A friend of mine has just returned from China. Here are his reflections on growing leaders there.
In the past, most leaders were mentored by older pastors who had suffered much. Although they led millions to Christ, they lacked in biblical knowledge. In the 1990s, doors opened to Western-style training (Bible schools and seminaries with libraries and lecturers).
Now Chinese leaders report:
After graduating 10 batches of students, the quality is diminishing year-by-year. Students finish with big heads but little hearts. They lack spirituality, endurance and ministry skills. The church is a family, but these schools are institutional factories producing talkers who can’t shepherd the flock. We don’t want them!
Jesus’ system of leadership development was very different from the traditional “school” approach:
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons (Mk 3:13-15).
Jesus created a relational network—with Himself and each other—as a context for learning. He gave them learning experiences—ministry with reflection and teaching—as the content for learning.
Jesus’ approach produced Eleven men who turned the world upside down (cf. Ac 17:6). Paul used a similar approach (2 Tim 2:2). We are trying to emulate this in “Multiplying Jesus Mentors in China.”
Echoes of Roland Allen.
