By Wendy Choy-Chan

After I graduated from seminary, I served in a church’s internship program for two years. This was a program offered by the church to seminary graduates to gain a comprehensive church leadership experience by participating in different ministries in the church, not needing to be tied down to any one particular area. I always felt led by God to go into the teaching ministry, but my mentor at that time encouraged me to gain some experience in church pastoring. So I started my internship at this church. 

One of the challenges I faced was that this church was complementarian (it was quite surprising but God’s working that they even engaged me as an intern in the first place!). After my first year, I was asked to meet with the leadership. In that meeting, one of the leaders asked me, “Our church trains pastors, not teachers. So why do you want to continue for another year? Why not go get a PhD and teach in a seminary?” I thank God for giving me wisdom to respond in that moment. I said, “Well, I think a teacher needs to learn how to pastor, just as a pastor needs to learn how to teach.” 

Putting aside the issue of women in ministry, what this leader said about teaching vs. pastoring is a significant point for reflection. Jesus is a great teacher AND pastor. He is a great teacher not just because he is smart and knowledgeable, but also, very importantly, because he is a great pastor with a shepherd’s heart. He teaches from his heart and his teaching touches the hearts of the people. In other words, his teaching does more than giving knowledge or information but reveals the heart of God to the hearers and invites them to respond to God. For those who are drawn by the Spirit, they respond positively to Jesus’ teaching and his invitation to draw near to God. However, for those with hearts of stone (Ezek 36:26-27), they are unable to respond and they reject Jesus’ teaching and his invitation. 

Jesus teaches with authority, but also with compassion. His teaching is not just educational but transformational. He is a pastor-teacher. Most of my professors in seminary embody Christ, imparting to me profound knowledge of the Bible and our faith, and their pastoral hearts also shone evidently, both in the classroom and over coffee.

During my seminary days, I was discerning whether God was calling me to pursue a PhD. I had coffee with a professor and I shared with him my desires and struggles. He said to me, “Wendy, many people can get PhDs, but you are the only one who is your husband’s wife and your children’s mother.” What he said was factually accurate, but he did more than conveying to me a piece of information. He spoke to my heart with spiritual wisdom and compassion. I imagine this is what happened in the Gospel as well, that Jesus’ words weren’t merely pieces of information, but they made an impression on the hearts of his hearers. Jesus was and is a pastor-teacher who speaks to the heart, desiring to renew and refresh our hearts with his words of love and wisdom.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Wendy became a Christian while attending Queen’s University in Canada. She graduated from Fuller Seminary in 2016 with an MA in Theology, and from Multnomah Biblical Seminary in 2023 with a DMin in Heart-based Spirituality and Christian Formation. Wendy lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters, and serves as a minister at Evangelical Chinese Church of Seattle.