The Process of Fathering as Preventive Discipline

Chong makes a fascinating case of how confucian values are part of a Singaporean's DNA, and how that affects the way church leaders manage it. This perhaps applies more to the more "Asian" baby boomers, than to the "Western" millennials. Could it explain the huge generation gap on the understanding and preference of the mode of authority?


On another note, I thoroughly enjoyed the section on "The Process of Fathering as Preventive Discipline":

Paul saw himself, foremost as a "father," when describing his pastoral leadership. The language of church leadership that he used was often in the context of the family. The relationship between the leaders and the people was in terms of parenthood and children. The first task of church leadership is to help those under them to live and serve in obedience to the will of God. From Paul's viewpoint, the organization of the Church is a family. The church leader is like the father of this family.

Just like the father in the world of his day, Paul saw himself as responsible for the education of his spiritual children. As a father, Paul sought to bring up his spiritual children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. He clearly believed that both encouragement and correction were necessary for healthy development within the Christian family For Paul, discipline was not reserved to be an essential part of Christian nurture to build up individuals and churches in the faith. Discipline was a form of pastoral care. Such a discipline was always born of love, like that of a father for his child.

Source: Pages 211-2 of Paul's theology of church discipline in I Corinthians : a holistic model of discipline for the Church in Singapore / by Timothy Keng-Hoi Chong.