Celebrity Pastors in Malaysia?

We need more Philips

Disclaimer: I am not saying Peter wants the center stage. I am using him as an analogy that these days in the age of the digital world emphasising the ATTENTION ECONOMY where everything is drawing our attention away and the church is trying to get the attention of its members, comes the rise of celebrity pastors and wanting to reach the millions to share the gospel. 

Is that an issue? Something for you to ponder. My thesis today is to state that "There are too many Peters and too little Phillips" 

To me, it is easy to be a Peter in the context of reaching the millions. It is easy to have the fame get in to your head and justify we need to reach the masses. You get evangelism programs that market their effectiveness by the number of sinners prayer being said. But truthfully what do these figures and numbers mean? What can the masses indicate? 

Perhaps they indicate that at the very least, whatever the church/pastor/program is doing is relevant. There is an attraction. There is a motivation to be there. But what is the anchor of the attraction? What counts as being relevant? is it the music? it is the charisma? Is it that the pastor can speak the lingo of Gen Z, no cap man! Sheeeeesh. Because to me, the one thing that will always be relevant is that which is eternal. As Paul tells the Corinthians "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" Francis Chan once shared how he was earnestly questioned/rebuked by his Christian friend in India as they were going to a conference he was speaking in. The Indian friend exclaimed that he found it interesting that American Christians will only flock together when the right Christian Band and the right speaker is preaching. But in India, at the thought of prayer, Christians will gather together. Since when that is not being sufficient? All in the name of gathering the masses an being relevant? Are we Malaysian Christians the same as America?

So we have celebrity pastors doing tiktoks, marketing themselves on instagram, and drawing the crowd. There was once I was with a pastor from a huge church and I just shared how my church focuses on small churches and does church planting. Immediately she retorted "What is wrong with mega churches huh?!" To which I responded "I never said anything wrong about mega churches, I just shared the general flow of my own church" But that itself shows a baggage or an issue within that concept to be so reactive. What was she defending? Likwise, there is value to enter the cyber world and disciple there. We of all people on Malaysian Christian Memes understand that value. It has been a privilege to reach out tothe Christians who are nomads, prodigals, and exiles from their own church and pray along side with them! But take note, what will eventually people see online? Do they see how cool you are? Or do they see the transformation that Christ has done in you and that all you can do is point to Jesus? When Jesus said make disciples of all nations, Jesus surely meant the cybernation too. 

What we get instead?

I am not discrediting those who are called to reach out to the masses. But what do we get instead? Pastors posting up videos that they are quitting the church institution, bashing their former church being so program driven and their solution? Create another church when there is a more underlying reason of why they quit the church. And then proceeds to make a second video clarifying his first video that he does not want the fame (while adding background music). I am sure the comment section is exhilirating for those who share how much they resonate with that. 
My question (without dwelling too much on the example given above) is where are the Philips? We have plenty of Peters reaching out to the thousands and that is good. 

What is the alternative?

But there is a ministry as you read Acts 8:26-40. For summary, God sent Philip to the one Ethiopian eunuch who HAD THE SCRIPTURE but needed someone to EXPLAIN IT TO HIM. Who are the Ethiopians of our day today? On top of that who are the ones falling through the cracks because of the lack of proper discipleship? Those who are on the brink of leaving their faith? those who are grieving? 

The Philip ministry takes time, not many will take notice. Not many will see. Seems inefficient. BUT THAT IS DISCIPLESHIP. It is not in the preaching, it is in the pastoral journeying and modelling of Christ. It takes:

1. Listening to God and sometimes vs26 "going on the desert road" 
2. Learning to wait on God which could be vs29 "Go to that chariot and stay near it"
3. Taking some effort on your end for the gospel which could look like vs30 "ran up to the chariot" and taking the initiative to ask "do you understand what you are reading?"
4. And faithfully disciple the ONE not the 3000. vs35 "begin from that very passage and told him the good news about Jesus" Working from where they are at and not where you are. 

5. Working with what you got which sometimes could look like vs 36 "came to some water, look here is water, WHAT CAN STAND IN THE WAY OF MY BEING BAPTIZED?" You do not need fancy buildings, programs, concerts, etc etc. But being faithful to the ONE.

Is there anyone who would want to do the Philip ministry? Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, and Kevin De Young are just some proponents which I noticed taking that back seat. Just being faithful with those God has given them. 

Who will rise up to the call of the quiet, slow, inefficient, Philip ministry? Share this idea out to gather the rest of the Philips and encourage them that they are not alone.

Writer: Eddryll 
Author's views are his own and does not represent the entire team