even soften the Reb's Dilemma -- hahahaha...i was so affected by reb's blog and comments i decided to call the current situation about "pastors being professionals but uneffective professionally", the Reb's Dilemma).
Any takers???
I remember saying to the budding NT scholar once, seminarians should be sponsored to go do post-doctoral/post-grad studies on "secular courses" such as IT, psychology, law, biology, phsyics, maths, politics yadda yadda...hey why not encourage some of our seminarians now doing MTheo or MDiv or BD to pursue further studies on technology?? They may even be supported (by grants or sponsorships) to start such organizations as I mentioned above.
I am sure there are stuff like this overseas..but since we are already copying others, why not copy really useful stuff..heheheh...rather than soapy songs (ooopss..sorry)
Jack
Here's hoping STM and the other seminaries do have such ministry related IT courses .... or if not yet, are planning them.
I mean, just by following a few people's blogs (not time for more than a few) I have gained alot!