Pastor PoSan Ung13 April, 2009
Cambodia (MNN) ― In North America, it is estimated that there is one trained and competent Christian leader for every 1,300 people. In Asia, that ratio is 1:600,000. Because the pastors are the frontline advance of the Gospel, they need to be well grounded.
Asian Access (A2) Country Resource Person PoSan Ung has a heart for Cambodia where "the church in Cambodia is a very young church, I would say, still in nascent stage."
That presents its own conflict. Add to that official opposition. "There's a law out there that is against public evangelism. Then, for you to organize a public event, you need to apply for permission from the government, and that's tricky."
Cambodia is still struggling to heal from a bloody past. Mistrust has proven divisive, but through the training programs, unity has been growing stronger, and the foundation is being laid for kingdom building.
Having lived through the Cambodian Holocaust and grown up as a Cambodian refugee, Pastor Ung is uniquely in touch with the Cambodian experience and has forged ministry from it.
The leadership training program he and national director Pastor Meng Aun Hour launched creates a strategic network that encourages both awareness and the efforts among Cambodian churches.
Today, the training has been called a "diaspora ministry" back to Cambodia where Posan and others are teaching, supervising, and developing curricula to aid in the training of Cambodian pastors in Cambodia.
According to A2, the key to the effectiveness of their program is the careful selection of twelve emerging leaders on an annual basis. These leaders are then invited to be a part of a class that meets four times a year, for a week at a time, over a two-year period.
When the twelve meet together, they are working through an established curriculum that accelerates their growth as spiritual leaders, as well as organizational leaders.
The pastors are beginning to work together and share their resources. "They're able to visit each others' church and go on mission trips within Cambodia itself to the countryside together and train the church leaders in the provincial area. Within the capital, there is a fellowship of pastors."
Asian Access (A2) Country Resource Person PoSan Ung has a heart for Cambodia where "the church in Cambodia is a very young church, I would say, still in nascent stage."
That presents its own conflict. Add to that official opposition. "There's a law out there that is against public evangelism. Then, for you to organize a public event, you need to apply for permission from the government, and that's tricky."
Cambodia is still struggling to heal from a bloody past. Mistrust has proven divisive, but through the training programs, unity has been growing stronger, and the foundation is being laid for kingdom building.
Having lived through the Cambodian Holocaust and grown up as a Cambodian refugee, Pastor Ung is uniquely in touch with the Cambodian experience and has forged ministry from it.
The leadership training program he and national director Pastor Meng Aun Hour launched creates a strategic network that encourages both awareness and the efforts among Cambodian churches.
Today, the training has been called a "diaspora ministry" back to Cambodia where Posan and others are teaching, supervising, and developing curricula to aid in the training of Cambodian pastors in Cambodia.
According to A2, the key to the effectiveness of their program is the careful selection of twelve emerging leaders on an annual basis. These leaders are then invited to be a part of a class that meets four times a year, for a week at a time, over a two-year period.
When the twelve meet together, they are working through an established curriculum that accelerates their growth as spiritual leaders, as well as organizational leaders.
The pastors are beginning to work together and share their resources. "They're able to visit each others' church and go on mission trips within Cambodia itself to the countryside together and train the church leaders in the provincial area. Within the capital, there is a fellowship of pastors."
8 comments:
All the time with Khmer Christian or Caucasian Khmer, but I did not hear much in this KI from our own brothers Khmer Muslim in the Kingdom of Cambodia ?
Dear Anonymous 3:23PM,
If there is any news from Khmer muslims, please share it to KI and observe, if the KI post it here.
I think Chams who live in Cambodiaare upholding their unique identity that they do not identify themselves as Khmers. Even those Chams became refugees in Cambodia since the destruction of Champa in 979.
I know there are Khmer muslims. I do not know the exact number.
Thanks,
6:22 PM
Are you Khmer ?
Of course I know about the Khmer muslim well before I have left to leave Cambodia in 1970. They fell very well as Khmer citizen and integrated in to the Royal Cambodian Army Force. I met later some Chams from Vietnam, who now live in Denmark and they were very proud and told me, they are Khmers not Vietnamese.
correction:
left or have to leave Cambodia
it's ok, khmer people and cambodia can use fresh or new ideas, adopt new concept, etc... in order to help develop cambodia for all to enjoy. religions are good, they calm people down and bind everyone together. this is why the rule of law is important to advocate in cambodia so everyone will have peace, justice and good equality under khmer rules and laws. it's ok to think outside of the box for a good cause, the important thing is to maintain a common khmer language, custom and etiquette; cambodia can reinvent our ways too, you know. the key is do not force people to do what they don't want to do; let them make their own choice; all it good. god bless cambodia.
i think pastors are no different from the so-called khmer "achar" except one is buddhism, the other is christian. they both are achar or pastor in their own right. god bless cambodia.
1:08AM !!!do they have monk?
I am truly Cambodian bouddhist, as every body in Bouddhist world know that the bouddhist beleive more then 8000 Gods. Bouddhist religion is more liberal than any other religion in the country perhaps in the world; this mean Buddhist is not descriminate against the Buddhist to beleive into other religion nor against other religion. I personally many of us, as a person don't like to see a domination religion including theirown pelgrims when He/she want to convert to other religion by intermidation or get kill by accusing of infidelity, or preventing them go back to Buddhist pagoda exet...do not knok the door recite the Bible, sale the bible, lie to the people that god is comming to save...and so on, more ever is same sex practices; this is not religion. I don't mind to live within plurialism society but one thing for sure is do not disturb by baggar of new religion is beter cleaver than incestral religion; this kind of disturban is stiring a problem. I understand clearly of this idiology is looking for controlling and dominating the other. I know som of Khmer rouge people convert to Christian, in and out side the country, it god for them Mr. paster you're a useful tool, and a truly farmer animal.
Have fun, dance, dring, sing and tuch!!!
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