Editor’s note: Due to the political and religious climate of the countries the participants came from and the risks facing church workers, initials are being used in this story to identify sources who are serving in the countries or may travel there in the future.
Key points:
- 2024 ASCEND was facilitated by the United Methodist boards of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry and the General Board of Missions of the Korean Methodist Church.
- Missionaries and mission directors selected seven young leaders from each of the four Asian Mission Initiative countries — Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam — for the three-year program.
- The training included personality tests, Bible studies, testimonies and various sessions to enable the young adults to practice effective and efficient leadership.
Methodist young adults from the four Asian Mission Initiative countries of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries — Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam — gathered Nov. 4-8 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for 2024 ASCEND, a global leadership development training event.
The program was sponsored and facilitated by Global Ministries, the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Board of Missions of the Korean Methodist Church. The training originated during the August 2023 Mission Consultation between the Board of Missions and Global Ministries, when the two groups agreed to collaborate to train and develop local leaders in Asia — especially in Mongolia and Vietnam — and to develop youth and women’s leadership on the continent.
The missionaries and the mission directors selected seven young leaders from each of the four countries for the three-year program. Participants will meet quarterly virtually and in person every November. They will receive certification at the end of the third year, recognizing the Christian ways of leadership and participation in the comprehensive program.
Facilitators from India, Korea, the Philippines and the U.S. led the training, which included personality tests, Bible studies, testimonies and various sessions to enhance and sharpen their skills and enable the young adults to practice effective and efficient leadership, deepen their biblical foundation, and further strengthen their church ministries and mission engagements.
The Rev. PK, a representative of Global Ministries, said ASCEND is a leadership development program for young adults in the four mission initiative countries.
“We are not ignoring the Board of Global Ministries’ missions and ministries to strengthen and develop communities, nor neglect alleviating human suffering in the countries,” PK said. “Providing young Christians with opportunities to learn sound and healthy leadership, we hope they can grow as good Christian leaders and impact their communities as Korean Christian leaders did decades ago.”
Three personality test sessions were among the most exciting subjects for the participants.
Led by Dr. FM of Southern Philippines Methodist College, the sessions consisted of personality profile tests and emotional intelligence questionnaires.
She explained that knowing their own personalities helps young leaders learn more about themselves — their strengths, weaknesses and interests — and how to relate to other people.
“I think it is very important for them to know themselves more, know other people, adjust and become better versions of themselves. It might help them to develop and navigate their future with an understanding of their personality,” she said.
CT, one of the trainees, said, “Dr. FM’s personality tests, which I had never done before, helped me to understand myself deeper and clearer. I also want to use this test for my fellow young people in my country.”
One of the strengths of the Asian churches is the presence of young adults, but the church’s strong patriarchal culture relegates most young people to the sidelines, with few opportunities for development and training.
However, young people in Asia find ways to be engaged and involved in their churches. They teach Sunday School, conduct Bible studies, lead in prison worship and engage in ministry for their community. Young people, especially in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar, commit to church ministries in their communities.
According to DMC, a deaconess from the Philippines Central Conference and a Global Ministries liaison, ASCEND is inspired by Isaiah 40:31.
“We envision young people to soar high. Asia has been gifted with lots of young people in the churches. ‘They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings,’” she said.
RT, a young mission advocate from India who serves Global Ministries in the Philippines, led a life-mapping session to help young adults envision their future.
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“We had time to reflect on our journey, because there’s always an influence from little decisions or key moments in our life. It also brings gratitude and sometimes hopes for the future to look back at how things have worked out and how things will work out in the future,” RT said. “At the same time, it is part of the purpose of this program to try to teach them to plan and strategize their life ahead and equip themselves as a leader.”
EZ, a participant from Mongolia, expressed her excitement and deep gratitude for ASCEND, and she said she was motivated to learn more about being a Christian leader.
“I learned a lot about myself, leadership and education, which taught me what is good or not good to lead,” she said. “As I go back to Mongolia, I want to study leadership in youth ministries and organizations.”
RL, a Global Ministries staff member in Cambodia, attended the event as a young leader and translator. She said she learned to be patient as a leader.
“We need to have more patience and be confident to get to know one another, and we also need to have open minds to accept the truth and to catch up with the opportunity to grow,” she said.
RL said the lectures she found most interesting were the personality tests and “Brave New World” by Dr. YP, director of LEAD Hub for the Asia Pacific region of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
She said she learned the importance of education through Dr. YP’s session.
“The leaders of Korea and my country faced almost the same difficulties,” she said. “However, the leaders of South Korea focused on building schools and hospitals to heal and educate people, while the leaders in my country concentrated on others instead of education and raising the young.”
She said ASCEND allowed young people from her country to learn and grow as leaders. She hopes this training helps young leaders in the church to have more confidence.
“I’m sure they have the knowledge and skills, but they don’t have enough chances to prove who they are more. Also, they can be more confident when talking in front of other people and sharing what they know with other people,” she said.
Kim is director of Korean and Asian news at United Methodist Communications. Contact him at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
