May 17, 2009
Reported by Lin Yi-ying
Written by Lydia Ma

Shortly after its 54th General Assembly Annual Meeting, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) held a training seminar for all newly-appointed CEOs of its affiliated organizations. The training was held on May 8th at PCT headquarters and General Secretary Andrew Chang and Church Law Committee leader Li Sheng-hsiong were among the main speakers.

The theme of the seminar was "Faithful Stewardship" and over 16 evangelical organizations and 37 newly-appointed CEOs attended the training. PCT Assistant Moderator Lai Hsien-Chang used the prophet Nehemiah as a role model for all new CEOs. According to Lai, Nehemiah would cry out to God for help whenever he began a new task or found himself in trouble. Lai urged all CEOs in attendance to emulate Nehemiah and rely on God through prayer and Bible study and avoid getting carried away with their new titles.

Chang encouraged newly-elected CEOs to maintain a humble heart and be good stewards of everything that will be entrusted to them. He emphasized that understanding the difference between being a steward and being an owner was essential and would help avert unnecessary disputes.

Chang pointed out frankly that church organizations face complex problems and a lot of them arise because people are confused about the difference between stewardship and ownership. Many leaders forget the master-servant relationship they have with God and whether they have ownership or stewardship over their organizations. As a result, they ignore the original calling they had when they first began their ministry.

According to Church Law Committee leader Li Sheng-hsiong, being appointed as a CEO is an opportunity God gives to people so that they can serve Him. Those who have been given this privilege must focus on their duty instead of their power and authority.

Li also mentioned that using church law to punish individuals should be used as a last resort because summoning church law under such instances is unfortunate for churches and the people involved. As Christians who believe and rely on God, we should always be conscious that we are accountable to God in everything we do. By maintaining a humble heart, we can avoid pitfalls that come with self-righteousness, selfishness and arrogance.

Li pointed out that those who break church laws often do so because they broke promises they had made to God, church, and other people beforehand. He urged all CEOs appointed to PCT affiliated organizations to think more about their duties than their authority and treasure this opportunity to serve, as well as remember the love and fervor they had at the very beginning. In this way, they would be fulfilling Paul's command about being courteous and considerate in all things.

Taiwan Church News