Bible-schools in Asia are different! (1)

Introduction:

Many Bible-schools in Asia are disasters because many people think that Bible-schools all over the world should be similar. So many Bible-schools in Asia are almost whole-sale imports from other countries with the same syllabus (sometimes translated into the local language), the same lecturers that come for short-term stints (teaching with interpreters), similar entry requirements, dormitories, funding, etc.

Reasons:

The main reason for this is cultural ignorance. A secondary reason may be ego. A third reason may be financial gain.

Let me deal first with the cultural factors. Most Asian countries are poor. Therefore, the main preoccupation for many Asian is survival – food, shelter and future job prospects. When there is an offer of any one of these three, there are many eager takers. When there is an offer of all of these three for free – as in a Bible-school – it is very hard to resist.

In an affluent country, going to a Bible-school usually means giving up of better prospects. So effort must be made to encourage someone to enter Bible-school. However, in a poor country, going to a Bible-school can mean the exact opposite. Imagine the thoughts that pass through the mind a poor boy who lives in a broken hut, having little to eat and no money for college fees, when he is offered the chance to go to the city, live in a brick dormitory, sleep on a mattress, ease himself in a modern toilet, be assured of three decent though simple meals a day, get an education that may lead to a job with a Christian organization that is funded by foreigners! And often a sponsor can be found for him if he isn’t able to pay for his fees. Do you really think that the average poor youth can resist such an offer?

I have interviewed several Asia presidents and trustees of Bible-schools in poorer Asian countries, who are friends of mine, and asked them what they think are the percentage of their students who are really called to serve in the ministry. Their answers which are shockingly frank are that 50 to 90% are NOT called to serve God. In other words, the majority have other reasons for enrolling in Bible-school.

Unless this harsh reality is grasped by the well-meaning donors who live in affluent countries, this problem will persist. However, some of them will argue that even if the wrong types enroll in Bible-school for the wrong reasons, the end result is good, namely, that they will get a chance to hear the Gospel and be built up in the Christian faith. And even if they do manage to get better paying “secular” jobs, they will be better citizens and church members. While this sounds like a good enough reason for enrolling more students into Bible-schools, we must remember that there is a deadly side-effect that many people do not realize.

The reality is that the majority of Bible-school graduates end up in Christian ministry – the men as pastors and the ladies as Bible-teachers and pastors’ wives. This is because jobs are scarce in poorer Asian countries and these Bible-school graduates are not trained to compete for secular jobs. Their Bible-school degrees are worthless in the market-place. So they really don’t have a chance to get a decent white collar job when they graduate. And most of them expect to have a white collar job since they are now respected graduates who are addressed respectfully as “Pastor.” To some this seems like a win-win situation that provides enough workers for God’s work. After all, isn’t “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few”?

The truth is that if God did not call a person to serve as a pastor and he becomes a pastor just because he has graduated from a Bible-school, then that person is out of the will of God. And if he is out of God’s will, then how can he expect to have the leadership and empowering of the Holy Spirit when he serves, preaches, teaches, counsels and administers the church? If the pastor is spiritually dead, so will be the church.

This is probably the main reason why so many churches are spiritually dead. In my travels through different countries in Asia for the past 25 years, I estimate that over 90% of the churches in Asia (excluding China) are spiritually dead. They may have been spiritually alive when they were first started by a Spirit-led man but later died when one of these “uncalled” pastors took over.

The situation in China is very different because they do not have such “imported” Bibles-schools that produce career pastors. Chinese “pastors” do not get paid but they often have to pay a heavy price for serving God. Sad to say, the situation in China is also changing rapidly with the establishment of many imported Bible-schools.

Solution:

Unless we realize that “normal” Bible-schools in poor Asian countries attract too many uncalled people who then become uncalled pastors, we will continue to produce pastors who will “kill” our churches. These pastors can be likened to spiritual Frankensteins, who are produced by our Bible-schools and then let loose on our churches. They are usually not easy to remove once they are in place, because though they lack power in their preaching and ministry, they are knowledgeable enough and have been given the “license” to pastor by a credible Bible-school.

The solution to this is simple. if the entry of uncalled people produces uncalled pastors, then the entry requirement needs to be modified. Presently, most Bible-schools follow the usual practice of admitting students with adequate academic qualifications and a recommendation from his pastor. (Remember that a pastor is keen to help his member to get a chance to go to Bible-school. Also, it reflects well on the pastor if he can send more students to Bible-school.)

In poor countries, Bible-schools should focus on admitting those who have already a proven track-record of serving God rather than young school leavers looking for free education, food and future. These men who have already sacrificially served without pay are likely to be “called” by God – and will therefore be empowered by Him.

The few Bible-schools in Asia that have modified their admission policy in considertaion of this policy have produced fewer men but much stronger churches. The denominations in Asia that focus on training proven men, rather than prospect-searching youngsters have far stronger churches and are growing much faster than those that eagerly admit every young man that applies for Bible-school. The Bible-schools that produces spiritual Frankensteins have produced many small, struggling churches. On the other hand, the denominations that focus on training proven men often build large, stable missions-sending churches.

Next post:
Part two of bible-schools in Asia