It Takes a Church to Raise a Pastor – Part III
Growing up in my church, I did not know a single person who wanted to become a pastor. The majority of us went on mission trips in youth group and some thought about being a missionary but no one wanted to be a pastor or pastor’s wife. A lot of people wanted to do business, engineering, become lawyers or doctors, etc. The typical “asian” majors. All my friends (except me) had 1st Generation parents.
Perhaps this is an effect of 1st Generation immigration. “I didn’t come all the way here for you to go into seminary. I came here for you to succeed, for you to go to an Ivy”. And thus many did, going to top schools focusing on their careers. Nothing wrong with that. I went to a top 10 Computer Science school and currently work as a software engineer. But I don’t remember any parents encouraging their kids to think about it. I don’t remember any pastors encouraging any of the youth to think about it. And you wonder why there is a dearth of 2nd generation Chinese pastors.
While I won’t say that it’s a church’s responsibility to train up their own pastors for the generations to come, I will say that it is the Church’s responsibility, as in the Universal Church’s. A church must be concerned about the Church’s future. We are all one body and in today’s mobility, people will move around. Your pastor does not have to come from your congregation but he will come from someone’s congregation. Some church has to be training pastors for the next generation. Who will be teaching your kids or your grandchildren? Why not have one of your own, one whom you know and trust.