Getting To Know Rev Chan Mei Ming

Our New Pastor At Faith. By Esther Teo

Faith welcomed two new pastors in January 2021, one of whom was Rev Chan Mei Ming, who has served in full-time ministry for nearly 20 years. Faithlink caught up with her to find out more about her life and influences.

QTell us about your call to full-time ministry.

ABack then, if someone had told me I would become a pastor, I would have told them they were barking up the wrong tree! [laughs] Actually,

I am a nurse, by training, and was bonded to and working at the Singapore General Hospital. During this time, I was accorded no-pay-leave to study for my nursing degree in Australia. It was during the time in Australia that I sensed the Lord’s call to fulltime ministry.

Eager to fulfil the call and feeling led to be a missionary, I contemplated breaking my bond with

SGH. However, the Lord impressed upon me to complete my bond with SGH, teaching me that a person’s word is his honour. Slightly dampened but not discouraged, I submitted to His plan and more than completed my bond as a nurse.

Now, bond-free, I thought the time had come to begin serving as a missionary! However, the Lord next impressed upon me to go for theological studies. Even though I thought I did not need a theological degree to do mission work, the time in

Seminary was meant to be quality time spent with

Him. Reluctantly, I obeyed.

Nearing the end of my 3-year Master of Divinity studies, I thought the time must finally have

come for mission work to begin! But as I prayed about it, I sensed the Lord directing me to stay on at the International Baptist Church Singapore (IBCS) and understudy the pastor to learn about pastoral ministry.

Frustrated, I learned from the Lord that the first call God places on the life of a person is the call to be His child; and the second is to go wherever He appoints. After graduating from the Baptist Theological Seminary, the opportunity arose for me to become the Minister of Cell Groups at IBCS, where I had worshipped and served for years.

QShare with us the strong influences in your life and ministry.

autonomously on a day- I are God’s beloved, let’s be to-day basis, there should secure in that! also be connectedness and camaraderie in ministry for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. Q AI eventually applied for a “transfer of ordination”, whilst serving at Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church as Pastoral Team Member. The Methodist Church in Singapore recognized my Baptist Ordination Credentials as of 1 August 2020. Who is God to you? Pastor Edmund Chan and his wife, Pastor Anne Chan, whose mentoring group I have been in for over 14 years, have been major influences in my life. One of the things I learnt from Pastor Edmund is this – “Discover the truth; Apply the truth; Reap the benefits; and Pass it on”. QWhy the switch from Baptist to Methodist? AThat is a good question! God is not just a transcendent and immanent being who lives out there, but He is my Heavenly Father, and my identity is found in the fact that I am His Too often we discover the truth then immediately pass it on, failing to first apply it to our own lives. Not having experienced the benefits when we obey God’s Word,

A[laughs] Everyone seems child. We all say we know that it takes away from our so curious about this! I feel we are God’s children, but authenticity as Christians and that some distinctives of often this may not go beyond in discipling others. the Methodist Church are head-knowledge. helpful in church ministry, I am also a big advocate of and also resonate with I discovered in the reading of literary mentors! Authors like me on a personal level. The Return Of The Prodigal Richard Foster, Dallas Willard,

Connectionalism, for Son by Henri Nouwen that I and Bishop Rueben Job have example, where Methodists am not only God’s child, but ministered to me deeply are interconnected and also His beloved; He loves through their books. For these connections are built me as much as He loves His those who would like to be into the church structure at Son, Jesus. That realization mentored by Jesus, I seriously the various levels. was life-changing for me, and recommend you read the allowed me to rest securely Four Gospels – Jesus’ words,

Baptist churches very much in Him, having “nothing to life, and ministry are recorded function independently, prove, nothing to lose, and in its pages! with their highest point of nothing to hide”. authority being their Senior/ Rev Chan Mei Ming is in

Lead Pastor and Board/ When we know, experientially the third year of her

Council. Connection with and personally we are God’s Minister-On-Trial (MOT) other Baptist churches is beloved, we can rest securely journey. Let’s pray for God’s voluntary, and each local in our Heavenly Father’s love strength and guidance as church is self-governing. no matter what happens, and she continues to minister to

I believe that as much as seek God’s approval and not our Faith family and those churches should function the approval of man. You and around her!

QUOTABLE QUOTES BY Rev Chan Mei Ming

The first call of a person’s life is to be a child of God; and the second is to go wherever He appoints.

~ On her calling into full-time ministry

As much as churches should be adaptive to the spaces where they serve, there should also be collectiveness and connectedness with everyone, a communal support in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.

God is not just some transcendent imminent being that lives out there, but my Father, and my identity is found in the fact that I am His child.

~ On becoming a Methodist Pastor

~ On her identity in God