Discipling the Church

Saw Maung Doe

• Publisher: Regnum
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781908355935
• eBook ISBN: 9781911372486
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

The twentieth century saw the demographic and cultural transformation of the Christian Church; yet we have far too few close studies of how churches actually operated on the ground.This account of church developments in Myanmar, set in a wider historical context, is therefore especially welcome. Not the least of its many merits are the way it explores the realities behind ecclesiastical structures at local level, and its engaging portrait of a seminally important layman whose influence was immense but often hidden. Andrew F Walls, University of Edinburgh, Liverpool Hope University

Chapter 1

Introduction

This work considers Anglican mission in Myanmar from 1854 to 2003 and assesses the development of CE (Christian Education) through studying the works of U Tun, a native lay leader in the Yangon Diocese, from 1955 to 2003. In making the critical review of the promotion of CE from 1955 to 2003 through the work of U Tun, the historical development of the Yangon diocese and promotion of CE from the beginning, that is 1854 to 1954, is surveyed so that the root causes of the low standard of CE in the diocese can be seen more clearly.

Werner Graendorf defined Christian Education (CE) as

a Bible-based, Holy Spirit-empowered teaching-learning process. It seeks to guide individuals at all levels of growth through contemporary teaching means toward knowing and experiencing God’s purpose and plan through Christ in every aspect of living. It also equips them for effective ministry, with the overall focus on Christ the Master Educator’s example and His command to make mature disciples.¹

According to Zuck:

Christian education is the Christ-centered, Bible-based, pulpit related process of communicating

God’s written Word through the power of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of leading others to Christ

and building them up in Christ.²

CE in this work is defined as a teaching-learning process which is conducted by the Church, which is the people of God in which all have something to give, and prepares believers to become the disciples of Jesus Christ. CE is teaching believers about the God in whom they believe, the church in which they are members, the faith, order, and traditions of the church which should be maintained, and the Bible which is the source of the above. CE basically involves teaching four main areas: (1) The Bible, (2) God the Creator, Jesus Christ the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier, (3) The Church which is the Body of Christ and (4) Faith and order, and essential Church Traditions.³ In Burmese, there is only one term, ‘Dhama-Pyinya’, for Christian Education (CE), Christian Religious Education (CRE), Religious Education (RE), and Theological Education (TE). For the Burmese there is no difference between the four terms: CE, CRE, RE and TE. The writer has chosen the term ‘CE’ because it is the most familiar term for the Burmese.

Although ‘CE’ is not a biblical term, the teaching of the Bible implies that CE is for all ages (Matthew 28:20). For Church growth, teaching of CE is essential in the church (Acts 2:42). Teaching CE is one of the most important requirements for mission as shown by Jesus and His Disciples in the New Testament. CE ought to reach all levels of society and all races and be done by all believers.⁴ In the Old Testament parents played a very important part in teaching religious education (Deut. 6:6-7), because religious education by the parents to children started at home. Therefore, Christian parents should not only have a good knowledge of CE but also know how to impart this knowledge to their children at home.

The proper design of courses in CE needs to fit in with different age groups and teachers who can teach the courses. Just taking spiritual food regularly at Holy Communion⁵ on every Sunday is not enough for church members. CE is required for every member for his or her full spiritual development. Therefore, teaching and equipping all church members is essential for involving them in the mission of the church, working hand in hand with the ministers or parish priests.⁶

CE has at least a triple function. The first, and most basic function, is preparing lay leaders (men and women) to help in the educational ministry of the church and those who minister in family, hospital and schools. The church is called to teach the people the way of justice, mercy, and obedience to God. It demands a congregation be well informed about the Christian faith, and its socio-political implications. CE ought to develop the foundation of lay theologians in each church for prophetic and pastoral ministry in their respective places of work and residence.⁷

The second function of CE is the development of ministers of the Word and Sacrament. They encourage and teach the whole people of God in their faith, cultivate and develop leaders for the different facets of the mission of the church, the teaching ministry in particular, and help the church to increase the faith with clarity in every situation. The spiritual care of its members is the task of the pastoral ministry. Therefore, pastors should be teachers and practical theologians.⁸ Teaching CE is to help all people discover their ministries. Gifts, passion, experience, personality, training and life situations all contribute to the ministry a person should be doing. Classes, seminars, workshops, publications and consultations can facilitate people in their search.⁹ The task of CE is to let people know that the church is people, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus’ name.¹⁰

The third function of CE is to prepare teachers, ministers and ‘scientists’ of the faith. CE requires the development of scholars who can provide the intellectual tools and resources for the development of Christian teaching. Without the presence of scholars and theologians, the teaching ministry of the church lacks its backbone.¹¹

This work is original in the following ways. No diocesan bishop or scholar from the time of the formation of the Diocese of Yangon (from 1877 to 2003) has been particularly concerned in the role of CE for lay mission workers and lay members, despite the fact that the promotion of CE among lay members is very important for the growth of the church.¹² CE for lay mission workers and lay members was neglected throughout the whole Anglican Church history in Myanmar. No one has systematically written a history of the Anglican Church in Myanmar, much less written on the role of lay people in the Anglican Church in Myanmar. The one exception is a history of the development of the CE in the Church of the Province of Myanmar from 1854 to 1984 which was written by U Tun for the HCTC Golden Jubilee Record. 200 copies were produced in mimeograph form in 1984. In making a critical review of the apathy over CE in the diocese of Yangon, a major emphasis will be made on the contribution of U Tun to CE in the diocese from 1955 to 2003. His contribution has endured almost despite the institutional church. Most mission studies focus on expatriate missionaries or indigenous bishops.

U Tun’s contribution of CE to the diocese of Yangon is worth studying and recording, for he is an ‘unknown famous person’ in the Diocese of Yangon. This was mainly due to his approach in the promotion of CE. He accomplished most of the works under the names of the lay associations and committees such as the AYPA (Anglican Young People’s Association), RED (Religious Education Department), MA (Men’s Association) and MU (Mothers’ Union). Whenever a new CE programme was started U Tun seldom carried it out under his own name although people knew that something new had happened. Except those who worked closely with him, most people did not know who led, initiated and advised the new programme to be started which was carried out by such committees or lay associations. When doing research on the promotion of CE in the Diocese of Yangon from 1955 to 2003 the researcher noticed quite a number of changes, progress and improvements in the work of CE in the diocese. When the researcher traced who was responsible for these changes through interviews with people who were involved in the lay movements at different places and different groups, the answers pointed to U Tun. When the researcher interviewed U Tun during the course of preparing this thesis it became clear that these answers other people had given were true.

Furthermore, U Tun dictated part of his autobiography to the researcher, clarifying many of his contributions to the promotion of CE in the Diocese of Yangon which only his intimate co-workers knew. All these new findings have been included to reflect the extent of U Tun’s contribution in promotion of CE in the Diocese of Yangon. While all information has been cross-checked where possible, the study on the life and work of U Tun came from the original source of his dictated record. The core depends on interviews over several years.

Quite a number of books and reports are available in Burmese regarding materials mentioned in this thesis. But these books only describe the accomplishments. They fail to mention the failures and long-term ill effects due to poor supervision, changes of plan and abandoning of projects. Due to this, the researcher again used interviews as part of the process of cross-checking the materials.

Moreover, this work has been prepared with an unprecedented number of interviews with Anglican Christians in Myanmar by an indigenous Anglican and with an unprecedented study of original documents. Interviews were made with the existing bishops of the province both retired and in service, clergy from different age groups, prominent lay leaders and lay members who had served in the diocese for many years, and also those who knew U Tun over the last 50 years. The interviews also included indigenous church members from both towns and villages in the diocese about formal education, CE and participation in church activities. Interviews were also made with co-workers of U Tun including professors, lecturers and his old students of YIT (Yangon Institute of Technology, then known as Rangoon Institute of Technology) and those who knew the condition of the political, economic and educational policy of Myanmar very well. Interviews were also made with denominational leaders in Myanmar especially those from the MCC (Myanmar Council of Churches). This research therefore makes a unique contribution to knowledge by setting out the history and development of the Anglican Church as it was experienced by the indigenous people. Nearly all old people whom the researcher interviewed during 2000-06 passed away one after another which meant the researcher was not able to interview them for a second time. Due to this timely interview, many important facts about past history and their experience in CE could be integrated into this thesis. The primary sources which are some of the letters of the missionary diocesan bishops of Yangon and others to SPG mission headquarters can be found only at USPG archives at Rhodes House, Oxford, and in Partnership House, 157 Waterloo Road, SE1 8XA, London (now at the CMS archives in Birmingham University Library), USPG library and archives. Up to 2003 the researcher is the only Burmese and Kayin Anglican priest who could access these archives. Moreover, the primary sources which are the Yangon Diocesan Reports, Provincial Council Reports, and reports of the four lay organizations can be found mainly at the Yangon diocesan office, the Yangon Diocesan Trust Association and the provincial head office. So this overview itself is an original contribution, quite apart from the material on U Tun which serves as an extensive illustration of the lay contribution.

The CE standard in the diocese of Yangon was very low among the indigenous members at its inception in 1877 and it is still very low up to 2003 and onwards.¹³ It was a chronic disease from the very beginning. The attention given to the teaching of CE to the lay members was very poor and is still insufficient in the diocese up to the present day of globalization and quick technical and social changes.¹⁴ Giving sufficient CE to all members of the church is particularly important in this age of racial and religious pluralism, unequal economic development among the nations and differences in living standards among the rich and the poor.

The inadequate CE given to the indigenous members who offered themselves to serve the Lord and the Church full-time, part-time or as lay members in the Diocese of Yangon¹⁵ has created many problems in church leadership and was a great hindrance in working towards a well developed church which could stand on its own in this quick changing era of strong national sentiment.¹⁶ At present, in the CPM (Church of the Province of Myanmar), there is only a single theological college. This offers a B.Th. degree for all students coming from all the dioceses in the province. In spite of this, the college has the capacity to accept 12-15 students each year and only two to five from the diocese of Yangon. This number is insufficient even for the need of the diocese for training ordinands and future leaders. This B.Th. programme was started for the first time only in 1989. Although there are Bible Schools in some of the dioceses, they are only meant for Catechists and full-time mission workers to serve in rural areas. In the Diocese of Yangon, after the formation of the CPM in 1970, a separate Bible School of its own was only opened in 1999. There was no facility for other lay members of the church who wanted to study for the improvement of his/her knowledge of CE. Students at these Bible Schools had a relatively low standard of formal education and have very poor ability in reading, writing or understanding English. There were no regular competent teachers at these Bible Schools.¹⁷ As a result, the CE standard of those who passed from these Bible Schools was also relatively low.

For the lay members of the church, the only place where CE was given was at the Sunday schools opened in many of the churches. Some short courses were organized occasionally by the lay departments, that is, MA, MU, AYPA and RE departments of the diocese as well as in the province. To aggravate the problems of teaching to promote CE among the adult lay members in the churches, Sunday schools which were opened at the churches were meant only for children under confirmation age, that is, age 12-14 in the Myanmar context.¹⁸

To make the situation worse many who were confirmed in young adolescence between 12-14 were ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 2 A Brief Survey of CU before the Inauguration of the Diocese of Yangon (1854-1876)
• 3 A Brief Review of CU in the Diocese of Yangon (1877-1954)
• 4 Political, Economic and Educational Background of Myanmar from Independence to 2003
• 5 The Diocese of Yangon in its Historical Context (1955-2003)
• 6 Life of U Tun: His Life, Works and Formative Influence
• 7 U Tun’s Spiritual Development
• 8 U Tun’s Involvement in the Diocese of Yangon (1955-2003)
• 9 A Critical Appraisal of the Christian Education in the Diocese of Yangon (1955-2003)
• 10 Conclusion
• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Index
• Back Cover