Our Ministry Leaders: An Interview with Dr. Abner Chou
President and John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow | The Master’s University and Seminary
Why is it important to train not just church leaders but churchmen?
The church is the world’s most important institution in this season of history (Acts 2:1-4; Eph 3:1-21). It is the only institution Christ promised to build (Matt 16:18) and remember for all eternity (Rev 12:14). The question of investing in the church is the question of doing the one thing that matters in this world and for all eternity.
We know that the church’s leadership matters. At the same time, the church’s work can never be left to the professionals. The church is made up of lay people. Every New Testament epistle is written to the person in the pew, and all of its service and witness done by those God has redeemed. The church is most effective and God-glorifying when Christ, “according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph 4:16). So while every church needs strong leaders, local congregations are only as strong as their lay people. They can go into places a pastor or even missionary cannot and be salt and light. The greatest blessing for a pastor is a congregation eager to know and live out the Word of God (cf. 3 John 4; cf. Phil 2:17-18). In that way, The Master’s Seminary and The Master’s University serve the church in total. The seminary trains the next generations of pastors to lead God’s people with conviction. The university equips the next generation of lay people to take up the cause of Christ. Together, TMUS labors so that the church around the world can fulfill the eternal work of witnessing to Christ and making its stand as the pillar and grounds of the truth in this era.
What are some strategic ways The Master’s University’s education cultivates a love for the church in its students?
Fundamentally, The Master’s University trains every student with the highest view of God and His Word. We do not flinch on the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, sufficiency, and preservation of Scripture. We believe every word of it is inspired, every word real, every word profound, and every word must be obeyed. That commitment runs through the classroom to the dorms, from the cafeteria to chapel, from every outdoor space of campus to every indoor staff office. Such commitment is what builds a conviction that the church is necessary for our spiritual survival and God’s institution for this time. It is central to our existence and purpose on this Earth. Our majors not only prepare students for a vocation, they also help them serve the church effectively. That happens as they learn the value of finances and giving to the church, as they understand how to make wise decisions about politics, economics, science, education, technology, or medicine. All that training prepares students to use their skills for the church and gives students a drive to see the gospel proclaimed and supported in their job and across the world. TMU endeavors to make sure students do not divide the sacred and the secular but capture all things for Christ, to serve and carry out Christ’s mission in all they do. Faculty and staff teach and embody this, showing students that it is not just the pastor who serves in church but every member of the congregation. Of course, this service fuels a love for the church, which is something we cultivate in our students by pointing them to the local church and giving them numerous opportunities to serve. By the time they graduate, they have learned to treasure God’s people, see the priority of service, and understand the beauty of the body of Christ and a life that revolves around it. In sum, TMU equips students to be the best churchmen, exemplifies what that looks like in every vocation, and extends the opportunities for students to participate in the church and love the body of Christ.
