About 300 Chinese pastoral workers from around the world attended the "The Unshakable Kingdom" symposium on kingdom theology held in Thailand.
Conducted by the GETS Theological Seminary in Bangkok fom March 4 to 7, the conference was aimed at helping Chinese churches develop a kingdom perspective.
The GETS Theological Seminary started as the Global Enrichment Theological Seminary in 2002, using its current name after its restructuring was completed in 2009. With the vision of cultivating evangelists and theological educators for the global Chinese church, the seminary primarily serves Chinese-speaking communities and equips individuals to serve Jesus Christ effectively in the global church or in the field of theological education, promoting the rooting of faith in Chinese culture and the bearing of fruit in the life of the nation.
During the opening ceremony on March 4, Rev. Dr. Joshua Ting, executive vice president of the seminary, reminded participants to embrace spiritual renewal from five perspectives: opening eyes to see God's work; accpeting the truth with open hearts; reaching out to receive the grace of Christ; transcending self-centeredness to expand God's kingdom; and embracing the Lord to be the manifestation of God’s glory.
The main content of the symposium was kingdom theology explained through theological doctrines and interpretation of scripture.
Additionally, three sessions of "practice and dialogue" were designed over the course of the symposium on March 5-7, covering preaching ministry, micro-churches, and global missions. Each evening also featured a "life interview," where guest pastors shared struggles and challenges they had faced in their personal growth and family life.
Senior Pastor Abraham Liu of Taipei Revival Church shared his personal journey of being a second-generation pastor. Reflecting on his pastoral experience, he said, "The Word became flesh, and people can be reached with the message of the gospel. Instead of discussing doctrines with believers, it's better to talk more about struggles." Believers face varied problems, such as inner doubts, struggles, challenging environments, illnesses, and suffering, he added. Pastors should not just preach doctrines to believers but, like Jesus Christ, engage in one-on-one dialogue with them, understanding and comforting them through their struggles.
Following each "practice and dialogue" session were workshops. The symposium featured five workshops on different themes: facing suffering from the book of Revelation, construscting micro-churches, church growth strategy through micro-churches, pastoral counseling and discipleship, and pastoral ministry.
During the final workshop titled "God's Kingdom and Pastoral Ministry," Rev. Dr. Caleb Soo, the principal pastor of the Singapore Life Church, stated that ministry is not a profession but God's calling. He mentioned five points for ministry workers: not to be at the beck and call of others, to care for believers, to humbly point out each other's mistakes, to learn to use modern technology as a tool for ministry, and to be preachers as well as listeners.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
