Five pastors and three elders have been ordained at an ordination held by Liaoning CCC&TSPM in Liaoyang on July 8.
Rev. Zhang Yuezhu, the chairman of the provincial CCC, gave the new pastors and elders four advices they should take into consideration and serve as their guide in their ministry.
1. Use the right words when handling God's Word and delivering it to the people
Pastors should not go with the tide. Some often follow when prosperity theology or pentecostalism starts in the area. This issue that pastors are give in to fads not only causes concerns for themselves but also affects the whole society.
Regarding the presence of online sermons, she holds that most of the online messages posted is not the gospel in its fullness. These messages often delivers the word on salvation but it does not have the content of "breastplate of righteousness", "shield of faith", "the gospel shoe of peace" and "sword of the Spirit" which is also need to understand these words.
2. Raise up more co-workers
Now is the time of teams not of individualistic heroism. Pastors should use themselves well, and raise up more co-workers to assist in their ministry. Pastors who should be hidden like the land need to make the grass increase so that the world will be filled in greeneries.
3. Combine learning from practice with cognition
Cognition refers to the knowledge in the brain which develops while learning from experience. This ensures that one understands what they learn through their experience.
Nowadays, a large percentage of people have abundant cognition, but they lack in learning from experience. A large number of people are doing the work of wood, hay or straw, like catching fish in shallow water. However, in order to gain something more, it requires people to go into deep water to catch a lot of fish.
Today, there are many believers in churches which causes churches to consider how they can enhance the quality of their services. To achieve this, pastors should improve their quality on how they approach and speak with people in the first place.
4. Be good and faithful to the ministry
Be good to men and remain faithful to God. No believer shall be hurt by pastors for he or she is the pupil in the eyes of God. Pastors should be coaches instead of lecturing leaders. Take driving as an example. A coach will accompany the trainee to drive the car, except when teaching the theory. Pastors will have authority as long as they offer help to believers in both their life and in spirit. Pastors who shall serve one master are faithful, otherwise they are regarded as unfaithful when serving two different entities.
She considers this as a challenge to pastors and said, "Pastors will be the people sacrificed and the people on the altar since they are ordained in the church."
"It's not easy to be shepherds as they sacrificed to be good shepherds throughout their life." She concluded in the end.
