如果說，第十一篇談的是共同辨識最大的張力，那麼一個更長遠，也更令許多教會關心的問題便自然浮現：當上一代逐漸退下來，誰來承接下一棒？而下一代領袖，又是如何被興起的？
今天，無論是華人教會、浸信會，還是其他宗派，每當談到教會未來，我們很自然便想到接班、承傳、培訓和領袖發展。我們會設計不同的課程，建立實習制度，安排領袖訓練，希望預備更多弟兄姊妹承擔事奉。然而，當我重新回顧浸信會四百多年的歷史，也重新思想「信徒皆祭司」這項核心信念時，我愈來愈覺得，這些都不是最根本的問題。浸信會真正關心的，從來不是「誰來接替哪一個位置」，而是「神今天正在祂的教會裡興起誰」。
這兩種問題，看似只是先後次序不同，背後卻代表兩種完全不同的教會觀。如果我們首先想到的是培養領袖，焦點便很容易放在制度、課程、技術和安排，希望透過教會把一個人塑造成領袖。然而，如果我們首先想到的是辨識神所興起的人，焦點便不再是「誰最有能力」，而是「神是否已經在這個人的生命裡工作」。真正的領袖，不是教會創造出來，而是神先興起，教會再認出來；不是人先決定，神再祝福，而是神先工作，群體再共同辨識。因此，對浸信會而言，領袖的興起首先是一種辨識，然後才是培育，最後才是差派。¹
而這正是「信徒皆祭司」另一個經常被忽略的面向。我們談到信徒皆祭司時，很容易想到每一位信徒都能直接來到神面前，也都需要對自己的信仰負責。然而，這項信念同時意味著，聖靈並不是只向少數領袖工作，而是向整個教會群體工作。因此，神所興起的人，也可能來自群體中的任何一個角落。健康的教會，不是一直尋找領袖，而是不斷興起領袖；健康的領袖，也不是不斷尋找接班人，而是不斷學習辨認神正在誰身上工作。
因此，真正健康的教會文化，首先不是建立一套完善的領袖培訓制度，而是建立一個願意辨識恩賜、相信聖靈工作的群體。而這種辨識，很少是在一次會議、一份名單或一套評估表裡完成。更多時候，它是在長時間的同行之中慢慢形成。教牧、執事、小組長和弟兄姊妹，在一起服事、一起禱告、一起經歷失敗、一起面對張力的過程裡，逐漸看見神在某一個人的生命中工作。他未必是最有恩賜的人，也未必是最善於表達的人，更未必符合大家原本想像中的領袖模樣；但他在平凡的事奉中表現出忠心，在困難中願意學習，在衝突裡仍然保持謙卑，也愈來愈流露出基督的生命。於是，整個群體開始慢慢認出：也許，神正在呼召這個人。某程度上，辨識並不是「揀選誰做領袖」，而是一起學習認出神已經在誰身上工作。
今天很多教會談領袖培育時，首先想到的是能力。我們安排課程、工作坊和實習，希望幫助人學習帶查經、帶小組、主持會議、管理團隊和推動事工。這些能力十分重要，也是教會健康運作不可缺少的一部分。然而，能力並不等於成熟。我愈來愈覺得，一位成熟的領袖，需要三個向度一起成長：恩賜（Gift）、生命（Character）與呼召（Calling）。
恩賜，是神所賜予的能力；生命，是基督塑造的品格；呼召，則使一個人知道自己為何而服事。能力，使人能夠承擔工作；生命，使人能夠承受權柄；呼召，使人知道自己為何而事奉。真正成熟的領袖，不是三方面都已經完全，而是在群體裡願意讓這三方面一起慢慢成熟。
可惜的是，這三者並不一定同步。有些人恩賜十分明顯，做事能力很強，卻仍然不容易受教，也不容易與人同行；有些人生命成熟，充滿忠心與愛心，卻仍然缺乏經驗；也有人同時具備恩賜與生命，卻仍未真正明白神給他的呼召。若教會只看恩賜，很容易把最能幹的人推上領導位置；若只強調生命，又可能讓真正有恩賜的人一直沒有機會承擔責任；若忽略呼召，則容易把事奉變成一份工作，而不是一個使命。因此，真正健康的領袖培育，從來不是只追求其中一方面，而是陪伴一個人的恩賜、生命與呼召一起成長。
保羅正是這樣陪伴提摩太。當他回顧提摩太與自己同行的歲月時，首先提到的，不是技巧，也不是成就，而是他的教訓、品行、志向、信心、寬容、愛心和忍耐（提後3:10–14）。² 保羅最重視的，不是提摩太有多能幹，而是他的生命是否愈來愈像基督。因此，他並沒有對提摩太說：「你完成了我的課程。」相反，他提醒提摩太：「你知道是跟誰學的。」提摩太之所以成為提摩太，不只是因為他學會了一套神學，而是因為他長時間看見保羅如何跟隨基督，也在同行中學習活出同樣的生命。
羅伯特．柯爾曼（Robert E. Coleman）曾指出，耶穌改變世界最重要的方法，不是建立一套大量生產門徒的制度，而是長時間陪伴一小群人，把自己的生命投資在他們身上。³ 浸信會歷史同樣印證了這一點。托馬斯．赫爾維斯（Thomas Helwys）、羅傑．威廉斯（Roger Williams）、威廉．克理（William Carey），以及羅蒂．穆恩（Lottie Moon），都不是因為符合某一套既定條件才被神使用，而是在不同世代裡，被群體逐漸辨認出神的呼召。克理原本只是鞋匠；羅蒂．穆恩更是一位在當時並不符合傳統期待的女性宣教士。然而，神卻透過他們改變了浸信會，甚至改變了近代宣教的歷史。這些人物共同提醒我們：神所興起的人，未必總是符合我們原本的想像。
這一點，對今天加拿大華人教會尤其重要。許多第二代成長於兩種文化之間，他們的語言、敬拜方式、事奉模式，以及對教會的期待，都可能與第一代不同。第一代所重視的忠心、責任和委身，第二代可能更重視真誠、關係和意義。這並不代表誰比較屬靈，而是成熟的表達方式，本身便會受到文化影響。因此，上一代需要學習的不只是培養下一代，更是重新學習辨識下一代。我們需要問的，不只是「他是否像我們」，而是「神是否正在他身上工作」。真正的辨識，不是尋找自己的翻版，而是認出神新的工作。
我曾經看見一些教會，在多年門徒訓練的文化裡，一批又一批年輕人慢慢成為小組長、宣教士、傳道人，甚至牧者。那些教會最大的特色，不是因為他們擁有最完整的領袖課程，也未必因為他們有最精密的制度，而是因為整個群體始終相信：神今天仍然會在普通信徒當中興起工人。因此，當他們看見一個人身上的恩賜、生命與呼召時，便願意給予信任、陪伴、機會和時間，讓他在事奉中慢慢成熟。相反，也有一些教會擁有完善的制度和架構，卻因為害怕犯錯，而愈來愈少願意冒險相信人。於是，教會有很多職位，卻沒有人；有很多需要，卻沒有呼召；有很多做事的人，卻愈來愈少生命成熟的人。
Rethinking the Church through Baptist Tradition, History, and Theology
Practical Reflections
Part 12 : How Does the Church Raise Up the Next Generation of Leaders?
Rethinking Discernment, Formation, and Sending through the Priesthood of All Believers
If Part 11 explored one of the greatest challenges of communal discernment, another question naturally follows—one that is both more far-reaching and deeply felt by many churches today.
As one generation gradually steps aside, who will carry the ministry forward? More fundamentally, how does God raise up the next generation of leaders within His church?
Whether in Chinese churches, Baptist churches, or virtually any Christian tradition, conversations about the future almost always turn to succession, leadership development, mentoring, and training. Churches establish internship programs, design leadership courses, and develop various pathways to prepare believers for ministry. All of these are valuable, and healthy churches should continue to invest in them.
Yet as I have revisited four centuries of Baptist history and reflected afresh on one of the movement’s defining convictions—the priesthood of all believers—I have become increasingly convinced that these are not the most fundamental questions.
The Baptist concern has never primarily been, Who will replace this leader?
Rather, it has always been, Whom is God already raising up within His church today?
Although these questions may appear similar, they arise from two profoundly different ways of understanding the church.
If our starting point is leadership development, our attention naturally gravitates toward structures, curricula, competencies, and organizational planning. We hope that through intentional training the church can produce capable leaders for the future.
But if our starting point is discerning the people whom God is already raising up, our attention shifts in a very different direction. The central question is no longer, Who seems most capable? but rather, Where is God already at work?
Within the Baptist tradition, authentic leadership is never something the church manufactures by its own efforts. God calls first, and the church learns to recognize His work. God acts before the church appoints. Leadership therefore follows a profoundly theological order: **discernment comes first, formation follows, and sending comes last.**¹
The Priesthood of All Believers and the Work of Discernment
This conviction grows naturally out of one of the Baptist tradition’s most treasured doctrines—the priesthood of all believers.
When Baptists speak of this doctrine, attention often focuses on the truth that every believer has direct access to God and bears personal responsibility for responding to His Word. That is certainly true, but it is only part of what this doctrine affirms.
It also declares that the Holy Spirit is not at work only among pastors, elders, or a handful of recognized leaders. The Spirit is present throughout the entire body of Christ. Consequently, those whom God intends to raise up may emerge from any corner of the congregation.
Healthy churches, therefore, do not spend most of their energy searching for future leaders. Instead, they become communities that continually recognize the people whom God is already raising up.
Likewise, mature leaders are less preoccupied with finding successors than with learning to discern where the Holy Spirit is already bearing fruit among God’s people.
The first priority, then, is not to construct an increasingly sophisticated leadership pipeline. It is to cultivate a community that genuinely believes the Holy Spirit is still calling people today and is willing to recognize His work wherever it appears.
Such discernment rarely takes place through a single meeting, a nomination committee, or a carefully designed evaluation form.
More often, it unfolds gradually through years of shared life together.
Pastors, deacons, small-group leaders, and ordinary believers serve alongside one another. They pray together, experience disappointments together, endure conflict together, and persevere together through the ordinary rhythms of ministry. Along the way, they begin to notice something that no assessment tool can adequately measure.
Perhaps someone is not the most gifted communicator.
Perhaps they are not naturally charismatic.
Perhaps they do not resemble the kind of leader everyone initially expected.
Yet over time, the community begins to see unmistakable signs of God’s work.
They remain faithful in ordinary responsibilities.
They continue learning through failure.
They display humility when disagreements arise.
Little by little, the character of Christ becomes increasingly evident in the way they live and serve.
Gradually the congregation begins to recognize what God has already been doing.
“Perhaps the Lord is calling this person.”
From this perspective, discernment is not primarily about choosing someone to become a leader.
It is about learning, together, to recognize the person in whom God has already begun His work.
Formation: What Is the Church Actually Nurturing?
Yet discernment is only the beginning.
Once the church recognizes God’s work in someone’s life, another question naturally follows:
What, then, should actually be formed?
When churches speak about leadership development today, the conversation often begins with competence.
We organize courses, workshops, internships, and mentoring programs to help people learn how to teach the Scriptures, lead small groups, chair meetings, manage teams, and oversee ministries. These skills are indispensable, and healthy churches cannot flourish without them.
Yet competence is not the same as maturity.
The longer I serve in pastoral ministry, the more convinced I become that mature Christian leadership grows along three inseparable dimensions: gift, character, and calling.
Gift is the ability God graciously gives.
Character is the Christlike life that the Holy Spirit patiently shapes.
Calling is the deep conviction that enables a person to understand why they serve in the first place.
Gift equips a leader to carry responsibility.
Character enables a leader to bear authority without being corrupted by it.
Calling gives a leader the perseverance to remain faithful when ministry becomes costly.
Truly mature leaders are not those who have perfected all three dimensions, but those who are willing to let all three continue growing together within the life of the church.
Gift, Character, and Calling Do Not Always Mature Together
Unfortunately, these three dimensions do not always develop at the same pace.
Some believers possess remarkable gifts and impressive abilities, yet remain difficult to teach or unwilling to walk closely with others. Others demonstrate deep faithfulness, humility, and love, yet still lack the experience or confidence to assume greater responsibility. Still others may exhibit both gifting and mature character, but have not yet clearly discerned God’s particular calling upon their lives.
If a church evaluates people primarily by giftedness, the most capable individuals will quickly be elevated into leadership, even when their character has not yet matured sufficiently to sustain it.
If a church values character alone, those whom God has uniquely gifted may never be entrusted with meaningful responsibility.
And when calling is neglected altogether, ministry gradually becomes little more than a role to perform rather than a vocation to embrace.
Healthy leadership formation, therefore, is never about maximizing one of these dimensions while neglecting the others. Rather, it patiently accompanies believers as their gifts, character, and calling mature together under the lordship of Christ.
Paul’s Formation of Timothy
Paul’s relationship with Timothy beautifully illustrates this pattern.
When Paul reflected upon Timothy’s years of ministry, he did not begin by highlighting Timothy’s effectiveness or accomplishments. Instead, he pointed to Timothy’s life—his teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, and steadfastness (2 Tim. 3:10–14).²
What mattered most to Paul was not how competent Timothy had become, but whether his life was increasingly being conformed to Christ.
Significantly, Paul never said, “You have successfully completed my leadership training.”
Instead, he reminded Timothy:
“You, however, know those from whom you learned.”
Timothy became the leader he was not because he had mastered a theological curriculum, but because over many years he had watched Paul follow Christ and gradually learned to walk the same path himself.
Leadership, in other words, was not merely taught.
It was embodied.
A Pattern Seen Throughout Baptist History
This same principle can be seen throughout the history of the Baptist movement.
Robert E. Coleman famously observed that Jesus did not transform the world by constructing an efficient system for producing disciples. Rather, He invested His life patiently in a small group of ordinary people, allowing His own life to shape theirs over time.³
Baptist history tells a remarkably similar story.
Thomas Helwys, Roger Williams, William Carey, and Lottie Moon were not used by God because they perfectly matched predetermined leadership profiles. Rather, in each generation, the believing community gradually recognized God’s calling upon their lives.⁴
Carey began life as a village cobbler.
Lottie Moon served as a missionary during a period when many churches found it difficult even to imagine a woman exercising such influential ministry.
Neither fit the expectations of their day.
Yet God used them to reshape Baptist history and profoundly influence the modern missionary movement.
Their stories remind us that those whom God raises up rarely resemble the people we initially expect.
Learning to Discern the Next Generation
This is particularly significant for Canadian Chinese Baptist churches today.
Many second-generation believers have grown up between two cultures. Their language, patterns of worship, ministry expectations, leadership styles, and assumptions about church life often differ considerably from those of the immigrant generation.
Where the first generation frequently emphasizes faithfulness, responsibility, and sacrificial commitment, the second generation often places greater value on authenticity, relationships, and meaningful participation.
This does not mean that one generation is more spiritual than the other.
Rather, spiritual maturity often finds expression through different cultural forms.
Perhaps, then, one of the greatest responsibilities of the first generation is not merely to train younger leaders, but to learn how to discern them afresh.
The question is no longer,
“Does this person resemble us?”
It becomes,
“Is God already at work in this person’s life?”
True discernment does not seek replicas of ourselves.
It seeks evidence of God’s new work among His people.
Becoming a Community That Raises People Up
Throughout my own ministry, I have been privileged to observe churches where a long-term culture of discipleship has gradually raised up generation after generation of small-group leaders, missionaries, pastors, and church planters.
What distinguished these churches was not necessarily the sophistication of their leadership curriculum or the efficiency of their organizational systems.
Their defining characteristic was something far more fundamental.
As a community, they genuinely believed that God still raises up workers from among ordinary believers.
Whenever they recognized gifts, Christlike character, and genuine calling emerging in someone’s life, they willingly offered trust, encouragement, opportunity, patient mentoring, and time for growth.
By contrast, I have also encountered churches with impressive structures, comprehensive policies, and carefully designed leadership systems, yet where fewer and fewer people were entrusted with meaningful responsibility because the community had gradually become afraid of making mistakes.
Eventually, such churches possess numerous positions but few emerging leaders.
They have abundant ministry needs but little sense of calling.
They have many workers but comparatively few servants whose lives are steadily being conformed to Christ.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing many Canadian Chinese Baptist churches today is not the absence of programs or leadership structures.
Perhaps we have gradually ceased to be communities that genuinely raise people up.
A church that raises leaders is not necessarily the church with the most comprehensive leadership curriculum.
It is the church that faithfully learns to discern, accompany, empower, and ultimately send those in whom God has already begun His work.
The fundamental question concerning the next generation has never really been,
“Who will take the baton?”
The deeper question is this:
Do we still believe that God is raising up workers within His church today?
And when He does, will we be willing to recognize them, walk alongside them, equip them, and joyfully send them into the work to which He has called them?
Pastor Antony
Notes
- Edgar Young Mullins, The Axioms of Religion (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1908), 53–74. Mullins argued that because God relates directly to every believer, the church’s responsibility is not merely to appoint leaders, but to discern together those in whom God is already at work.
- Second Epistle to Timothy 3:10–14.
- Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1993), 21–43.
- Thomas Helwys, Roger Williams, William Carey, and Lottie Moon together illustrate a consistent pattern throughout Baptist history: God frequently raises up people whom others might easily overlook, while the church’s calling is to discern them, accompany them, equip them, and joyfully send them into His mission.
Originally written in Chinese.
English translation assisted by ChatGPT.
