Moving on to the next level of service

With my election to the board of trustees of the Convention of Philippines Baptist Churches (CPBC), pastors were assured of representation. There was a relative unity between the Convention leadership and our association. Synchronization of programs and direction of both bodies produced mutual benefits. Pastors concern and requests were directly addressed while programs of the Convention were easily disseminated and supported by pastors.

Making things more favorable was my appointment to head the Theological Education and Ministerial Concerns (TEMC) Committee. Thereafter, I found the missing link i.e. the CPBC Ten Year Strategic Plan for 2000-2010. Significantly, it incorporated TEMC as one of the major program components of the Convention. Specifically, it aims to empower the local pastors to comprehensively develop their potentials so that they can more relevantly respond to the challenges and needs of the present situations.

While this could have been an answer to the needs of pastors, unfortunately, the program was not well implemented because of the lack of budget. Since its inception, the program was not given much priority due to limited budget and lack of personnel. Unlike other programs with respective directors, the TEMC activities are either carried out as additional function of other personnel, or undertaken by volunteers and TEMC Committee. It was compounded by prevailing misconception that the CPBC caters only to churches. The pastors needs and concerns should be addressed by their association.

This discovery resulted to a deliberate effort to advocate for the pastors cause resulting to some significant changes. Some notable developments were the approval of CPBC UNITES (Unified Theological Education System) which broadened the opportunities for continuing pastoral education; the approval of CBMA Placement Bureau, and other resolutions passed by the assembly and subsequently approved by the Board. Since then, the TEMC program was revisited, promoted and given fresh mandate.

Gains and pains in serving the pastors

Given the overwhelming mandate, I made true my commitment to integrate my learnings from previous experiences in development work in leading the association. Soon, I realized even those unlikely experiences in past life were similarly useful. Like risk taking, from gambling, and the skills in arranging/organizing cards, mahjong tiles to win despite their weak/losing state. Likewise, calculating combination and predicting occurrence in the numbers games like jueteng. These were further honed and given social component in my involvement with the people’s struggle and in practice of social work profession. Of course, the spirituality that has been developed during the illness and crises in life served as overarching foundation.

Using participatory approach, consultations were conducted in grassroots. Board meetings were expanded to include provincial presidents. This was supplemented by informal ones like regular Kape-kape@CPU, extension classes in provincial centers, and intentionally soliciting member’s opinion/suggestion. The collective wisdom of senior ministers was maximized by creating Council of Elders to assist in major organizational changes. Subsequently, the vision- mission statement was formulated, employing Appreciate Inquiry approach which was accepted and collectively owned by members. It has provided the direction of the association which broke the cyclic tradition and set the foundation for continuity.

My stint as CBMA president was captured by our slogan: MINISTER & LEAD. The first term was focused on service reflected by the series of assembly themes in 2005-2007: Ministering the Ministers: Locating the Pastor’s Milieu… Empowering the pastors in respective milieu, and Advancing the pastors cause… (LEAD) Thereafter, we move to the second level i.e. leadership with the following series - Ministers as Leaders: Leading the churches in the Philippine Context… Leading communities and institutions... and finally, Leading the nation…. In a nutshell, we set the framework, must I say mandate: Ministering the ministers so that they become leaders of churches, communities, institutions and nation.

Indeed, God blessed our collective effort with considerable results. Some were not necessarily new but the realization of what my predecessors started.. Streamlining of the structure had put an end to perennial question on relation of provincial organizations and synchronize the activities of chapters with the national direction. Members’ organizational consciousness was raised. Annual assembly was no longer taken merely as time for fellowship but for planning and making major decisions affecting the lives of pastors. Hence, many perennial questions or issues were resolved e.g. Code of Ethics, Ministerial gown/Stola and pastoral identity.

(to be continued)