Pastor's PageThe Soul Tidal Wave!
Allow me to share some reflections on the pastors/spouses conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand at which you were kind enough to sponsor Nancy and me last month.
These annual meetings of like-minded international congregations like our own are valuable professional fatherings for exchanging ideas and building morale. They also allow us a good insight into Christian ministry in the host city and country. They are especially helpful for pastors of independent churches like our own because we have no denomination to nurture us; these gatherings remind pastors and their spouses of independent congregations that they are not alone in their work in Asia and elsewhere.
Let me note some aspects of this recent gathering:
l. Our study theme was "Soul Tsunami." A tsunami in natural terms is a tidal wave. And we tried to open ourselves to the theme that God is going to send us a spiritual tidal wave in our new century of such radical nature that churches will have to decide sail with the coming wave or sink beneath its force. We are all committed to sailing with it!
We spent considerable of our seminar time brainstorming on how the church can use modern technology like the internet without succumbing to its siren seductions.
2. Our worship featured blended music, much as we do in community church. This contrasts with only a few years ago at similar conferences when we used only hymns. It is now taken for granted in international congregations that liturgical music needs to strive to incorporate the best of traditional church music and the best of new praise music.
Our own worship incorporated additional elements of dance, spontaneous skits, rehearsed drama, and the creative use of symbols and graphics. While all of these are not feasible in Sunday worship for most of our congregations because of logistical limits, your pastors are open and experimenting with them all. The use of more beauty, more appeal to all the senses and sensibilities of worshipers, and more creative methods of presenting the Gospel, are part of the coming liturgical tidal wave. .
3. Next I am glad to see that the theological range of international congregations continues to broaden. All churches, and there were about 23 represented this year, including three from Hong Kong, are post-denominational in focus. That is equally true of those churches which officially retain a denominational link as in the Lutheran, Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations which participated as in the independent congregations, like our own. Of the five most recently created international congregations which sent pastors to Chiang Mai, all had the word "community" in their name, whether they were independent or denominationally linked.
Community, as an expression of theological inclusiveness in the post-denonination era, has replaced the former preference for the word "union" which a generation and more ago attempted to convey the same respect for multiple Christian traditions.
I am also glad that one formally Pentecostal congregation now participates and that the entire fellowship of international congregations is in theology both mainline and evangelical in outlook and appreciative of charismatic elements in public worship.
4. Finally, this was the most diverse group of professional church leaders which I have encountered at these annual meetings. Until recent years international churches everywhere have tended to be pastored more by Americans than any other nationality, and Americans continue the largest nationality among the ordained leaders, but the demographic spread grows. Of the 44 participants, four were Canadians, four Australians, eight New Zealanders, two South Africans, two Japanese, and one Korean. I believe this ethnic diversity will continue to grow as international congregations become, like our own, more cosmopolitan and inclusive both of expatriate Christians and local Christians who respond to our worship and outlook, based in the use of the English language.
All in all this final gathering in Asia for Nancy and me was certainly one of the very best among the seven we have attended. Thank you for sponsoring us and may you take confidence and enthusiasm that international congregationalist ministry, while only a small part of the vast Christian movement in Asia, is nonetheless a well led and significant portion of the scene for Christ in our region.
Pastor Gene Preston
The Rev. Gene R.Preston
14th Floor, Blk 36, Lower Baguio Villa Tel : 25516161 Fax: 25512114E-mail : gpreston@netvigator.com
TOP OF PAGE
This page has been visited
times.
This page hosted byGet your own Free Homepage
