“Isaan people aren’t qualified to be leaders in God’s church, they aren’t educated enough,” declared a seminary trained Central Thai pastor serving in a large Isaan town.
Who is qualified to serve? A recent event from north India gives some insight: An illiterate low-caste man named Ravi came to Christ. He began sharing the good news, baptizing and making disciples. One day while Ravi was baptizing new believers a paid pastor named Chand from another denomination came to the water’s edge. Chand was deeply offended and disrupted the proceedings. He called out, “Who gave you the right to baptize!? You are not ordained! Get out of the water!”
Ravi replied respectfully, “Pastor, please look at Matthew 28.” While Chand looked it up Ravi quoted from memory verses 16- 20 then calmly said, “Brother, Jesus did not suggest, he commanded His disciples to baptize, and he did not say they must be ordained. So please leave.”
Chand was speechless. An illiterate villager had just instructed him from the Scriptures! Instead of leaving Chand stayed to watch. When the baptism was finished he asked so many questions Ravi took him to meet a fellow lay-leader. Chand told them, “I went to Bible school but this illiterate guy’s words from the Bible were so wise.” Chand is now a fellow laborer with Ravi, trained to walk in authority as Jesus’ disciple and to release others to do the same.
Jesus commanded the eleven and other close followers after His resurrection to be His witnesses. They obeyed. Today God is still sending out ordinary people to testify, lead people to faith and form simple churches. Lay leaders in such a movement are trained to facilitate participatory Bible studies in small groups where members hold one another accountable to obey the Word of God. Many, many gospel workers can be apprenticed when reproducible methods such as these are used.
Praise God for educated Isaan pastors, for quality preaching and seminaries! However there aren’t enough seminary trained leaders to reach all of Isaan in our lifetime. Millions will die and go to hell while we wait for more leaders to raise funds, go to school, receive formal education and return. We must see ordinary people equipped to lead a discipleship movement if we hope to reach every village in this generation.
