The Significance of Colloquium in Christian Ministry

The composition of the subject Colloquium serves as a vital point concerning its significance for modern Christian ministry. Now, the acronym will be the guide to emphasize its importance for today’s preachers, teachers, leaders, and ministers.

C–ontextualized Christian Theology and Practice Are Enhanced!
Contextualization is a hallmark of Third-World theology and ministry. For long, the Christian faith has been synonymous to western colonization and worldviews. Colloquium provides contemporary Christian ministers a culturally relevant and theologically enhanced type of ministry. Sensitivity to culture and differences of people makes colloquium a necessity. The Philippines is composed of fragmented islands with many worldviews, traditions, and tribal cultures. Differences in concepts of God, world, and man can be categorized when dealt with specifically as theologians start with specific people groups. Christian faith practically in dialogue with Filipino worldviews can be more helpful than isolated independent formulation without consultation of where the people are coming from or any practical implications. Insensitivity to people’s worldviews damaged the understanding of the essence of Christianity since the introduced Christianity is either Hellenized or Westernized Christianity. Through the context, the task of doing the Christian ministry is a potential discipline with practical applications both to the minister and the recipients.

Contextualization is not just a matter of outward concerns of buildings, properties, and schools, but the very material that evangelicals apply today are more often foreign to the people. These materials are not even teaching people to strengthen their culture through, in, and for Christ, but phasing out their culture by a foreign form of Christianity. If only evangelical missionaries and theologians in the past gave them opportunity to talk and be heard in dialogue, their culture could have been redeemed and their heart totally changed towards Christ. With tiny religious groups in the Philippines, the challenge of Christianity is enormous. These traditional religions are often dehumanizing. Their requirements and religious obligations are not helping people to succeed as a community or as an individual family unit.

Though there is so far to prove yet on the relationship of religion to poverty, this seems to be the main motif of the poverty of many cultic and primitive ethnic groups in the Philippines. Of course, politics has been the main player of this economic decline, but the religious understanding of these people is basically the foundational manifestation of dehumanized people through religion. Their idea of the sacred is the great challenge to Christian theology and practice, if ever it will be able to make the bridge and take roots in the tribal lands without distorting the essence of the Gospel of Christ. Colloquium is a potential door to open up the contextualizing process of Christian faith and practice.

O–bjective/Subjective Interaction of Practical Ministry Is Developed!

The practicality of the Christian ministry does not mean cognitive-less ministry. As a matter of fact, practical ministry becomes practical when it is supported by theological foundations that are Christian. Through colloquium, the compartmentalization of theology and practical significance to the recipients are avoided. The following interplays are identifiable.

First is the “global and local interaction.” Colloquium valued practicality without avoiding complexity in the Christian ministry. Hence, the introduction of colloquium to contemporary Filipino ministers is valuable. The Philippines has been the melting pot of many racial nationalities. With the original Indio-Malayo tribal people and with the sequential coming of the Chinese, Muslims, Spanish, Americans, Japanese, Indians, Koreans, etc., Filipinos are struggling to maintain their identity as a people. Perhaps, that kaleidoscope of ethnicities is what the Filipino is all about, a unique blend of oriental people. Mixed marriages, media, and migration to urban cities contributed a lot to this phenomenon. Industrialization and modernization, however, were not impediments to Filipino traditionality and religiosity. A Christian faith and ministry that help bring solidarity and unity—not uniformity—to the identity of the Filipino people is an important enterprise. And the interplay of tensions between the general view of the Filipino context and the particular distinctions of every tribe and local church community will appreciate the effort of colloquium in making Christian faith the framework of such interaction. Moreover, Filipino OCW phenomenon is also sensitive element in doing Filipino theology and practice.

Second is “the community and individual interplay.” How is Christian faith relevant to the “diaspora” Filipinos? Filipinos are found globally, but they usually have their roots intact especially that most of their loved ones are here. Their affections and interests are usually for the welfare of their families who are not well to do, but their efforts contributed to nation building. With the upsurge of corruption and economic depression, patriotic struggle in the name of Christ is also a challenge. Third world theology, especially liberation theology, is taking grounds among many grass-roots Filipino. Catholics were ahead in terms of theological inculturation and doing Filipino theology, but a better theological alternative that gives foundation to the moral and spiritual changes of community and nation building is a challenge to achieve. Filipinos are not necessarily illiterate but their traditional religious heritage and community struggle are still influential in shaping their theological concepts.

Third is the “biblical and oriental interaction.” An “unbiblical” Christian faith can never be an authentic Christian Asian ministry. The Bible is still the very foundation of teaching, theology, and faith. Methodologies are being modified and explored to make the gospel understandable to the people. When the oriental emphasis is taking ground, westernized or Hellenized Christianity will be minimized, if not eliminated. What is very important is the eternal and unchanging essence of the gospel and not the coverings that surrounds it. With correlational approach to theology, teaching, counseling, preaching, ministry, and biblical understanding of thee Bible and culture can be a good combination to approach Asian Christian ministry. The Bible is written in a Near East setting—almost oriental—and our culture and situation are not far from them. Approaching Asian setting directly from the Bible is feasible and workable for culture of the primitive Hebrew has similarities to Asian’s.

L-ife-related Ministry through Anthropology, Social Ministry and Counseling Are Accommodated!

Filipinos are known as “People of Reference.” Filipino people like identifying themselves with someone or a group of people that are significant, powerful, influential, popular, or not ordinary citizen. They often associate themselves with significant others. This is relational phenomenon and could be a strong consideration in colloquium as an effective tool that emphasizes community building and identity formation. Dogmatic Christians even Bible Schools can not even take anthropology in their curriculum. But this is a bold step of some Seminaries who saw the benefits and advantage of having redemptive cultural anthropology in their curriculum. One advantage that can be seen here is that when theologians and missionaries are acquainted with cultural anthropology, they are safeguarded from “dehumanizing” people in the process of indoctrination and practice. This is the case of religion in oppressing people through its inhuman demands and concepts. Man may not be the measure of all things, but things that matter to humanity can never be discounted. To some extent, reevaluation of major and minor traditional concepts--i.e., God, sin, salvation, etc.--of Christian faith can be modified in anthropological perspective. But this requires an extensive and comprehensive dialogue between theology (revelation) and anthropology.

Cultural “anthropo”-logy is about humans and Jesus Christ came for human beings; he must have cared for the culture of the people. Jesus was born in a place where cultural values were strong. It is part of the wisdom of the Jews to care for the cultural achievements of the people; Jesus must have known the value of understanding humanity by becoming human himself. Jesus did not come to save the “soul” of the people only, but to make the whole lives of the people a lot better and meaningful. Since culture is part of the human construct, God must have cared about the culture of the people. Hence, cultural anthropology, in my opinion, is incarnational. Consequently, cultural anthropology creates a “humane” Christian ministry. From the moment religion became a part of human history it has become one of the major sources of de-humanization also. The abuse of religious figures under the cloak of spiritual authority has been as old as time can tell. Even today, religion is one justifier of making humans less than they are. Instead of advancing the welfare of the people, religion is one of the instruments that threatens the freedom and wholeness of the people. Through false spiritual claims, people have been deceived and deprived of the truth of God. Even Christian witnesses, if they fail to identify and value the culture of the people, the tendency to look down on the idiosyncrasies of human cultures will certainly occur. It is easy for the missioner to feel superior and special over the local people. But through cultural anthropology, the witness will able to avoid the mistakes of lack of cultural consciousness.

Moreover, cultural anthropology cares of the welfare of the people and as Christian witnesses we ought to express higher degree of care to the well-being of the people we minister. Since the recipients of the gospel cannot do away with human culture—and the same with us—we ought to be concerned with the wholeness of the people and the wholeness of their culture as well. The culture which is not godly ought to be transformed—through the power of the Gospel—to create new “nature” and new meaning to their cultural identity as a unique people group. One expression that we really care for the welfare of the people is to respect and enhance their culture through the gospel of Christ. Therefore, cultural anthropology is a necessity for every witness who deals with people for it caters to the needs of the people. As it has been emphasized from the beginning, cultural anthropology is not an end in itself; it is a means to effective Christian witness. Take for example some Filipino concepts.

First: the Filipino concept of self-valuation. The Filipino concept of self is very interesting and deep. The breadth and scope of it is not only limited to self alone, but of others. Filipinos value themselves in the light of others, yet they value their own. This self-valuation is healthy and weak at the same time. A theological framework that will face the challenge of this concept of self is a potential enterprise since abstraction is of little value to Filipinos. They want something experiential, cause-worthy, and personal, rather than abstract propositions, highly philosophical and irrelevant. Second: the concept of Filipino sense of well-being. With the Filipino-image downtrodden in the global view, Filipino’s sense of well-being is strongly desired. Almost all aspects of Filipino lifestyle bear the stigma and scar of humiliation, shame, corruption, and economic depression, as well as spiritual insufficiency.

Life-relatedness has something to do with pastoral care and counseling also. Pastoral care and counseling provides a wholistic framework of making Christian faith not just a religious worldview related to the mind, but also of the heart—in fact, the whole of life. Pragmatism of human life is a curse of the time. The pastor-counselor can be an effective mender of human life as a whole, not just part of it. Pastoral care and counseling helps the Christian preacher develop a creative approach to meet the genuine need of the people, not just relaying facts and information—or even detached theology. Such imagination is not presumption but real and yet innovative. It is not satisfied with mediocre method. Pastoral care and counseling also helps the listener of the message view themselves as valuable and as persons, not just some passive recipients of eternal ideas, not knowing how such ideas are relevant to their personal experiences. Nothing is more valuable to a listener of preaching than to be addressed as humans with needs and concerns, not objects of empty words. Moreover, pastoral care and counseling creates depth of effectivity and transformation. Within the church, dealing on inner needs and not just some superficial ideas and theories for a better life is a must. Not only that. Pastoral care and counseling effectuates an authentic theology.

L–eadership Enhancing Through Preaching and Teaching!

Complexities are part of human nature. Preaching can do away with superficial simplicity synonymous with mediocrity. Oral communication of divine words is hard to imagine to be handled in contemptuous familiarity. The poetic structures—now on their literary forms—conveys a profound treatment of obvious, but taken for granted, concerns for the community of God. In a creative and innovative—sometimes radical—ways, the prophet of God conveys the message with clear purpose and meaning. The motivation is always the centrality of God, but the methods vary. Modern prophetic preaching can employ complex poetic structure, narrative exposition, modern parables, and shocking funeral dirge, but his biblical material suggests more than that. Prophetic preaching has to deal with the vacuum created by postmodern skepticism on absolutes. While God is absolute and thus “relativizing” everything other than himself, nonnegotiable essentials of faith must be communicated with conviction and passion in accordance to the context of the listener and recipient. It is the modern preacher’s challenge to convey that “godliness in Christ” is an absolute demand that cannot be compromised.

With worldwide information on the tips of human fingers, global facts, awareness, and information—at their worst and best—is just a click away. A challenge (and temptation) to contemporary preachers are always present. It is easy to use electronic scissors and pastes to create messages for the hungering congregants. But I always believe that preaching is more than presenting facts and updates. Preaching is a means to assist the listener experience Jesus Christ and find meaning in their existence and community value. To this, I find the prophetic materials fascinating in dealing with current issues similar to our times, i.e. superficial religiosity, injustice, societal evils and the like. While any preacher today is dealing with the contemporary issues, it is also valuable to utilize not only the prophetic materials in the Bible but to keep one’s self updated with the global picture of the trend of times. In that way, prophetic preaching can address—and even confront—not only the need of the church community but to keep them conscious about the picture as a whole. After all, the prophets of old addressed domestic and international issues that threaten the relationship of God’s people with their God.

Almost in every culture, the messenger of divine words has authority in his own right. Through personal conviction, the messenger stands, whether his authority is challenged or acknowledged, in the community. But the Christian witness on a certain community cannot do away with his divine calling in addressing human needs and not just presentation of eternal ideas. God is disclosed before the people through imaginative ways. It’s more than “tell me what you know” but also of “tell me what you do.” In that may, the people may see that we really understand what we know; and it is not just in the mind, but also in the heart. A prophet may not be perfect but his call demands a higher standard of life, integrity, and purity. They may be ordinary people in the community, but it is certain that they are not unconscious about their purpose and message. Thus, prophetic preaching is not just about words and articulation of the message; it is accompanied with lifestyle. It addresses current issues and concerns, but its ancient text is always on hand ready to answer those who are asking for the hope that is in us.

Prophetic preaching, therefore, is a potential ministry in Philippines. It is not threatened with pessimistic disillusionment and relativism of everything. After all, deconstruction is not absolute in itself.

I believe that the church—both as an organism and organization—is a biblical pattern the present leadership ought to consider. We function not merely as a structure of hierarchy but as a body also, ministering to one another. Both systems have their own risks to face. First, the institutional type of leadership is subject to abuse. Because of the desire to take full control—a human urge without bridle can be abusive and manipulative. Anything that is in accordance to the structure and outside of it is considered threat to the norm and dominant system. Rigidity in church leadership in conformity to the system can be oppressive and suppressive. Nevertheless, structure is good in that it provides framework to serve and hold the unity of the whole system; it also give foundation to the many facets of its parts so that the system can stand. Apart from structure, orderliness and authority is called into question. Hence, the church as an institution remains a crucial element to the effectiveness of her purpose, goal, and meaning. Not only that the church is an organization, it is also an organism. The symbol that Paul used in particular is the “body of Christ.” Hence, the leaders ought not to be preoccupied with the institutional aspect of the church ministry, but most of all, the bodily aspect of it. Jesus is the head and the body must find direction, meaning, and purpose from what the head designed. However, the head won’t do what the hand is not willing to do. We as a church must reconsider what Christ intended the church to be. The basics of Christian church are always a necessity. When we do ministry, we ought to see it through the eyes of Christ who founded the church, to see if all of our ministries are in line with what the founder intend.

The early NT churches took problems as challenges—not hindrances to growth. Today, church leadership is on the verge to clarify herself to be “run”, managed, marketed, and secularized. These main concerns of modern church leadership ought to be addressed clearly from the biblical standpoint knowing that our “drivenness” does not always mean spirituality, ministry, and purpose. The church should offer clear stand to major questions. Is apostolic leadership irrelevant today? Where is the church leadership going? Is biblical position more important that the person?

O–rganized and Yet Flexible Emphasis on Worship and Prayer Is Improved!

Filipino Christian worship can be dynamic. As it is clear historically, the church has never been an original proponent of any act of worship for before these acts were practiced, it slowly evolved with an influence to some degree from anything “outside” the church. The only thing that makes an act of worship “Christian” is the element of Christ, nothing else, nothing more. All—including preaching, reading of sacred scriptures, singing, sacrifices, and other cultic practices—have their interconnections with other ancient religions and practices. It is only in their Christian content and meaning that the act worship becomes “Christian.” In a sense, questions on syncretism and secularism may be a technical concept that might be defined here. The mixing of religions as well as the secular influence in politics made the state church really an imperial church. Yet these influences, to some extent, are not hindrances to the development of the body of Christ. The challenge may be is more on the clarification of what is bad and what is good. Outside the Catholic Church, we can also see forms of secularism prevalent among many Protestant churches. Marketing the church is often synonymous with running the church just like any business. The music caters to the popular culture; church meetings—at their best and worst—were identical with what other institutions made. It is a fact; the church cannot do away with what is going on in the world as long as the church is in this world. She has to address to the need of the people who have various cultures, dispositions, and capacities to act with motives that only time will tell. It is true that there was a great change that happened in the body of Christ, but such change was gradual, perhaps because the acceptance of the practice was made with careful consideration. But in all these things, Christian worship remains developing, innovating, and changing; it is because Christian worship is dynamic.

Q-uality-Oriented Values Through Christian Stewardship Is Lived!

The person’s definition of success is highly shaped by external factors—i.e. society, parents, schools, etc. Against this background, Dayton wants to point out the importance of the urgency to write a new story concerning the Christian’s whole life. But before this kind of life is lived out, one must recognize the rules of God to be established in the mind of the believer. These rules are found both in the Old and New Testaments. The Ten Commandments, as a foundation of God’s rules, is laid in the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments emphasized the “going hard after God” and looking out on idols that people may not replace their focus on God with money and wealth.

Whereas, in the New Testament, Jesus summarized the entire Law in stating that Christians ought to love God with all their heart and mind and soul and to love their neighbor as they love their very selves. Jesus did not condemn money and wealth. He spent time with rich people also and some of his disciples are middle-class businessmen. Yet Jesus is also aware of the danger of wealth in distracting the focus of a person towards wealth, instead of God. Work can be an idol. Often, those who want to get rich quickly suffer from burn-out by sapping their energies through their prestige, power, and identity gained from their successful work. But Dayton emphasizes that honoring God and relationships, even taking Sabbath rest, are basic ingredients to obedience to God’s rules. Preservation of life, staying pure, respect for property and welfare of others is great gain. Satisfaction is also beneficial. These core values are prerequisites to successful business. In today’s world, the application of the Ten Commandments carries with it an implied question: Is it good? Is it loving? Does it put God first? Does it lead to an integrated life? When these realities are dealt with, then the Christian is ready to complete the journey by describing for himself the meaning of a successful life. Faithful stewardship of God-given possessions is still a must. Colloquium supports such values.

U–p-to-date But Biblically Founded Principles Are Maintained!

First things are first priorities. Without the awareness born out of sensibility and Godly experience, the church might remain recluse towards the tradition set before her. Not only that, if ever the church is on the right tracks, and yet lost her prophetic voice to the world, it makes prophetic voice an inevitable necessity. It is not just being on the right way, but also of doing it right with creativity and innovation. Any artistic innovators would set the pace alone; but imagination set upon the creative ability of God makes a modern prophet a timeless call for Christian ministry—someone who will creatively remind the people not to forget God. On the other hand, bureaucratese found their way inside the church instead of the ancient Spirit-filled or charismatic leadership (like that of judges) as well as the institutional type of leadership (that of the priests). Politics and personal agenda become more powerful voices in the church institution. Evangelicalism values the orderly system and, consequently, local churches are more of a bureaucracy; the voice of God is easily identified with the voice of the people. Hence democratic politicking is more viable than spirituality, holiness, integrity, and gift for the ministry. More likely, any leader is on position for their influence, status, money, and alliances. Despite of the autonomous prophetic ministry and autocratic system of OT priesthood, modern minister can glean still the demand of godly living, intercessory ministry, and financial integrity remains a valuable philosophy in the ministry.

The Sage, who claims no monopoly to wisdom tradition, is such an example for Christian educational institutions of today. How will seminary teachers know that what they impart is really what the church needs? How will a full-time pastor feel to be taught with ministerially inexperienced teachers or uninvolved with local churches? Are students enrolled to gain more “theory” in exchange to their “first hand” knowledge of the field? Who teaches whom—the one sent according to their mission agency’s agenda or the one who are deeply concerned with the cultivation of Filipino church life? It seems that “specialists” do not mind what others think. The wisdom of “other-mindedness”, I believe, is a key to the propagation every local churches’ fullness in ministry. Hence, I observed that the relevance of the courageous prophetic imagination, spiritual and moral standard of priesthood in Christ, and the wisdom of inter-personal reflection is as significant as ever. Since Bible schools and seminaries served as center of Christian education in ministry, (instead of the local church) isn’t it that the local churches and seminaries must have mutual agreement as to discern what really is the purpose, vision, goal, and mission of the local church? An open communication between educational centers and ministerial people ought to be a norm rather than one-way tradition. From hence the seminary can supply what the church really need. Christian ministers learn dialectically both from OT and modern cultural situations. Seminaries must be open to the local churches, to listen and learn from them and see what they can supply.

I-nnovative and Introspective: No matter How Informative!

Filipinos are innovative and interested for new things, but they are also concerned of their past, especially their traditions and beliefs. Many might say that since they were born in that belief, they are to die in that belief. This is not mere superstitions, but sensitivity to traditional heritage as part of their identity formation and security. Such traditions are not at all threat to the gospel for it can be the completion of that tradition and the redemptive tool for their past heritage. Filipinos may speak western language fluently, but their heart language is still Filipino. They still think, act, sleep, dream, and believe like Filipinos. Colloquium is aware of that.

In this way, introspection on the person of the minister and its implications are needed. There is a question that says: What is a minister? To be a minister is being; hence, a minister is a person in a process of becoming; he is someone who is willing to be ministered upon by others, not just someone ministering to others in action. And yet, I also believe that being and doing—which is to “minister” in its state of action—are suppose to be one in the minister as an individual. The “being” is not a stranger to the “doing.” It is unlikely for a minister to be so preoccupied with his sense of being, pouring out his all energy on his self, but neglecting the external manifestation of his ministry as a minister. In other words: a minister is not just a person per se, but an embodiment of a minister who functions as one. A claim to be a minister without functioning as minister is empty claim, a byword without sense. The true minister is not only self-conscious about who he is a minister, but as a self-giving minister to others, as well as a recipient of the ministry of others unto himself. By implication, being a minister is more than just a personal identity and self-consciousness; it is a state of a person emanating what is from within unto others the essence of clarity, compassion, and contemplation. In short: authentic Christian living. Hence, a minister is not mere principle, but person; not a cliché, but character; not mere internal preoccupation, but incarnational. It is Christ within the minister, working out for others to be like Christ.

To be in the ministry is a spiritual adventure; we do not come or involve ourselves in the ministry because of who we are as “we are” already. We are in the ministry because we are called into it and to be a minister is becoming and fulfilling of who we are called to be. Thus, by implication: spiritual growth in the ministry is dynamic, if not given. There are times when the minister may not feel the growth. Perhaps it is because the growth is not like constant or sudden change; it is possible that the growth is gradual, not to mention that measuring spirituality is not like measuring grades and IQ. It is through the drudgery of life that growth is strengthened, not on the assumption of expertise or accumulated knowledge. Spirituality is like the essence of being a minister; it is a process. The height or depth of it is covered in the whole process. The fact that we cannot measure or draw the clear line in between spiritual and carnality makes spirituality a lifetime challenge; most of the time, we are only able to identify the extremes of it—that is the external manifestation of deep spirituality and grave carnality. Most of the time, spirituality is a personal matter, but not self-centeredness; it is not just the external manifestation of deeds, but also of the internal consciousness of living and being controlled by the Spirit. Thus, the minister’s spirituality is beyond implications; it is explicated.

U-navoidable and yet Vital In Seminary Curriculum!

There can never be another way. Colloquium in Christian ministry program is a must. While many Christians are afraid of having dialogue with other disciplines especially those “marked” as hostile to Christian faith, interdisciplinary dialogue is a healthy practice. Though there is never a guarantee of safety here, reaching out for the lost is not just a matter of being safe and secure but to take the risk and challenge. Christian faith and theology is never afraid of self-evaluation and self-criticism. In fact, Christianity was there all alone when it was tossed to and fro in the wildest waves of persecution, attack, and slander. That has been the very breath of Christian faith. It inhales defensive stance for faith and exhales apologetic arguments with those who despise her. As of the present, especially in doing Asian theology, dialogue with other discipline, like sociology, is a potential way to hear the other side of the camp. To defeat an enemy is to know his strength especially his weakness. It importantly includes using their own power for Christianity’s advantage. This is a healthy “spoiling Egyptians” and this has been an asset of theology when it is in dialogue with other disciplines. Utilizing their strength and rejecting, if there’s no hope of accommodating or modifying, its weakest link that is contrary to the faith and theological task. In sociology for example, many ministry now are growing and benefiting the contribution of this discipline. This is not just a matter of marketing the church or the Gospel, but using what is in hand for God.

While many dread exploring knowledge due to ignorance, a learner of interdisciplinary can take courage that truth can never be monopolized by any institutions, not even the church, the pillar and keeper of truth. If God can never be domesticated, truth can be found wherever God may put it and no one has the right to question him about that. In sum, if Christian theology wants to make an in-depth effect to transform and strengthen the people it ministers with, dialogue with worldviews, culture, politics, ethnic religions, and other related disciplines like sociology and anthropology is inevitable. Asian Christian theologians and ministers must live to their purpose and goal to reach out to the lost by making the Gospel of Christ understandable and meaningful to the local community. The message may be unchanging and inherently powerful in itself but let it be remembered that doing Asian Christian theology is like farming vegetables. The farmer cultivates the soil and waters, fertilizes, and cares the plants. God provides water, soil, rain, and makes the plant to grow. God could do all these things for the farmer, but it is certain that He will not. Both must do their part that the harvest may be plenty.

Theologians and ministers must seek the Ultimate Subject of their quest and task. Asian Christian ministers must communicate and this communication is not monologue, but dialogue. Then and only then the Logos is made clear in the heart of the local people. The same is true with theology and ministry; tradition and organizations itself are withholding theologians to explore the unknown and the road less traveled in theological enterprise. Of course, today’s ministers, for economic reasons and others, may be afraid to take the baton and travel. Silence may be a conspiracy but it is never without a cost. This is not a task just for difference sake but for potential advancement of the discipline. And going back to politics, especially with the moral decline of many government officials and political, as well as economic, sectors, it is perhaps high time for the church and its theologians to take the flag for a dialogue in that each camp may be heard and do the right step for building the nation. A right theology and distorted practice may be incompatible but the church with all that is entrusted to her, must take the stand to listen and be heard also as it dialogue with politics—not for politicking but for powerful transformation.

M-otivational but Practically Mission-minded and Evangelistic!

There is nothing like this before in the history of theological enterprise where the priority of missions and evangelism is globalized. This is meant to last. Colloquium develops trendsetters—ministry Trendsetters of the 21^st Century. The 21^st century needs ministers who are fully consumed with the passion of God for the lost and for His kingdom. They are trendsetters in vision, commitment, and compassion whose goals and characters match their call to set ablaze the way for excellence and glory of God. The world does not need more jargons and theory in theology without contribution to the propagation of God’s kingdom in this world. Theological preoccupation that does not envision the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission is nothing, but vanity—a toiling under the sun without meaning. Evangelism and missions is fully in need of continuing in its theologically sound foundation whereby it is tasked to be faithful to Christ’s commission. Any concerns not promoting the worship of God and compassion for the lost are misplaced priorities and mislaid efforts to do God’s ministry. Hence, a person fully committed to God—and is focused and persevering in the God-given vision in lined with the missions of the church to the world—is what the this century needs. The kinds of person who will set the blaze ahead of others are those who are not content with mediocrity and the status quo, but catch the vision, the empowerment of God’s Spirit, and the attitude to meet the demands of the post-modern urbanization whereby God’s kingdom advances among receptive people.

So, the world needs ministry trendsetters whose visions are not confined to their own selfish desires and agendas, but is big enough to contain the uttermost parts of the world where God commands the church to go and make disciples. The world needs trendsetters who visualize the inevitable from beyond. They foresee the potentiality of global urbanization and strategic positioning of prospective local churches which are able to reach out the unreached people groups and maximize their effectivity on establishing culturally relevant ministries and mission points. They are trendsetters in a truest sense for they cannot just fold their hands from afar and watch the ministry in plateau and decline. Instead, they strive to go and learn, expose and expand, grow and change towards the new paradigm.

Therefore, the world need not people who have no authority and authenticity of their own for it is fed up with superficial spirituality, structures, and systems that demean the church’s mission unto the world’s ends. God is molding trendsetters who—like Paul strategically fulfilled the Great Commission—despite that most leaders were content in sitting in their own Jerusalem, not minding the known world. And now is the time.

I, therefore, conclude that Colloquium is a must in every seminary curriculum for this is where theory and practicality meet. This is where potentialities are beginning to be realized. The student is able to think deeply to recognize the important from the superficial; the integral from the shallow; the significant from devoid. Through curriculum, the students will be able to see themselves in the light of the growing present and potential future ministry without detaching themselves from the foundational past.