doulos, diakonos

I got more than what I asked for during my recent menyibuk trip to the Sabah Theological Seminary.

Bishop Hwa Yung of the Malaysian Methodist Church was in town to conduct a Graduation Seminar in STS. What a great privilege to listen to this humble man talk on "God's Servant".

Some main points in his lecture...

• great visionary Christian leaders are always a premium, in short supply
• the Bible talks about training servants, not training leaders
• unless the teaching to be servants is internalised into Christian lives, any talk of leadership tends to encourage self-seeking ambition, which is very destructive
• in Mark 10:35-45, leadership is referred to as doulos (slave, servant) and diakonos (an attendant, a waiter)
• even at the final hours of Jesus' life, all the disciples were still jostling for positions... only Judas had a clear view of what was really going on
• 'meek' leadership: modest and wilful, humble and fearless; confident, yet humble; strong, yet gentle
• a kampung church is as valuable as a city megachurch in God's economy; strive to serve faithfully as servants, wherever God places us (he's talking to the newly-grad pastors)
• our confidence should be built on our identity as a child of God, not on leadership positions
• the concept of the pastor is being a shepherd, not a church CEO
• in choosing leaders, emphasis should be placed on the character, rather than the education, talents, or good looks
• test of humility: do you seek out to do jobs that nobody wants to do, but need to be done?
• there is no limit to how far you can climb as long as do not care who gets the credit
• convergence: ministering/serving out of our BEING, as an out-flowing of our inner life
• need to bring back the seminary model (character training) into Bible school, not the university model (academic scholarship)

In the afternoon, there was the Graduation Ceremony held in the very nice STS main auditorium.

There was a beautiful grand piano on stage. The acoustics were excellent!

Academicians in colourful robes.

Song presentation by the STS choir.

Scrolls were conferred to those who graduated with certificates, diplomas, Bachelor's and Master's degrees. But guess who won the loudest applause? The aunties who persevered through a ten-year course, and the silver-haired grandma who received the Certificate of Attendance for Senior Citizens.