Posts

Time Management, Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills

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Firstly let’s talk about time management. Effective time management makes a huge difference to our success and well-being in every area of our lives. It is about being a good steward of the time we have given to us. Everyone is given 24 hours a day, whether you are Brian Houston or Whitney Houston, so we should not be complaining that we don’t have enough time. We will prioritise and set aside time for something that matters to us no matter how busy our schedule is. Daryl shared a few tips during lecture which I have started to implement, such as doing activities around blocks of time when your concentration is best, and shutting off all distractions such as social media notifications. I like to multitask, but that has sometimes made me distracted and wasted unnecessary time  on Facebook. I found an app called Pomodoro timer, which sets a 25 minute timer for undistracted work and then a 5 minute break. It has helped me get through several essays and important tasks.  Secondly, con
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Calling, Ordination and Women

This week’s topic centres on the role of females and female leadership within the church. While we have seen increasing opportunities for females throughout church history, the reality is that females still face gender-related challenges that could limit their potential and callings. It is a widely held belief that leadership is male, and Catford(2009) highlighted a few challenges females in Pentecostal churches face. There is a lack of deep theological basis for their leadership position, and females find themselves having to prove or validate their position, which can be tiring and discouraging. It is also not easy to juggle their family and ministry responsibilities, amongst other things.  As a result of these challenges, some had to adapt accordingly, ignore them or even leave the ministry.  The reading by Catford made me reflect on the underlying issues behind the challenges that female leaders face: culture and sexism. Although I am not a feminist, I believe that the gospel ha
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Pastoring in Postmodernism

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Pastoring a postmodern generation presents several unique challenges and opportunities. It is essential that we equip ourselves with knowledge about postmodernism so that we can better cater to the needs of a postmodern mindset. Grenz(1996) outlined the movement from modernity to postmodernity in history, and stated several characteristics of postmodernism. These include deconstruction, the destruction of ontology(Derrida), the use of power to assert knowledge(Foucault)and the non-existence of truth. Both knowledge and truth are not objective; they are relative. The world is “relative, indeterminate and participatory”. Meaning is made in society within community using language, hence truth is what fits within a specific community. This topic on postmodernism fascinates me because it gives me a greater insight into how people and the world in general thinks, and what shapes their beliefs and actions. It helped me make sense of what I have already experienced when I talk to non-b
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Departmental Ministry in an Intergenerational Church

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I really enjoyed this week’s topic and found it quite relevant to the areas that I volunteer in. We talked about responding to and catering to the needs of specific key demographics in church communities. For me, serving in ESL ministry meets a real need in Sydney – those who come from an English as a 2 nd language, whether they are new migrants or students. The students come from different countries and age groups, but their common need is to improve their English. This might seem obvious on the surface, but there is a deeper underlying need beyond improving their English. It is community. They are longing for friendship and a place to belong. Coming to an English speaking country when you don’t speak the language is lonely and isolating, as it limits your opportunities to interact with people due to your language proficiency. Hence part of our mission is to create community, and to give our students a safe place where they can make friends and work on their English at the same
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The well-being of the minister

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The well-being of the minister is critical to the success of the individual’s ministry and personal life. Ministry is not just a vocation like any other, but it is a calling which can be pretty demanding. After all, ministers are constantly dealing with people, and working with people can lead to burnout, which is defined as a psychological condition that results from chronic stress related to working with people(Miner,2007). I currently serve in a couple of different ministries in Hillsong Church, which includes our Citycare ESL(English as a 2nd language) ministry, Star Bar Outreach ministry and interpretation ministry. The topic of burnout is something I have personally experienced in 2015, when I was juggling multiple ministries and leading various teams. At one point, I was holding leadership positions in 4 different ministries, leading a connect group, working 2 part-time jobs as well as pursuing my 1st year of Hillsong college. One of the relational issues pushed me to the ve
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Biblical Models of Pastoral Ministry

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In this week’s topic, we explored what it means to be a shepherd, and various models of pastoral ministry from both the Old and New Testament. Kevin Hovey started the lecture by reading from a resume of a minister who definitely did not fit into the modern church’s requirements for a minister, and revealed at the end that it was the apostle Paul himself. Here's a link to Paul’s inspiring resume:  http://www.stolzweb.org/webpage/inspirational/pastor.htm That left an impact on me as it made me rethink the qualifications, background and experience of a minister. I never want to overlook a potential leader, or to judge a leader by their ‘resume’. We discussed the meaning of pastoral care, its history and what it means to be a shepherd. The importance of shepherding is reflected in my ministry and ministry experience. My church in Singapore had an acronym when it came to selecting leaders: SHIFT, which stands for Shepherd’s Heart, Hunger, Influence, Faithfulness and Te
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