Taiwan Church News
3872 Edition
11 ~ 17 May, 2026
Weekly Topical
Ngudradrekai Elders Learn Counseling Methods to Help Pastoral Care
Reported by Lin Wan-ting from Kaohsiung
Considering the different responsibility between elders and deacons in church service, an “on-the-job training of counseling for church leaders” held by Mission Ministry Committee of Ngudradrekai (Rukai) Presbytery was divided into two sessions for Elders and Deacons respectively.
In the elders sessions, held at Teldreka Church in the morning on May 9, Rev Hsu Cheng-dao, pastor of Shilin Church of Taipei Presbytery, was invited to deliver a keynote lecture. He led the participants to think twice about the duties of a church elder, for example, from how to practice faith in daily lives, accompany church members in needs, and help the ministries with pastoral care. A total of 95 elders from 17 Ngudradrekai churches attended the training session.
In the very beginning of this assembly, Rev Ipulu Thabula, director of Mission Ministry Committee of Ngudradrekai Presbytery, gave an opening prayer. Rev Kaynwane Kadravadhane, moderator of Ngudradrekai Presbytery, in his sermon affirmed the participating elders were so willing and humble to take up the on-the-job trainings of counseling.
He further encouraged the participants with the biblical verse of 1 Peter 5:2. Main messages of the first part of his sermon is entitled as “Forging the mindset of servant from inside: How elders, as spiritual leaders, are loved by God in advance before reaching out to love others”; the second part of sermon is themed as “The Art of pastoral care – from management to pastoral care: listen, accompany and how to handle the crisis in cases.”
Rev Hsu Cheng-dao talked about the Bible, church orders and the ordination of elders. He pointed out that while elders received privileges to govern the church, they were also required to be monitored on their duties. He encouraged elders, regardless of their backgrounds, to carry on learning and surrender to the will of God like the disciples.
Rev Hsu quoted Luke 17:1-10 to talk about “faith”. He pointed out that with the accumulation of service experiences, elders and deacons may become more and more experienced and confident in ministries, and such confidence should not become self-boasting. “Instead, we shall only trust faithfully on God. Service simply came from grace and could only be humbly done, as our faith is won tough from a struggling prayer by the resurrected Lord’. Every Christian shall become a servant with both will and capability to take care of the affairs of the kingdom of God,” he reminded.
Rev Hsu called elders to read again the third credo paragraph of the PCT Confession of Faith, which states clearly the mission of the church. He, therefore, urged the assembly to learn and understand the meanings of being called to be an elder. “Christians are not only the children of God, but also shall have a fellowship with each other. We should link to each other and become messengers of reconciliation and signs of hope,” he stressed.
In response to questions about how to cultivate “overseers/elders”, he encouraged elders to read the Word of God every day. He also recommended elders to read the “Golden Scriptural Words” and the weekly spiritual pamphlet of “Engagement with The Bible” edited by Shilin Church. Meanwhile, he reminded the audience that offerings to church should not be limited by any fixed ratio. “The point of offering is not reluctantly or under compulsion, but to experience the cheerful relationship and amazing supply from God,” he said.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
