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A Vision for Ministry: Nurturing the Pastor's Spirit
A Cross Cultural Conference for Taiwanese Pastors
A report by John McCall, former PCUSA mission co-worker in Taiwan
Twenty-one Taiwanese pastors (eleven women and ten men, one third aboriginal) arrived at Montreat Conference Center on August 24. They were in Western, NC to participate in a conference sponsored by the Outreach Foundation, Montreat Conference Center, Taiwan Theological Seminary, and Western North Carolina Presbytery. The purpose of the conference was to give these pastors a “place apart” away from cell phones and the demands of daily life and ministry. Most pastors who attend conferences in Taiwan arrive late and leave early, and are constantly answering calls on their cell phones. The participants attended a preparation retreat at Taiwan Seminary before leaving for the U.S. They will continue to have bi-annual retreats upon their return.
The first week was spent in spiritual formation. Each participant was given a prayer partner and had daily opportunities to walk, share, and pray with their partner. These prayer partners will continue as they return to Taiwan. The pastors were also given quiet time in the beautiful natural setting of Montreat to be silent and listen to God. Each day we had small group Bible studies based upon the theme of the day. We also had worship each day with the opening worship being held in Montreat College’s Chapel of the Prodigal. In that service John McCall challenged the participants to build a bridge between this conference experience and their daily lives and ministries in Taiwan.
One of the spiritual exercises was for each person to meditate on a different scripture verse and then we walked over to Montreat’s Presbyterian Heritage Center where there are many carvings of gospel stories. The artist used Appalachian dress and surroundings to depict these stories. Each pastor meditated on one of the carvings as a way to enter into the truth of the text more deeply. We then talked about contextual theology and how to allow the Word to become flesh in each culture.
The theme of the third day was “Healing”, and the pastors attended a healing service at a local Black Mountain church. The pastors and healing team gave the participants an introduction to their understanding of healing and explained how they had developed this ministry in their church. Many of the healing services in Taiwan are focused on one pastor who has the gift of healing, but this healing team focused on how the Holy Spirit uses the Body of Christ, the Church, to do the healing. Even though there were some language barriers, the church members felt it allowed them to get out of the way and allowed the Holy Spirit to do the healing work. It was a very moving evening for the Taiwanese pastors and for the members of the host church.
The theme of third day was “Meeting Christ in Your Neighbor.” After studying Matthew 25 in the morning, we divided into two groups to visit two Homeless Shelters in Asheville. There the Taiwanese pastors washed the feet of homeless men. It was a powerful image to see these Taiwanese guests inviting other guests to have their tired feet cared for. The pastors took time and expressed their love for each man by carefully washing and massaging their feet, putting lotion on each man’s feet, and then giving them new socks. One homeless man who was a Vietnam veteran said, “Last time I saw Asians, I was shooting at them in Vietnam. Now these Asians from Taiwan are washing my feet in the name of Christ.” The pastors all reflected on how meaningful it had been for them to kneel and serve the “least of these.”
Friday evening the pastors sang and danced for members of the Black Mountain/Montreat communities. As they danced in bare feet, wearing their native dress, the sounds of aboriginal songs reverberated off the rock walls of Anderson Auditorium. After the dinner and program, the pastors went home with different families from the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. We specifically chose families with children, so these American children would have the opportunity to wake up and see someone from another country at their breakfast table. One of these families is from Ethiopia. The father of this family is an elder in the Black Mountain Church and had been resettled to the U.S. by that church to America many years before. On Sunday the Taiwanese pastors divided into three groups and all three groups attended two different worship services around the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
The second week we invited U.S. speakers to come and share with the pastors. After each speaker shared, a Taiwanese pastor would share on the same topic. Bobbi White did an excellent job of challenging the participants to think about reaching, growing, and sending from the Acts Initiative. Then each afternoon we would divide into small groups to reflect on what we had heard in the morning. We were shaped not only by our experiences, but more so by reflection in community on these experiences. We lived together in a big house in Montreat, sharing chores and life, so even though many of these pastors had not known each other well before, they quickly became a residential community.
Margaret Perry talked with the pastors about caring for oneself and for one’s family. Since most pastors in Taiwan live at the church, it is often hard to do self care and to nurture one’s family. On Monday and Tuesday of the second week twelve pastors from WNC Presbytery came to Montreat to meet and share with the Taiwanese pastors. Monday evening the pastors shared their faith stories and then shared music. It was a wonderfully rich evening. Two Taiwanese pastors and two American pastors spoke on a panel on the Vital Church. The pastors then shared their joys and challenges of ministry together. On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Lamar Williamson, a retired New Testament professor from Union/PSCE and a speaker last year at Taiwan Seminary, spoke on “The Role of the Bible in the Pastor’s Life.” The American pastors were thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know sisters and brothers from across the world and also to eat the delicious Taiwanese food. Bobbi White, the General Presbyter of WNC Presbytery, gave a wonderfully gracious welcome in every way to the guests from Taiwan. On Wednesday, Maggie Lauterer helped the pastors to think about growing a healthy small church. Her experience melded well with the pastors who face some of challenges and opportunities which Maggie also face.
Montreat Conference Center was a wonderful host with an opening cookout and a closing banquet in the Galax Dining Room. The Dimmock Endowment was an important partner in allowing this conference to happen. Pete Perry, the president of the conference center, shared how much it meant to Montreat to be engaged in two-way mission. The folks in Black Mountain also shared how much the joy of the Taiwanese Christians had encouraged them.
Our last day was spent talking about how this experience would shape them and their future ministries in Taiwan. I had taught most of these pastors at Taiwan Seminary, and it was a thrill for me to see how they have matured and how they have developed into servant leaders. The goal of the conference was not to give them a program to take back to Taiwan, but instead to help them dream God’s dream for their lives and their churches. It was also a great joy to see the willingness of so many folks in Black Mountain and Montreat to serve as drivers, as cooks, as hosts, and as friends to our Taiwanese guests. I am grateful to the Outreach Foundation for their generosity in helping to support this conference.
As one pastor got ready to board the plane in Asheville to return to the dramatic needs in Taiwan after a horrible typhoon, she said, “I am going back with hope and with vision. Thanks be to God!”
If you would like to contribute to the Dimmock Endowment, gifts can be sent to Montreat Conference Center:
PO Box 969, Montreat, NC. 28757
