Too Many, Too Few!

I attended a Bible School graduation exercise last night. Not sure if I will get myself into trouble “broadcasting” my thoughts here on my personal blog, but then again, it’s just my thoughts, my observations.

I think there were some 60 some graduands. Quite a number of senior graduates. Number of young ones. The rest like middle aged. Not sure if it’s a good combination but statistically, 60 some is not short of being impressive! EXCEPT … some are repeat graduates (like certificate to diplomas or diplomas to bachelors but same persons as in last year or previous). Of the 60 some, there were part timers and of course many night class students and I would guess, a handful of full timers. I think what’s happening here is, the Bible School is producing many graduates but not workers, and by that I mean full time workers which I thought, is the main thrust of Bible Colleges. So the thought came to me … “Many are called but few are chosen?”
When you mix in all the part timers and the night classes with the full timers, somewhere in all the combinations, something is … LOST!

While the statistics (number of graduates per year) may tickle the ego, the reality is “Many are called but few are chosen.” Here’s the possible scenario … if not for now, then at least for the future. By virtue of their academic achievements, the graduates are now “equipped” (notice the inverted commas) to serve, so they have been told. If they have previous corporate working experience and leadership, better still because that would mean they would be more “qualified” to serve. So now a graduate can fill the shoes of a pastor, a teacher, maybe an evangelistic, prophet or apostle. After all, they are Bible School graduates and like I said, maybe even possess previous corporate working experience. I mean, how hard is it to be a pastor, to apply leadership, to lead a group of followers? Logical, right? In fact, many of these present day graduates think they can do a better job than the previous generations because they are now better equipped in terms or academic, age and leadership experience and title. Sounds like a good combination. I mean that’s a good resume if you are looking for a pastor, right? This is the current day thinking. It’s all about QUALIFICATIONS.

Well, I beg to differ. Take pastoring, for example. Anybody with leadership abilities and basic theological training can lead a church. In fact, there are people in the congregation of a church that can probably do a better job than the pastor because of their “resume”. But my concern is …. are they called? The five-fold ministry (pastor, teacher, prophets, apostle and evangelist) is not an office that anyone can fill in because they are qualified. These offices are filled by virtue of a CALL from God. They are of God, given by God and anointed of God. And the people that fill these offices are chosen by God.

When the 12 disciples of Jesus were CHOSEN by God, they were not exactly the qualified type. I know Luke was a physician but there was no mentioning of his leadership skills. The rest were rather under-qualified. But they were CHOSEN and CALLED. That, my friend, is the criteria for serving God.

Today, it’s not so much about a CALL. Rather, it’s about a process. As long as you pick up courses in a Bible College, accumulate the credits and graduate, you are "qualified" to serve. Don’t like your current job? Go to Bible College. Retrenched? No worries. Go to a Bible College. Retired from work? Got plenty of time? Try Bible College. See, when you graduate, perhaps there’s a job waiting for you because churches are looking for “qualified” personnel.

I feel, in today’s context, Christian leadership has thinned out the portfolio of the five-fold ministry. I feel they are replacing the CALL with “QUALIFICATIONS”. See, you cannot generate a CALL to full time ministry. But you can create a QUALIFICATION for the ministry. And that is where I fear the church is losing out in terms of its God-given leadership. Will there come a time where churches are led by “qualified” pastors and not the “called” ones? Will it be a good thing if it become a possibility? Consider this verse …

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Notice here the embolden words. INSTEAD of God calling them into the ministry, the church will decide WHO they want for leadership (QUALIFICATIONS) so they can hear what THEY want to hear.

Like I said earlier,60 some graduates is not short or being impressive for one single Bible College achievement. I think we have reasons to give thanks to God for that. And I am not saying that Bible Colleges is God's process for CALLING people into full time ministries. But I do think, where possible, Bible Colleges is a good transition to respond to the call of God. Sitting there at the graduation exercise, I wonder if Bible Colleges today are producing graduates or workers? Are they shaping the CALLED ones or are they manufacturing the QUALIFIED ones. Hmmm ...

Just my thoughts. My thoughts.