Taiwan Church News 3292 Edition March 30 - April 5, 2015 Church Ministry Inter-Presbytery Ministry Conference Is Held Discussing PCT's Past, Present And Future Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan In order to find a evangelical strategy for PCT's future, a inter-presbytery ministry conference, consisting of 5 southern PCT presbyteries: Pin-tong, So-shan, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chia-yi, is held at Chia-yi on March 30. Mr. Tu Xing-zhe, Mayor of Chia-yi City, and Rev. Hu Chon-ming, Pastor of Der-sen Presbyterian Church of So-shan Presbytery are specially invited to deliver their lectures and thoughts. About 100 pastors and elders take part in this conference. Based on the development of historical missionary events, Rev. Hu Chon-ming explains how PCT evolves from Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell at southern Taiwan and Dr. George Leslie Mackay at northern Taiwan. James Laidlaw Maxwell was a medical missionary sent by Presbyterian Church of England, and George Leslie Mackay by Presbyterian Church in Canada. Names of current PCT General Assembly went through different stages as "Tainan Presbyterian Assembly"(1896), "Taipei Presbyterian Assembly"(1904) and "Taiwan Assembly"(1912) respectively. In 1957, Southern Synod was cancelled to facilitate church unity, but Norther Synod was still kept until now for some historical complex. Except mentioning some church growth events and evangelical expansion, which are deserving to give our thanks to God, Rev. Hu also expresses his worry about PCT's development in several dimensions: church's increasing inflexibility inhibiting the organic growth of evangelical ministry, the spill-over phenomenon of the youth into other denominations, the absence of practice within theological education, the existence of Northern Synod, spending too much time in conference, the difficulties to integrate extant four seminaries and etc. Facing the problems lying ahead, Rev. Hu thinks PCT's future lies in the following directions: return to the initial heart of our faith, commemorate and learn the spirits of our pioneering missionaries, engage in one-lead-one evangelical movement, strengthen the research and development of PCT mission, set up the study center of practical theology and etc. "We should adapt to the changes and demands of this age, otherwise we will be replaced by other denominations tomorrow!", warns Rev. Hu. Translated by Peter Wolfe |